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With a long and illustrious history of passing its light on to others close to home and on an international scale, the widely acclaimed Wittenberg Choir is now tracing the path of Martin Luther by singing in the churches where he preached, May 13-May 22. The special European tour also marks the 50th anniversary of the choir’s first European tour.
Director Adam Con chose to tour Germany in 2012 to coincide with the Luther 2017, 500 Years of Reformation, 2012 Year of Music, part of a 10-year celebration of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 theses and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Luther, a German monk, priest and professor of theology, is credited with sparking the Protestant Reformation after he posted the 95 Theses, a document that objected to indulgences in the Roman Catholic Church, on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on Oct. 31, 1517.
“Since this is a huge year in the celebration of Martin Luther, the Reformation and the music of Luther, it seemed like the perfect fit for connecting to the historical roots of our university,” said Con, Wittenberg’s director of choral activities and coordinator of music education. “The Wittenberg Choir has not traveled beyond the borders of the United States for many years, and international travel and singing abroad is an important component to a strong choral program at any university.”
Thirty-three members of the Wittenberg Choir are participating in the tour, which began with a flight to Berlin May 13, and will conclude with a flight home from Frankfurt on Tuesday, May 22. In between, the group will tour numerous historic, cultural and educational sites, including the new Holocaust Memorial Museum in Berlin and the Buchenwald Concentration Work Camp. As part of the Martin Luther focus, the choir will also visit homes, churches and places of sanctuary where Luther lived and worked.
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Eight choral performances will include concerts at the Kaiser-Wilhem-Gedachtnis-Kircke in Berlin, the Scholsskirche in Wittenberg where Luther posted his 95 Theses, the church of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Thomaskirche and the Reformierte Protestantische Kirches in Leipzig, Agustinerkirche in Erfurt, and St. Stephan Church in Mainz. In Merseberg, the choir will stay overnight with families and then sing at the Himmelfahrt (Ascension) Festival in the Neumartkirche/St. Thomae Kirche during the celebration worship service.
The Wittenberg Choir will open each concert with songs by a trio of Lutheran composers. The first song is Luther’s A Mighty Fortress in a new arrangement by Con, followed by Bach’s Komm Susser Tod and Richte Mich Gott by Felix Mendelssohn. The rest of the concert will contain a wide variety of sacred choral music by leading American composers, including three African American spirituals.
“As a young child I was told that if you could say one prayer, that ‘Thank you!’ would be all you need,” Con said. “There is so much for which to be grateful. I want to say thank you to the many donors and congregations who made this trip financially possible and to the Wittenberg administration, board of directors, advancement team, finance staff and greater university community. It really does take a village to make something of this magnitude a reality.”
To follow the choir’s footsteps, visit the group’s blog by clicking here.Story by: Ryan Maurer
