When Essen-Steeler Kinderchor was founded in 1948, it set itself the goal of upholding and propagating German choir music. And this has been our commitment until this very day.

Moreover, the increasingly global music landscape and ever closer ties between European countries have motivated us to extend our repertoire accordingly. Now we regularly perform songs in foreign languages, too, and have found that text discussions during choir rehearsals and the experience of rhythms that are sometimes strange to us can help us come to a better understanding of other people, their culture and mentality.

As the musical crossing of international borders has become part and parcel of our repertoire, we perform madrigals and folk songs not only in German, but also in English, French, Italian and Russian. For some years the youth choir has also been doing pop-songs and jazz.

 

On the History of the Choir

Erhard Raubuch founded Essen-Steeler Kinderchor in 1948. Not even one year after its foundation, the choir gave its first concert in public in Essen-Steele on 10 July 1949. During its sixty-year history, the choir has performed many important concerts. Concerts at state receptions in Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn and Villa Hügel in Essen count among the most brilliant performances.

In 1981 a youth choir was added to the children’s choir and has been an important part of the whole choir ever since.

Every year Essen-Steeler Kinder- und Jugendchor stages about 20 concerts which take place in Essen, and the rest of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the whole of Germany and other European countries. Television and radio performances as well as LP and CD recordings and the successful participation in different competitions, have made Essen-Steeler Kinder-und Jugendchor known nationwide.

Next to various performances and concerts outside Essen, there are two special highlights for our young and old singers alike in the course of the year. These are the spring concerts performed at various places in Essen in May or June, and the Christmas concerts in Philharmonie Essen on the Saturday before the fourth Sunday in Advent. All our 130 singers stage these events together and convince the public of their musical talent.

Succeeding Erhard Raubuch (1948), Annelise Ebbeken (1967-73), Hermann-Josef Beyer (1974-81), Siegfried Kühbacher (1982-2002), Thomas Rudolph (2002-2007), Christoph Weßkamp (2007-2010), Reinhold Ix (2010-2014) and Peter Jensen (08/2014-20.10.2014)