The lord of the district choirs says hello

Created: 01/05/2022, 3:59 PM

From: Ingrid Zeilinger

Appearance in a special ambience: members of the singing circle and local choirs in the church of Zeulenroda.

© mm

Herbert Klückers was the head of all choirs in the district for twelve years.

Now the chairman of the singers' group has resigned from his position.

But it doesn't quite work yet.

The 74-year-old is still represented on the advisory board.

And he's planning a big trip this year too.

Fürstenfeldbruck / Luttenwang - "Singing sets you free and you feel better," says Herbert Klückers.

He loved singing even in his childhood.

In Luttenwang he later joined the men's choir (MGV).

“I sang along with the tenor,” he recalls.

“That was a lot of fun.” He was deputy chairman of the MGV for three years.

From 1978 to 2012 the singers elected him as their chairman.

In 2009 he also took over the leadership of the singing group.

But it's over after twelve years.

It is time, says Klückers, to let the younger generation take over.

It was founded in 1949

After Karl Huber and Ludwig Lösch, Klückers was only the third chairman of the group of singers since it was founded in 1949. Now, with Ruth Schmitz, the first woman is at the top.

It was always important to him to continue the continuity of the association, which comprises 27 choirs and around 15 children's and youth choirs in the district, says Klückers in retrospect.

"Above all, we want to maintain the tradition of circle singing."

Every year he organized the big event at which every choir, if possible, would perform a piece.

In addition, a community choir sings a song together at the beginning.

"We'll form a large choir with 50 to 70 men," he says.

"With a mixed choir, there can be over 100 singers."

In the past, choirs applied to host circle singing when they were celebrating an anniversary.

But now the rooms are mostly missing.

A barn or a tent - as was once customary - is no longer enough.

Therefore, in the past few years, the circle singing mostly took place in Fürstenfeldbruck.

“It's a shame that it's always central to one place,” says Klückers.

"Because at an anniversary in the tent it was a completely different atmosphere."

Herbert Klückers © mm

Only in the past two years did the circular singing fall victim to the pandemic, as did the annual children's and youth singing.

That's just as important to him.

“This is our offspring.

If we don't support that, we won't have anything later. ”Because members from the founding years would still sing along in the choirs.

But they will stop at some point.

In order to keep in contact with the choirs, Herbert Klückers went to concerts and general meetings. He has awarded the golden and silver badges of honor of the circle of singers to many distinguished singers. The enthusiastic singer is pleased that the number of choirs has remained stable over time. He is particularly fond of singing folk songs such as “Wandering is the miller's pleasure” and also the Nabucco prisoner's choir.

The Klückers' appearances at the Health Days in 2012 and 2014 will be remembered. The circle of singers presented itself there. Children's and adult choirs encouraged visitors to sing along. A highlight was the trip to Zeulenroda in 2016. The group visited museums and a project choir sang with choirs from the neighborhood in the church of Zeulenroda. On the return trip, the group visited the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth and sang the prisoner's choir in the concert hall. "That was an experience that I will never forget."

Herbert Klückers will continue to sing, in the Luttenwang choir and at the next circle singing.

He's looking forward to just being there and listening.

But he can't quite leave the work yet.

He is currently planning a trip to Salzburg in May 2022. A project choir with five wind instruments is to perform Siegfried Singer's singing mass in Salzburg Cathedral.

Klückers hopes that Corona will allow this trip.

"It would be a successful conclusion."