Martin Berger
Born: 1972, February 29, Saarland, Germany
Conductor, Music educator, Clinician
Current positions
Director of Music at Würzburg Cathedral, professor of choral conducting / choral education to University of Music (Musikhochschule) Robert Schumann Düsseldorf
Studies
Diploma degree studies in church music, general music education; teaching degree in German studies; postgraduate studies in choral conducting; postgraduate studies church music; master classes with Eric Ericson, Anders Eby and Gary Graden
Career
- Teaching position at the academy of sacred music of the Cologne archbishopric 2000-2002
- Director of Music at St.-Kilian’s Cathedral in Würzburg since 2002
- Teaching position at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg from 2004-2008
- Professor of choral conducting at the University of Music (Musikhochschule) Robert Schumann Düsseldorf since 2008
- Concerts in Europe, South Africa and USA
- Leader of workshops and masterclasses
Guest conductors
Kåre Hanken
Kåre Hanken holds a Master Degree in Church Music at the Music Conservatory in Oslo, Norway. In addition, he has qualifications in Organ and Choral Conducting from Denmark, Sweden and the USA. His career spans almost four decades, starting as an organist in Ålesund, before becoming Principal of the city’s music school. From 1987 to 2000 Kåre Hanken taught choral conducting at the Institute for Music and Theatre of the University of Oslo, and later been a part time lecturer at the Academy of Music in Oslo.
At the University of Oslo he became the conductor of the Schola Cantorum, a choir whose concerts have brought them international acclaim all over Western Europe, the Baltic States, the Nordic countries, South Africa and Japan. In 1998 the Norwegian Department for Foreign Affairs afforded the choir the honour of representing Norway in the Pre-Olympic Culture Program in Japan.
Kåre Hanken has conducted major works for choir and orchestra, like Handel’s Messiah, Bach St John Passion, masses by Mozart and Haydn, Requiems by Mozart and Duruflé, as well as piano concertos and orchestra works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Grieg.
Kåre Hanken is in great demand as guest conductor and adjudicator at national and international choir competitions. In 2000 he served on the jury of the first Choir Olympics held in Linz, Austrian and the World Choir Games in China in 2006. He is also a well-known choral conducting specialist and has held master classes in conducting at Universities and Academies in Latvia, Estonia, South Africa, Japan and the USA.
In 1998 he established and extensive choral conducting educational program at the University of Port Elizabeth as part of an outreach project of NORAD, which serves the broader communities of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. In 1999 he was awarded an Honorary Professorship by the same institution in honour of his contributions to the development of choral singing in the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
He is currently extraordinary professor in choral conducting as well as principle guest conductor of Schola Cantorum at the Stellenbosch University.
Rudolf de Beer
Rudolf de Beer joined the Stellenbosch University’s music department in 2006 and is currently senior lecturer in choral conducting, head of music education, artistic director of Schola Cantorum Stellenbosch, and conductor of the Mecer City of Tygerberg Choir. He previously conducted, amongst others the North West Children’s Choir, the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir, the National Youth Choir of South Africa, and the Excelda National Chamber Choir (a project of Jeunesses Musicales South Africa). He studied at Potchefstroom University, while his Master’s in choir conducting and musicology is from the University of Oslo. He completed his DMus though a joint venture between the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo. His mentors include Kåre Hanken (Norway), Anders Eby (Sweden), Imants Kokars (Latvia), Richard Cock (RSA), Henry Leck (USA), and Mary Goetze (USA). He is regularly in demand for workshops, masterclasses and lectures, and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School, while involving himself with different outreach projects that assist in the training of conductors throughout the country. He is also on the advisory board of the International Federation for Choral Music and member of the artistic and scientific committee of the Croatian Choral Association of which he is also an honorary member and from which he received the award Magister Chori. Highlights in his conducting career include concerts for Nelson Mandela on his 85th birthday, the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Congress in Durban in front of Queen Elizabeth II, a broadcast of J.S. Bach’s Ascension- and Easter Oratorios on SABC-radio, the opening ceremony of Min-On’s “Linus Pauling [Nobel Prize Laureate] exhibition” in Nagasaki, Japan, and concerts in venues such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, Osaka Symphony Hall, Oslo Concert House, St John’s Smith Square Westminster, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Toronto Centre for the Arts. He also conducted the choir of the Jāzepa Vītola Latvian Music Academy in Riga and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Carmina Burana in Cape Town.
Romãns Vanags
Vanags – a graduate of Emils Darzins’ specialized music college and of the Department of Choir and Orchestra Conducting of Jazeps Vitols’ Latvian State Conservatory in Riga (currently named – Latvian Music Academy). He received diploma in choir conducting as well as in music pedagogy. In addition, he was studying also symphonic orchestra conducting. In 2003 he received professional master’s degree in music. Romans Vanags’ professional work has been connected with conducting and pedagogy. Romans Vanags has been the chief conductor of teachers’ choir named “Vanema” for years (1984-2004) and since 1990 he has been the principal conductor of the Latvian University female choir named “Minjona”. Since 1987 he has been chief conductor and artistic director of Jāzeps Mediņš Music School boys` choir. In 1990-1993 he worked with Jazeps Medins Music College Symphonic Orchestra. Since 1987 till 1994 Romans Vanags was employed at the Latvian Music Academy in Riga as professor of choir conducting and as the conductor of the academy choir. Since 2005 asoc. professor Romans Vanags is the head of conducting Department of the Latvian Academy of Music. He has been the organizer of various courses for conductors in numerous countries around the world and also jury member of many international choral competitions. He has also been appointed as one of the chief conductors of the Latvian Song Festival (in 1993, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2008 ) and the Youth Song Festival ( in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010) as well. Since 2004 Romans Vanags is the chairman of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO on the Latvian Song and Dance Festival affairs. The choirs conducted by Romans Vanags have won numerous awards at international competitions ( Arezzo, Debrecen, Tour, Varna etc.) and made concert tours all over the world. In 2008 Romans Vanags recieve the highest civil decoration in Latvia – the Three Star Order.