| Praeludium in e minor (“The Great”) | Nicolaus Bruhns (1665–1697) |
| Trio sonata No. 5 in C major, BWV529 Allegro Largo Allegro |
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) |
| Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV 548
|
J. S. Bach |
| Allemande (“Also gehts, also stehts”) | Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654) |
| Andante in F major for mechanical organ, KV 616 |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) |
| Sonata No. 4 Op. 65 in B flat
Major Allegro con brio Andante religioso Allegretto Allegro maestoso e vivace |
Felix Mendelssohn–Bartholdy
(1809–1847) |
| Thomas Strauß was
born in 1965 in Ludwigshafen, Germany. He received his early musical
education at the Conservatory of Strasbourg, France. He attended the State
Academy of Music in Freiburg, Germany, studying with Hans Musch (organ), A.
K. Klein-Sheljasov (piano) and Klaus Hövelmann (conducting). Further
organ study began in 1990 with Ludwig Doerr, Xavier Darasse and Klemens
Schnorr. Working towards the highest church music degree available in
Germany, the „A-Exam“, Thomas Strauß studied harpsichord
with Robert Hill and choral and orchestral conducting with Hans-Michael
Beuerle. He participated in masterclasses with many acclaimed organists
such as Zsigmond Szathmary, Ludger Lohmann, Wolfgang Rübsam und Daniel
Roth. In 1990 and 1991 he received recognition for his outstanding abilities as an organist by winning major prizes in the National Young Musicians Competition of Germany and the Conservatory Organ Competition. In 1992, Freiburg awarded him the church music degree with honors. From 1990 to 1992 Thomas Strauß held the position of principal organist and choir director at the motherhouse of St. Vincent in Freiburg. Since 1993 he has been the organist and choir director at St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in Oppenau. In the same year, Strauß founded the „Bach Consortium Thomas Strauß“, a chamber music ensemble, and in 1995 the „Bach-Choir Ortenau“, which presented larger works such as The Christmas Oratorio, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion by J. S Bach and Elijah by Mendelssohn–Bartholdy. He serves as artistic director and conductor for both ensembles and is director of Festwoche klassischer Musik“ in Oppenau. In 1998 and 2002 Thomas Strauß and his „Bach–Chor Ortenau“ were invited by Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, to perform Bach’s St. John Passion,Magnificat and The Christmas Oratorio at the Bach Händel Festival. In 1997 he held an organ master class and played at that festival as harpsichordist and organist. In 2002 the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory voted unanimously to award Thomas Strauß the “Conservatory Medal of Excellence”. In 2000 he concertized as pianist with the Freiburg Chamber Choir in Brazil and accompanied the choir on a concert tour through New Zealand in summer 2002. Since 2004 he has regularly played his harpsichord with the well–known German chamber orchestra, the “Württembergische Kammerorchester Heilbronn” and since 2006 he has been constant accompanist of the composer and famous recorder player Hans-Jürgen Hufeisen. For over 15 years this versatile artist has also performed with Wolfgang Bauer, professor and principal trumpet player of the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart, and as harpsichordist in the „Wolfgang Bauer Consort“. In 2001 he founded „Festmusik Thomas Strauß“, an agency which specializes in music for weddings, celebrations, company events and mourning services. Thomas Strauß has performed in numerous television and radio broadcasts throughout Europe and in the U.S.A. As an organist he has recorded CDs with the „Hr-Brass“, a group composed of instrumentalists from the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt, a CD with the „Datura-Trombone-Quartet“ and with The Bach Chor Ortenau as the conductor for Bach’s The Christmas Oratorio. He maintains a private teaching studio and keeps a busy schedule as a solo performer. Thomas Strauß has given organ and harpsichord concerts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Sardinia, and Switzerland, as well as on Hawaii and for the twelfth time in the U. S .A. |
| The concert is free and open to the
public. Ample parking is available behind the church, and the sanctuary is
wheelchair–accessible. A reception for the artists will follow the
concert. For more information, please call 434-963-4690 or visit
|
| To receive e–mail
notices about concerts in this series, click here: |
|
Series e–mail |
| Enter the subject line only with either
“subscribe” or “remove”. |
