K.M.G.G.

Beschermheer: de heer J.G.M. Alders,  Commissaris van de Koningin in de Provincie Groningen
Erevoorzitter: de heer Jacq. Wallage,  Burgemeester van Groningen
 
      
      
      
      
       

 

The choir and its history
Liedertafels
The Royal Men's Choir Gruno Groningen  was founded on 3 May 1853 as Liedertafel Gruno Groningen and is one of the oldest choirs of its kind in The Netherlands. It is currently preparing festivities for its 150th anniversary in 2003. The choir received the title "Royal" from the Crown on October 23rd, 1918, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary. After a merger with another choir, it has been known under its current name. 

The idea of "Liedertafels" (song tables) has its origin in the Romantic movement in Germany and Austria, with precursors like the regular men's meetings of drinking, singing and socializing initiated by Michael Haydn in the Peterskeller in Salzburg at the end of the 18th century. The first official Liedertafel was founded in Berlin in 1809, by Carl Friedrich Zelter. During the subsequent decades, the idea of Liedertafels spread to other countries, Holland among them.
Beginnings
Among the founding fathers of Gruno in 1853 were J. Juchter, G. Cremers, Wichers, Van Mesdag, Baron van Ittersum, H.D. Guyot and G. Wouters Jr. The Groningen Liedertafel was named after Gruno, the legendary founder of the city of Groningen and our counterpart of Romulus and Remus. Gruno started giving concerts with the local symphony orchestra since 1871 and the choir attracted many gifted conductors and soloists over the years. Concerts were given in various places in The Netherlands, but also in Hamburg, Dortmund, Salzburg, Newcastle, Oldenburg, Montserrat (Barcelona) and, most recently, in Prague.
The choir and its conductor
The choir has nearly 80 members and convenes once a week, on Thursday evenings from 8 till 10:30 pm. The current conductor, André Cats (b.1960), received his training at the North Netherlands Conservatory of Music in Groningen. He led several choirs and had an international career as a singer in well-known groups such as Collegium Ghent, Capella Pratensis and the Huelgas Ensemble. He is the founder of Ensemble Josquin des Prez and the project choir The Northern Polyphonists and specializes in Early Music, particularly the music of Josquin and his contemporaries. 
Repertoire
The current repertoire of Gruno includes music by Orlando di Lasso, Handel, Dvorak, Franck, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Fauré, Poulenc, Gounod, Bruckner, Kan Ishii, Bortnianski, Tchaikovsky, Schöggl, and several others. Traditionally, the choir also sings songs in the regional language of Groningen. More recently, the repertoire has been expanded with some Italian songs and Dutch Renaissance hymns (Valerius).

Text: Jan Koster (e-mail: koster@let.rug.nl)

 
        
        
        
        
        
        

 

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