Simon Bauer from Erding is only 19 years old and has been playing at church services in Poing for a year.
The young man is studying Catholic church music.
Poing/Erding
– Simon Bauer is likely to be the youngest organist in the history of the Catholic parish of St. Michael Poing: A year ago, Erdinger, who is now 19, took up the part-time position like to stay longer.
For a prospective organist, this is a great position in a very nice and lively parish.”
Bauer was born in Vilsbiburg and grew up in Erding.
His mother is known here as a tour guide under the name "Türmerin Doris", and his brother Benedikt plays in the regional league or U19 Bundesliga for SpVgg Unterhaching.
Bauer passed his A-levels at the Anne Frank High School in 2020 – with a fantastic grade of 1.0.
While he was still at school, he completed his training as a part-time church musician with the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising: He was just 14 years old when he started this C course.
At the age of twelve, Bauer accompanied his first church service on the organ.
He came to play the organ through the children's choir and his piano teacher, he says: at the age of five he received piano lessons from Elfriede Rothenaicher and then from Georg Rothenaicher, and at the age of about ten organ lessons from Georg Rothenaicher were added.
At the age of 17, Bauer was accepted as a young student at the University of Music and Theater in Munich.
He is now studying Catholic church music there in his third semester and is also a Cusanuswerk scholarship holder.
Playing the organ is not the only thing the young man does in Poing.
He took over the existing youth band and also started to set up a children's choir last year.
There is also a schola, a small choir for Gregorian chants.
In Poing, this currently consists of six or seven men, "all a little older," adds the church musician.
He has set himself the goal of recruiting one or two younger people in the near future.
A performance by the Poinger Schola is planned for Lent.
Bauer started building a children's choir last year, initially with a view to attending church services at Christmas. Because the project was well received by the girls and boys ("it's a lot of fun, so they asked if and when it will continue"), he will continue the children's choir from January 28th. Then there is a rehearsal every Friday from 3.30 p.m. in the Rupert Mayer parish church. Because there is enough space to comply with the Corona rules. When the corona pandemic is over or the situation permits, he wants to expand the children's choir and possibly set up a second group as a youth choir.
The young church musician reports that he also enjoys working with the youth band. "We also play jazz and other genres there." Bauer himself gave a concert on the Mühleisen organ in the old church of St. Michael at the Poinger Long Night of Music in September 2021. An organ that is very well known and appreciated, especially in professional circles and among organists, for its quality and sound.
The complete opposite is in the new parish church Seliger Rupert Mayer: a digital organ.
"Everything is available musically, but the sound comes from loudspeakers," explains organist Bauer.
An organ without organ pipes.
Or, as the 19-year-old puts it: "There is no contact with the whistle." Architecturally, the Rupert Mayer church is unusual and impressive, but acoustically it is not optimal, Bauer judges.
This is particularly noticeable when singing, because the room is very high.
"A lot gets lost," says the church musician.
But it doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything about his plan and desire to stay and work in the parish for a longer period of time.
And, who knows: Perhaps Simon Bauer will be there when a proper organ with pipes is installed in the parish church.
For financial reasons, however, this will probably take many years.