Günter Jena

Günter Jena
Organ in St. Michaelis, Hamburg, where Jena was responsible for church music from 1974
Born	1933 (age 90–91) Leipzig
Education	Thomasschule Musikhochschule Leipzig University of Berlin Musikhochschule München
Occupations	Conductor Chorale conductor Musicologist Kirchenmusikdirektor
Organizations	St. Johannis, Würzburg St. Michaelis
Awards	Johannes Brahms Medal
Website	www.guenter-jena.de

Günter Jena (born 1933) is a German choral conductor and musicologist. He was the director of church music at St. Michaelis in Hamburg from 1973 to 1997. He founded the festival Bach-Tage Hamburg, and prepared the choir for ballet performances of choreographer John Neumeier at the Hamburg State Opera.

Career

Born in Leipzig, Jena attended the Thomasschule there, and then studied musicology. He studied psychology and philosophy in Berlin, and conducting and organ at the Musikhochschule München with Karl Richter, becoming his assistant.

Jena worked as the church musician at St. Johannis in Würzburg. In 1969 he founded the festival Würzburger Bachtage. From 1973 he was the church musician at Hamburg's Hauptkirche St. Michaelis, where he regularly conducted performances of works by Bach, music from the classical period and the romantic period. He founded the festival Bach-Tage Hamburg, and was appointed director of church music (Kirchenmusikdirektor) for the region. Jena prepared the choir for performances by the choreographer John Neumeier at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, including Bach's St Matthew Passion and Mozart's Requiem. He prepared and conducted the NDR Chor for a recording of the complete a cappella works by Johannes Brahms from 1981. He retired in 1997.

Jena published books about the musicological and theological background of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, The Art of Fugue and St Matthew Passion. He is a member of the Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg.

Awards

Jena was awarded the Würzburg Cultural Prize. The Hamburg Senate appointed him an honorary professor in 1986 and awarded him the music prize Johannes Brahms Medal in 1987. He received the Plakette of the Akademie der Künste in Hamburg in 1988.

Publications

• Günter Jena: "Das gehet meiner Seele nah". Die Matthäuspassion von Johann Sebastian Bach. Piper Verlag 1993, Herder Verlag, Freiburg 1999
• Günter Jena: "Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht". Das Weihnachtsoratorium von Johann Sebastian Bach. 1997
• Günter Jena: Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen, with 2 CDs. 2000

Selected recordings

• Johannes Brahms, Chorwerke. NDR Chor.
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium. Choir and orchestra of St. Michaelis, Lynne Dawson, Marjana Lipovšek, Peter Schreier, Andreas Schmidt. 1997

External links

• Literature by and about Günter Jena in the German National Library catalogue
• Official website
• Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht: das Weihnachtsoratorium von Johann Sebastian Bach: Erfahrungen und Gedanken eines Dirigenten Herder 1997
• Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen: die Kunst der Fuge von Johann Sebastian Bach: Gedanken und Erfahrungen eines Interpreten Herder 2000
• Das gehet meiner Seele nah.: Die Matthäuspassion von Johann Sebastian Bach. Herder 2001