THE MDR CHILDREN'S CHOIR

This MDR choir, the only children's choir within the Association of Public Broadcasting Stations in Germany (ARD), is one of the longest-established children's choirs in the city of Leipzig.

The MDR CHILDREN'S CHOIR in front of the rehearsal studios.

Thousand of boys and girls have been involved in broadcasts in Leipzig over the past five decades. They have taken part in school concerts, in public functions, in choir festivals at home and abroad and they have travelled to a large number of European countries. In the broadcasting room in the Leipzig broadcasting centre, they have produced children's songs, folk songs, classical songs and cantatas.

Founded by the legendary choir director Hans Sandig

The ensemble was founded as far back as 1948 by the legendary choir director Hans Sandig, who was, until his death in 1989, in charge of the radio children's choir, with whom he wrote a major chapter in radio history. Sandig was an outstanding conductor, composer and arranger. "Sind die Lichter angezündet" is one of the best-loved of his many compositions, which he dedicated to the children of the choir and with which today's generation of 50-year olds grew up. This carol is the motto of the traditional Christmas concerts in the Leipzig Gewandhaus every year.

After the death of Prof. Dr. Hans Sandig, his work was continued. Since 1990, Gunter Berger has been the conductor and responsible for musical management of the choir. In 1992, CENTRAL GERMAN RADIO took over the children's choir, to which 120 boys and girls, between six and nineteen years, belong. Musical education plays a major role. Besides attending twice-weekly rehearsals, choir members are given voice training and instruction in musical theory.

The MDR CHILDREN'S CHOIR is committed to a wide musical spectrum, ranging from children's songs through to contemporary music. In recent years, the young singers have increasingly played a part in demanding choral symphony works produced by the MDR. Besides radio productions, the focus of choir work is on concerts in Leipzig, in the MDR broadcasting region, in Germany and abroad.

International acknowledgement and CD-productions

Some of the highlights in recent choir history were participation in the first performance, in a dramatic form, of Karl-Heinz Stockhausen's "Freitag aus Licht" at the Leipzig Opera House, participation in the anniversary concert "75 years of MDR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA" in October 1999 and participation in the first performance on 9th November 1999 of "Goldberg Passion" by Friedrich Schenker, a work commissioned by the MDR.