Dear members of the International Heinrich Schütz Society,
dear subscribers to our newsletter,
an eventful year for the Heinrich-Schütz Society is drawing to a close.
After the 53rd International Henrich-Schütz Festival 2024 in Lemgo had already received funding from the Kunststiftung NRW and the Ministerium für Kultur and Wissenschaft of Nordrhein-Westfalen due to its exceptional artistic and scholarly merit, in 2025 we received an additional publication subvention for our Schütz-Jahrbuch 2024 from the NRW-Stiftung. The subvention application was prepared by the Freundeskreis Weserrenaissance-Museum Schloss Brake e. V., prompted by our board member Dr. Vera Lüpkes, whom we would like to thank heartily at this point for her initiative.
On the occasion of the publication of the Jahrbuch, a press conference was held in Lemgo with Silvia Herrmann (director of the Weserrenaissance-Museum Schloss Brake and managing director of the Freundeskreis), the cantor of the Marienkirche Volker Jänig, who co-directs the ‘MixTour’ Festival with cantor of the Nikolaikirche Frank Schreiber, as well as Dr. Lüpkes and myself.
A few weeks earlier I received the news that our council member Prof. Dr. Bettina Varwig had been awarded the Dent Medal of the Royal Musical Association. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate her warmly in the name of the Society.
Our 54th International Heinrich-Schütz Festival took place from October 2-5, 2025 in collaboration with the Heinrich Schütz Musikfest / Mitteldeutsche BArockmusik e. V. in our namesake’s city of birth.
Our local host was the Heinrich-Schütz-Haus Bad Köstritz, which celebrates its forty-year anniversary in 2025 and is headed by our longstanding council member Friederike Böcher. During the opening event on 2 October, the keynote by Prof. Dr. Inga Mai Groote (Zurich) introduced us to European images of Schütz between oratorio, concert and church music. The opening concert in the St. Leonhard church in Bad Köstritz featured music by Heinrich Schütz and Johann Rösenmüller, as well as the premiere of a work by Daniel Beilschmidt. It was presented by Ensemble 1648 under the direction of Gregor Meyer, accompanied by Theres Hedler (organ) and the impassioned singing of the chamber choir of the Clara-Wieck-Gymnasium Zwickau.
October 3 saw the first part of the symposium ‘Heinrich Schütz in the intellectual and social history of the 19th and 20th centuries’, convened by Prof. Dr. Michael Meyer (Trossingen) and our former President and honorary member Prof. Dr. Walter Werbeck (Höxter). We thank all our speakers – PD Dr. Peter Schmitz (Münster), Dr. Ullrich Scheideler (Berlin), Dr. Benjamin Ory (Leuven), Prof. Dr. Werner Breig (Erlangen) and Vincenz von Roda (Halle an der Saale) – for their insightful presentations and look forward to their publication in the upcoming Schütz-Jahrbuch.
Following a tour of the Schütz-Haus with its impressive exhibits, led with great expertise and detailed knowledge by Friederike Böcher, we travelled to Gera. After a very informative city tour, we enjoyed a wonderful concert in the Marienkirche with works by Michael Wiedemann, Heinrich Schütz and Johann Sebastian Bach, with the Ensemble Polyharmonique directed by Alexander Schneider.
Before the concert, the ISG had the honour of receiving the renowned International Heinrich-Schütz Prize. On behalf of all members, I would like to express our great joy and pride at being honoured with this prize, as it pays tribute to the by now almost century-long engagement of our Society for Heinrich Schütz. The prize was presented by Dr. Carsten Lange, President of the MBM; the eulogy was held by the 2024 winner, Prof. Dr. Silke Leopold.
October 4 began with the second part of the Symposium, followed by an excursion to Weißenfels, for the Heinrich-Schütz-Haus there also celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year. The city tour unfortunately had to be cut short because of persistent rain, but we did gain special insight into the building history and exemplary restoration of the Weißenfels Stadtpalais. Afterwards, the museum director Dr. Maik Richter personally showed us around the exhibition, which gave us the opportunity to get to know the exhibits and their history intimately. After a shared dinner, we continued to the impressive Weißenfels Schlosskirche, where we heard a concert of Elizabethan viol music, including works by John Bull and William Byrd, with the Ensemble The Early His Viols and soprano Monika Mauch.
The Festival concluded with the traditional festive service in the St. Leonhard church in Bad Köstritz, led by regional bishop Dr. Friederike Spengler, who also gave the sermon. The music was presented by Ensemble Carmina, directed by Helena Seliwanow, the Köstritzer Spielleute & Köstritzer Flötenkinder, led by Friederike Böcher, as well as a spontaneously formed instrumental ensemble of two cornetts, trombone, viola da braccio and violone.
Our longstanding productive collaboration with the museum directors and personnel of the two Schütz houses as well as the Mitteldeutsche Barockmusik e. V. made this year’s International Heinrich-Schütz Festival a successful celebration with a collegial atmosphere. We will no doubt cherish the memories of this Schütz-Fest 2025 for a long time to come; and plans are already afoot to organise another Schütz-Fest in the area.
Before then, I would like to cordially invite you to our 55th International Heinrich-Schütz Fest, which will take place on June 18-21, 2026 in Freudenstadt in the Black Forest, with an excursion to Straßburg. I would be delighted to see you there again.
I wish you a peaceful Christmas holiday and all the very best for the turn of the year. May you start the New Year 2026 in good health and spirits!
Until then I send you my best wishes for a peaceful Christmas, as well as a healthy and hopeful new year.
Cordially
Arno Paduch
President
