Marking the 100th Anniversary
The University Chamber Choir Performs Bach’s Mass in B Minor in Ohrdruf, Erfurt, and Weimar
Founded in 1926 as a madrigal choir by Walter Rein, it quickly developed into a leading ensemble: To mark its 100th anniversary, the Chamber Choir of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s B Mass in B minor, BWV 232B on three separate occasions. Under the direction of Prof. Jürgen Puschbeck, the Mass will first be performed on Friday, June 26, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Trinitatis Church in Ohrdruf.
This will be followed by a performance on Saturday, June 27, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Thomas Church in Erfurt, before the chamber choir concludes the series on Sunday, June 28, at 5:00 p.m. at Herz-Jesu Church in Weimar. The university orchestra will accompany the performance, with students from various vocal classes providing the vocals. Admission to all concerts is free; however, in Weimar, advance ticket reservations through the Tourist Information Office are required.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor is one of the most significant works in European music history. It is considered a highlight of Baroque sacred music. Bach wrote the first movements as early as 1733; the final version was completed shortly before his death in 1750. Although Bach served as a Lutheran church musician in Leipzig, he set the Latin text of the Catholic Mass to music. In doing so, he transcended denominational boundaries and created a work of universal significance.
The Chamber Choir of the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar consists primarily of students in the school music, conducting, and church music programs. Following its founding in 1926, Prof. Günter Fredrich initially continued the choral work, and Prof. Gerd Frischmuth took over in the 1970s. Since 1997, Frischmuth’s former student, Prof. Jürgen Puschbeck, has led the ensemble. Puschbeck was himself a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor, studied in Weimar, and in 1986 became choir director of the Jena Philharmonic before taking over the artistic direction of the Chamber Choir of the Weimar Music University in 1997—and was appointed professor of choral conducting in 1998.
The chamber choir regularly accepts invitations to national and international festivals and competitions, such as those in Marktoberdorf, Graz, Belfort, Spittal/Drau, Riva del Garda, Toulouse, and Tours. Numerous prizes and awards attest to the ensemble’s high quality. In addition, the choir maintains a busy concert schedule: guest performance tours have already taken it to nearly all European countries, as well as to the U.S., Japan, and Israel. For many years, the ensemble has also served as an ambassador for Thuringia and Germany.
Concerts for the Thuringian state representations in Berlin and Brussels have become a tradition; the choir has also performed Advent concerts on multiple occasions on behalf of the German Embassy in Vienna, Bratislava, and Košice. The University Chamber Choir primarily focuses on a cappella repertoire from the 16th to the 21st centuries, though vocal symphonies are also an integral part of its repertoire.
In this context, as with other projects, the choir has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Kurt Masur, Fabio Luisi, Helmuth Rilling, Georg Christoph Biller, Ton Koopman, Konrad Junghänel, and John Butt.
[12 June 2026]