Wolfgang Schäfer

Wolfgang Schäfer (born 7 April 1945) is a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He founded the Freiburger Vokalensemble, the BosArt Trio, and the Frankfurter Kammerchor. From 1982 to 2008, he was professor for choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.

Career Born in Staufen im Breisgau, Schäfer studied music education, voice and choral conducting in Freiburg im Breisgau, and orchestral conducting in Stuttgart. He was a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg from 1971 to 1982. He has been the artistic director of the , which he founded in 1971.

In 1982 Schäfer was appointed professor for choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main (HfMDK, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts), succeeding Helmuth Rilling. Among his students are Peter Reulein, Christoph Siebert and Dan Zerfaß. In 2008, after 26 years of teaching, he conducted in a farewell concert Schicksalslied by Brahms and Schubert's Mass in A flat major.

Also in 1982 he was the director of the Frankfurter Kantorei, succeeding Kurt Thomas and Rilling. He conducted the choir until 1997. In 2008 he founded the Frankfurter Kammerchor. Schäfer has been a juror at international music competitions. He has been the artistic director of the annual Staufener Musikwoche in his hometown. Since his student days, Schäfer has also been a member of the musical comedy group .

In 1984 Schäfer conducted the premiere of the Kurt Hessenberg's Mass with the Frankfurter Kantorei in the studio of the Hessischer Rundfunk.

In 1990 he recorded Telemann's cantata Die Tageszeiten with Mechthild Bach, Mechthild Georg, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Johannes Mannov, the Freiburger Vokalensemble and Collegium Musicum, the second commercial recording of the cantata. In 2003 he recorded Telemann's Passion Das selige Erwägen des bittern Leiden und Sterbens Jesu Christi with Barbara Locher, Zeger Vandersteene, Stefan Dörr, Berthold Possemeyer, Jesus-Rene Schmidt, the Freiburger Vokalensemble and L'arpa festante, then probably the only recording of the work.

After retiring from the Musikhochschule Frankfurt, Schäfer founded the Frankfurter Kammerchor, mostly formed by alumni of the Hochschule. He conducted the chamber choir in concerts in the Limburg Cathedral and the Stiftskirche, Stuttgart, among others. He designed a program for Advent which includes several settings of Ave Maria and Jan Sandström's Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.

Awards 1981: BBC competition "Let the Peoples Sing", first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble 1984: Wettbewerb der Europäischen Rundfunkunion, first prize with the Freiburger Vokalensemble

Discography Freiburger Vokalensemble Anton Bruckner: Motetten. EOM, Freiburg 1980 Das deutsche Chorlied um 1600. Christophorus, Freiburg 1982 Anton Bruckner: Motetten. Christophorus, Freiburg 1984 Hector Berlioz: Lélio. Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Eliahu Inbal. Denon, 1987 Georg Philipp Telemann: Die Tageszeiten. BMG Ariola, Hamburg 1990 Cristóbal de Morales: Geistliche Werke. Christophorus, Freiburg 1990 Johannes Brahms: Zigeunerlieder. Sonomaster, Stuttgart 1991 Johannes Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder. Bayer, Bietigheim-Bissingen 1996 Musik-Dokumente 1970 - 2003 aus der Freiburger Pauluskirche. Notabene, Freiburg 2003 Georg Philipp Telemann: Das selige Erwägen des bittern Leidens und Sterbens Jesu Christi. Sonomaster, Stuttgart 2003 Joseph Rheinberger: Vom Goldenen Horn. Carus, Stuttgart 2005 Conradin Kreutzer: Goethes "Faust". Gesänge. ARTS

Frankfurter Kantorei Arthur Honegger: Le Roi David. Christophorus, Freiburg 1985 Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3. Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Inbal. Denon, Ratingen 1987 Hector Berlioz: Lélio. Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt, Inbal. Denon, 1987 Igor Stravinsky: Les noces; Carl Orff: Catulli Carmina. Koch, München 1990 Harald Genzmer: Deutsche Messe. Cappella, Wiesbaden 1993 Antonín Dvořák: Mass in D major. Freiburger Musik-Forum, Freiburg 1993 Joseph Rheinberger: Mass in F minor; Sechs religiöse Gesänge; Requiem in d-Moll. Stuttgart, Carus 1998 Felix Mendelssohn: Die erste Walpurgisnacht. Städtisches Opernhaus- und Museumsorchester, Sylvain Cambreling. Frankfurter Museums-Gesellschaft 2001

BosArt Trio Unerhörte Meisterwerke. 1984 Ein Schluck aus dem Opernglas. 1987 Scherzo wie Watsche. 1991 Musik von A bis Zett. 1994 Insalata Mista. 1998 Die Fledermaus und das Phantom. 2000 Bach Blüten. 2001