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The German conductor and choirmaster, Johannes Hömberg, studied in Freiburg and Munich music education, composition, conducting, musicology and German literature.
From 1959 to 1964 Johannes Hömberg was chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra in Salvador / Bahia (Brazil) and Professor of Conducting and Tonsatz at the University of Bahia. Returning to Germany, he moved to the Goethe-Institut in Munich, where from 1965 to 1969 he was head the music department and responsible for the international deployment of German musical culture representatives.
In 1969 Johannes Hömberg was appointed professor of choral conducting and Tonsatz at the Kölner Musikhochschule. Here he directed the university choir, the main class for choral conducting, founded the vocal ensemble Pro Musica Köln (vocal soloist ensemble with a cast of ordinary six singers), and conducted the School Choir and Orchestra. Among the soloists in his Passion and oratorio performances wre Hellen Kwon, Anja Harteros, Mechthild Georg, Karl Markus, Franz Müller-Heuser, Andreas Schmidt and Wilhelm Hartmann.
With Pro Musica Köln Johannes Hömberg won international recognition in Europe (including the 1st prize at the International Choral Festival in Cork, Ireland), with appearances in Italy, Switzerland, France Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, and success overseas, especially in Latin America (1972, 1978, 1985).
In Germany Johannes Hömberg has performed numerous works from six centuries for radio and recording, including masses from Gregorian to Igor Stravinsky, cantatas from Heinrich Schütz to Max Reger, almost all the operas of Kurt Weill, as well as several special programmes, such as: Das Hohe Lied der Liebe (The Song of Love); Da pacem Domine (the peace request of the Gregorian to the present day); Francesco Petrarca in the music of Europe; Monteverdi and his contemporaries; Pater noster (Ave Maria from the Gregorian to the present day); Psalm settings of six centuries; Romantic choral music by Schubert and M. Reger. Moreover Hömberg premiered many works by major contemporary composers, including works by Henze, Genzmer, Jürg Baur, Schroeder, Cardoso, Nobre, Herrera and Herbold.
Johannes Hömberg composed several choral music works: Liedbearbeitungen, Spirituals, Cancoes brasilieras, Kit(s)chen-Lieder, Brecht-Tierverse, Ballads and free choirs (including 7 Fugen und 14 Kanons über B-A-C-H). A major part of his work for chorus take editions of works from all stylistic periods, among other things, J.S. Bach: Musical Offering (BWV 1079), Well-Tempered Clavier, Goldberg Variations (BWV 988); Mozart: Requiem; as well as instrumental works from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic.
Since his departure from the Kölner Musikhochschule, he has followed invitations as guest conductor, especially on his former workplaces in Brazil and in Korea, he conducted the Deutsche Requiem by Johannes Brahms. At his concerts he is dedicated to providing exceptional programs with high-level works of all musical eras, and to prepare the listener with "concert conversation" in a lively presentation process. |
