Rapperswil Concert Choir
Rapperswil Concert Choir:
The choir's origins lie in the school choir of the Rapperswil BE secondary school.
In Advent 1987, the children of the school choir sang Mozart's Missa brevis in D for the first time together with an ad-hoc choir consisting of parents and other interested individuals in the Rapperswil church. This event marked the beginning of the concert choir. After several Christmas concerts, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle was performed in early summer 1990. The participants were so captivated by the singing that they decided to commit to a year-round choir engagement. With Rossini's magnificent work, the Rapperswil singing group, and later the Rapperswil Concert Choir, finally gained recognition in the choral scene.
Over the years, we have had the privilege of performing many great works. The 1990s also included several concert tours to the Czech Republic. In České Budějovice and Český Krumlov, we subsequently sang Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Dvořák's Stabat Mater, and Mendelssohn's Elijah.
Later, things become quieter. We prepare one or two concerts per year. Our programs feature both well-known and lesser-known works, including Arthur Honegger's Cantate de Noël, Fanny Mendelssohn's oratorio, and Tolga Kashif's Queens Symphony with the Suberg-Grossaffoltern Music Society.
In the choir's second decade, a loose collaboration develops with Cantus Regio from Thun. Together, the two choirs perform Verdi's Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, and Elijah. This collaboration consistently provides new highlights in the choir's life.
New concert formats are also introduced. At our Apéro Concerts, we welcome our loyal patrons and donors to short concerts. We sing secular and sacred works, mostly with piano accompaniment. The event is followed by a reception with refreshments. These concerts are very popular and well-attended.
Over the past ten years, there have been several more trips to Horsovsky Tin in the Czech Republic. The performances of Handel's Messiah in the Kladubry Monastery Church remain unforgettable.
We celebrated the choir's 30th anniversary in 2017 with a very special event. We prepared and staged Joseph Haydn's The Creation in the halls of the Hauert fertilizer factory in Suberg-Grossaffoltern. The audience response was fantastic.
When the Canton of Bern launched the "Chantons" funding project for choirs in 2019, the concert choir applied. We were overjoyed when we received notification in December 2020 that we were among the selected ensembles and would soon be receiving the award.
This grant will allow us to plan world premieres, first performances, and projects across the region in the future. The award also enables us to invest even more effectively in the vocal development of our choir members with the help of experts. It is a wonderful way to ensure the continuation of choral singing.
In December 2021, we presented a work that was performed for the first time in Switzerland: Georg Gebel's New Year's Oratorio. On Ascension Day 2022 and the following Sunday, we performed Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle in its orchestral version as a joint concert with Cantus Regio.
We are particularly looking forward to the world premiere of the Requiem by the Swiss composer and trombonist Hans-Peter Schiltknecht (born 1950) in November 2022 with a wind ensemble and organ.
In September 2025, we are looking forward to a joint project with the Chorale mennonite régionale Moron from the Bernese Jura.
Together we will perform Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Elijah in the abbey church in Bellelay and in the church in Rapperswil, Bern.
Peter Loosli, Grossaffoltern, July 2025
The choir's origins lie in the school choir of the Rapperswil BE secondary school.
In Advent 1987, the children of the school choir sang Mozart's Missa brevis in D for the first time together with an ad-hoc choir consisting of parents and other interested individuals in the Rapperswil church. This event marked the beginning of the concert choir. After several Christmas concerts, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle was performed in early summer 1990. The participants were so captivated by the singing that they decided to commit to a year-round choir engagement. With Rossini's magnificent work, the Rapperswil singing group, and later the Rapperswil Concert Choir, finally gained recognition in the choral scene.
Over the years, we have had the privilege of performing many great works. The 1990s also included several concert tours to the Czech Republic. In České Budějovice and Český Krumlov, we subsequently sang Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Dvořák's Stabat Mater, and Mendelssohn's Elijah.
Later, things become quieter. We prepare one or two concerts per year. Our programs feature both well-known and lesser-known works, including Arthur Honegger's Cantate de Noël, Fanny Mendelssohn's oratorio, and Tolga Kashif's Queens Symphony with the Suberg-Grossaffoltern Music Society.
In the choir's second decade, a loose collaboration develops with Cantus Regio from Thun. Together, the two choirs perform Verdi's Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, and Elijah. This collaboration consistently provides new highlights in the choir's life.
New concert formats are also introduced. At our Apéro Concerts, we welcome our loyal patrons and donors to short concerts. We sing secular and sacred works, mostly with piano accompaniment. The event is followed by a reception with refreshments. These concerts are very popular and well-attended.
Over the past ten years, there have been several more trips to Horsovsky Tin in the Czech Republic. The performances of Handel's Messiah in the Kladubry Monastery Church remain unforgettable.
We celebrated the choir's 30th anniversary in 2017 with a very special event. We prepared and staged Joseph Haydn's The Creation in the halls of the Hauert fertilizer factory in Suberg-Grossaffoltern. The audience response was fantastic.
When the Canton of Bern launched the "Chantons" funding project for choirs in 2019, the concert choir applied. We were overjoyed when we received notification in December 2020 that we were among the selected ensembles and would soon be receiving the award.
This grant will allow us to plan world premieres, first performances, and projects across the region in the future. The award also enables us to invest even more effectively in the vocal development of our choir members with the help of experts. It is a wonderful way to ensure the continuation of choral singing.
In December 2021, we presented a work that was performed for the first time in Switzerland: Georg Gebel's New Year's Oratorio. On Ascension Day 2022 and the following Sunday, we performed Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle in its orchestral version as a joint concert with Cantus Regio.
We are particularly looking forward to the world premiere of the Requiem by the Swiss composer and trombonist Hans-Peter Schiltknecht (born 1950) in November 2022 with a wind ensemble and organ.
In September 2025, we are looking forward to a joint project with the Chorale mennonite régionale Moron from the Bernese Jura.
Together we will perform Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Elijah in the abbey church in Bellelay and in the church in Rapperswil, Bern.
Peter Loosli, Grossaffoltern, July 2025
