The Frauenkirche Cantor

Matthias Grünert

Musician, ensemble founder, choir director, conductor, composer and author - Matthias Grünert combines all of this in one person. Influenced early on by his experience in the Windsbach boys’ choir, he studied church music, voice, and organ in Bayreuth and Lübeck and during this time became an assistant at the Lübeck Cathedral and church musician at St. Petri in the Bosau Luftkurort. From 2000 to 2004 the winner of various organ competitions worked as the city and district cantor in Greiz, Thuringia. In 2003, among other things, he played the entire organ work of Bach in the St. Marien Stadtkirche.

In 2004 Matthias Grünert was appointed the first cantor of the rebuilt Dresden Frauenkirche and he took office in January 2005. Since then, he has been artistically responsible for all of the church music in the rebuilt baroque building. He founded the Choir of the Frauenkirche and the Chamber Choir of the Frauenkirche, both of which he was able to establish as permanent fixtures in the cultural landscape of Central Germany.

The stylistic range of the choirs encompasses an extensive repertoire, which not only includes the well-known works of oratorio literature, but also provides numerous less-known a cappella compositions and rarely heard choral symphonies. The chamber choir is particularly dedicated to composers of the 17th and 18th centuries; a special focus is on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach as well as the mass settings and oratorios by Monteverdi, Bach, Haydn and Mozart. The focus of the choir is on the 19th century.

The Ensemble of the Dresden Frauenkirche is a permanent musical partner on site and on guest tours. This ensemble, which was also brought into being by Matthias Grünert and has since been led by him, brings together musicians from the Saxon State Orchestra and the Dresden Philharmonic.

As a conductor, Matthias Grünert works with many well-known soloists and orchestras, such as the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim, the Chemnitz Barockorchester, the Philharmonic Orchestra Altenburg-Gera or the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Chemnitz. Guest performances as an organist and conductor have taken him to numerous organs at home and abroad such as to Japan, Iceland, France, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Poland and Switzerland. As an organist, he is a welcome duo partner of distinguished musicians.

A comprehensive discography shows the musical diversity of Matthias Grünert, including acclaimed CD recordings for Sony, Berlin Classics and Rondeau. In addition, numerous television and radio recordings document his musical work.

Since the winter semester of 2008/09, Matthias Grünert has been teaching organ at the Dresden University of Church Music. He is also the author of Piano Reductions and Continuo Excerpts for the music publisher Breitkopf & Härtel.

Selected concerts

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