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The Conductor
     The Choir
         Awards

The Conductor

The conductor Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer was born in Graz. His first contact with choral music was during his participation in the children's choir St. Veit (Graz) conducted by Luis Steiner. He attended the music school of the diocese Graz (conducted by Anton Lippe, organ by Franz Illenberger) and later the conservatories in Graz and Vienna (conductor: Karl Ernst Hoffmann). Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer studied a year at the university in Perugia (Italy) focusing on Renaissance music. He later worked as a music teacher and still performs sacred music.

Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer was awarded the "Pro Musica" price by the Belgian minister of culture for his outstanding musical and pedagogical success in the field of youth-choir-education in Europe.

Photo Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer  

The Choir

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The Kantorei Graz was founded by the choirmaster Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer in 1973. All the members of the choir are amateurs.

The musical work focuses on a-capella-singing but the Styrian choir also performs concerts together with orchestras during liturgically important Christian festivities. The repertoire of the choir contains for the most part sacred music of the 16th and 17th centuries (Renaissance) and also music by contemporary composers.

The Kantorei Graz participated in various radio recordings in Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Ireland, England, Spain, Poland and Austria.

Dr. Joppich Portrait   A main point of the musical work is the annual participation in a Gregorian workshop for one week carried out under the direction of DD Godehard Joppich (Germany). During the course the participants acquire important historical knowledge, which enables them to understand the roots of vocal music and its rhetorical expressiveness better.   Dr. Joppich erklärend


Awards

At the national choir competition "Bundesjugendsingen 2004", the Kantorei Graz was the only Styrian choir being able to be awarded the attribute "mit ausgezeichnetem Erfolg" (which is the highest award at this competition).

Taken from the live recording at the "Bundesjugendsingen 2004":
 Kantorei Graz "Ein Blümlein auserlesen"

Moreover, the Choir "Kantorei Graz" conducted by Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer has successfully participated in several international competitions all over Europe and won 7 first places, 1 second and 1 third place. At the Limerick Church Music International Choral Festival in 2000 in Limerick (Ireland), in which 36 choirs participated, the Kantorei Graz won one first place and was awarded the price for the best overall choir because it was given the maximum number of points.

 

The Kantorei Graz and their choirmaster Karl Schmelzer-Ziringer went to Ireland on March 22 2000 to participate in a competition for sacred music in Limerick.

Choirs from various countries, altogether 2000 singers, participated in six different categories during the 3-day competition at the St. Mary's Church.

The Kantorei Graz succeeded in winning one of the coveted first places and was further awarded the best overall choir, which was given the maximum number of points. The Kantorei Graz was extolled by the internationally renowned jury as a choir that has a high art of singing and excellent ability of musical interpretation. According to the jury, the musical interpretation of the text, which forms the basis of the whole musical work, is of paramount importance. The jury thinks that the choirmaster of the Kantorei Graz was very successful in accomplishing this task. Further, the intonation, the fascinating agogics as well as the musical flow of the lines were excellently performed by the choir.

 

(Article about the Limerick Church Music International Choral Festival in 2000 in Limerick/Ireland, taken from the magazine "Tenor")

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