Werner Pfaff

Werner Pfaff has studied piano, conducting (especially under Hans Michael Beuerle) vocal music, musicology, philosophy and German. He gained further important artistic experience especially under Solti, Sinopoli, Chailly, Bertini, Inbal, Harnoncourt, Gielen, Marriner, Rostropowitsch, Penderecki and Ericson.

He has been the conductor of the mixed chamber choir “STUDIO VOCALE KARLSRUHE” since 1980. With this choir he won several first prizes, gained invitations to festivals in Europe, America and Asia, and performed different works for several productions on radio and television.

From 1989 to 1996 he was a lecturer in conducting at the Music Academy Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and lecturer in conducting at the Music Academy “Franz Liszt” in Weimar, Germany.

Mr. Pfaff conducted many orchestras in Germany, France, the former Czechoslovakia, and also several baroque orchestras with historical instruments.

He is a guest conductor of radio choirs in Germany and other countries, professional choirs and other semi-professional choirs all around the world, e.g. the “Seoul Motet Choir“ (Corea), “Exaudi“ (Havanna, Cuba), the “Basler Madrigalisten” (Switzerland), the “GCC Grupo de Canto Coral de Buenos Aires“ (Argentinia), “Jauna Muzika“ (Wilna, Lithuania), “Cantigas“ (Barcelona, Spain), “Zimriya“ in Israel and “Europa Cantat 12“ in Denmark, Germany and Poland, as well as conservatory choirs in Caracas (Venezuela), Gdansk (Poland), Basel (Switzerland), Wilna (Lithuania) and international choral studios in Cuba, Argentinia and Venezuela.

Mr. Pfaff gives courses in conducting all around the world. He is jury member at numerous international choral competitions, e.g. in Tours (France), Tolosa (Spain), Riva del Garda (Italy), Trelew (Argentinia), Netanya (Israel), Międzyzdroje (Poland) or Zwickau (Germany).

In 1991 Mr. Pfaff was among the founders of the German-Polish Choral Academy “in terra pax“ and is one of the continuous conductors of the choir since then.