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NEXT EVENTS

Holy Mass for the Patronage of St. Cecilia
22. November 2024 - 7:00 PM
St. Cäcilia in Schnütgen Museum, Cologne
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Vigil in Advent
22. December 2024 - 4:00 PM
Groß St. Martin, Cologne
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Holy Mass "Artists' Christmas"
27. December 2024 - 7:00 PM
St. Cäcilia in Schnütgen Museum, Cologne
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ALL EVENTS
THE CHOIR

figuralchor köln

The figuralchor köln was founded in 1986 by its choirmaster, Richard Mailänder and Dr. Friedhelm Hofmann, who was, at that time, the chaplain of Cologne Artists’ Union and who later became the Bishop of Würzburg.

The choir consists of approximately 50 singers who perform sacred a cappella music with a particular focus on 16th and 17th century  choral works and on contemporary compositions.  Some of the  highlights of Figuralchor concerts have been Liszt’s “Christus” and Bach’s Passions and the B minor Mass, each performed in unusual venues. Several contemporary composers – including Enjott Schneider, Hans Martin Lonquich, Klaus Wallrath, Pawel Lukaszewski and Rihards Dubra,- have written compositions for the figuralchor köln, which the choir has premiered. The main themes are Easter music and Advent music. The choir has recorded more than 10 CDs. The most recent CD was a recording of Pawel Lukaszewski’s Easter oratorio “Resurrectio”, released by the Polish edition musica sacra in November 2017.

THE CHOIRMASTER

Richard Mailänder

Richard Mailänder was born in Neunkirchen in 1958. He studied church music, musicology and history at the Conservatoire of Cologne and Cologne University.  Since 1987 has held the position of  Diocesan Advisor for Church Music in the Archdiocese of Cologne. He has published numerous articles in journals and books on church music, especially on choral topics, and is the (co-)editor of popular choir volumes and textbooks. After teaching at the Robert Schumann University in Düsseldorf, he took  up a position as a lecturer for liturgical singing at the Cologne Conservatoire in 2000. In 2006 he was appointed Archdiocesan Church Music Director, and in 2013 was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Cologne Conservatoire.