As of: March 5, 2024, 9:00 p.m
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Every detail is worked on to perfection in the basement of the elementary school.
The first concert for the Schwabsoien Singing Community is scheduled for March 16th.
Then everything should be in place.
© Zerhoch
The time will soon come: then the much-awaited anniversary concerts of the Schwabsoien Singing Community will begin.
The singers are currently putting the finishing touches on.
Schwabsoien
– Innocent and quiet, the Schwabsoien elementary school stands in the darkness this evening.
But appearances are deceptive: things are going really well in the basement.
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“It is important that we calm down first,” conductor Josef Kirchhofer opens the rehearsal session and then begins to get the voices of the around 35 choir members in motion with a variety of warm-up exercises.
The collective popping of the numerous beer bottles can be heard - after all, the voice wants to be oiled.
We are working on the smallest adjustment screws
Shortly afterwards the singers found their stride and the first song soon echoed through the elementary school basement.
Josef Kirchhofer conducts with dedication, devoting himself alternately to the tenors and then again to the bass voices.
The entire choir is asked below.
Even passages in the canon don't phase the men: sometimes standing, sometimes sitting.
Everything is tested and adjusted to the smallest adjustment screws.
Only minor corrections are necessary.
“Here we have to be careful not to go too slow,” Kirchhofer notes at one point.
A sip of beer and a treat for your throat
A few minutes later he is satisfied: “That was really nice,” he sums up.
The choir members rarely look at their text folders anymore.
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The next piece is Richard Wagner's “Sailors' Choir”.
Kirchhofer's son Johannes has now taken a seat at the piano and is eagerly hitting the keys.
“We use the 16th break for a little gasp,” is the conductor’s instruction.
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After half an hour the noise becomes more and more common: a quick grab for the bottle solves the problem.
A can of Pull minor also makes the rounds and lubricates the strained vocal cords.
At around 8.30 p.m. Kirchhofer gives his team a quarter-hour break.
Pretzels and hearty sausages are available on the counter.
Goal: create generational change
“My son Johannes still has more to do,” says Josef Kirchhofer.
“He's actually in every choir.” In addition to the men, there are also children and mixed ensembles active in Schwabsoien.
Those responsible promise a varied program for the concert series.
It is precisely this versatility that has given the choir its loyal fan base over the many decades.
“There is something for everyone,” notes Johannes Kirchhofer, adding that the choir is particularly concerned with “creating generational change.”
Members are between 30 and 89 years old
A look into the rehearsal room reveals: numerous younger faces are actively involved today.
The age range is from 30 to 89 years old - so it's not just "old men", emphasizes the board.
Nevertheless, the group is of course happy about every new member.
But even the experienced ones are far from thinking about quitting.
The oldest in the group, Helmut Lahner, is even planning a solo performance.
When asked how many songs the audience can expect at the concerts, those responsible just laugh.
“Plenty,” they say.
It definitely won't be boring.
Great demand for tickets: special dates possible
The first concerts are already almost sold out, say board members Christian Müller and Michael Sepp.
If the brisk demand does not stop, further special dates could also be considered.
The Kirchhofers view the concert series as a kind of “community event”.
At home, they hardly talk about anything else, they explain with a smile.
And his father praises the fact that even though his son Johannes is already very busy with his job and family.
But this is also the case for many other choir members who are eager to integrate the many rehearsals into their everyday lives.
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After a break, the beer and pretzels are put aside again for the time being.
Its a lot to do.
However, little of this can be heard outside.
As if the building wanted to keep a secret.
FLORIAN ZERHOCH