Choirs of the International Study Center
The next project of the Grand Choir: Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Elias (Elijah)
Music lovers admire this masterpiece for its powerful combination of dramatic intensity and profound spirituality. It tells the story of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, a man unwilling to compromise his convictions, who struggles to fulfill his calling while confronting both external adversaries and his own moments of doubt and despair. Mendelssohn brings this dramatic narrative to life through music of remarkable expressive force. Rather than being sentimental, Elias is deeply expressive; rather than gentle, it is highly dramatic - a work of extraordinary emotional power.
In this performance, the Capella Carolina will be joined by vocal soloists and a full symphony orchestra.
Camerata Carolina's and GSG9's upcoming project: Musica latinoamericana de Navidad
The Christmas concerts by the chamber choir Camerata Carolina, Gesangsgruppe 9, and the Cantomanie Choir of the Medical Faculty Mannheim present a festive program of Christmas music from Latin America.
The program features choral works from South America, including the Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra (Our Christmas) and his Misa Criolla. Both works are masterful syntheses of popular and sacred music, drawing on the rich traditions of Latin American folk music. Their musical language spans a wide emotional range, from deeply melancholic passages to exuberant, joyful rhythms, promising a captivating concert experience.
The instrumental ensemble Grupo Conza from Peru performs on traditional instruments from their homeland, while the Chilean tenor Alejandro Muñoz appears as the tenor soloist.
Concerts on Friday, December 11, Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13 (see grey column to the right).
Franz Wassermann receives the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon
A major honour for our conductor: Prof. Franz Wassermann has been awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon in recognition of his many years of service. For over three decades, he has led the choirs at the International Study Centre of Heidelberg University, bringing together students from all over the world through music. In her laudatory speech, State Secretary Sabine Kurtz paid particular tribute to his contribution to integration and the promotion of a sense of community. We offer our warmest congratulations on this well-deserved honour!
Click here for the university's newsroom article.
Foto: Franz Wassermann (Mitte) with State Secretary Sabine Kurtz and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel, former Dean of Heidelberg University. Photographer: Philipp Rothe.
Concert tour to Montpellier
From June 3 to 7, the Camerata Carolina embarked on a concert tour to southern France.
In a total of three performances—on June 4 in Montpellier, on June 5 in Viols-le-Fort, and on June 6 in Castries—the Carolina Chamber Choir presented a programme connected to the Baltic Sea region in a variety of ways. Alongside composers from the Baltic region itself, works by German and French composers were also performed.
The choir was conducted by Franz Wassermann. As a special guest, Othar Chedlivili performed on the organ.
Further details about the performances as well as a detailed travel log can be found here.
Camerata Carolina on tour in Japan
Wa! Germany, the inscription on the German pavilion, welcomed us on our first day after our arrival in Osaka on 22 September 2025 at the World Expo in this city. The Expo's motto, ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’, can also be applied to our Japan project. The Camerata Carolina has written a travel report about our encounters and experiences with the universities of Mie, Kyoto and Nara, and the concert in Osaka.
For more information on the project and the extensive travel report, click here.
Our conductor has received the french medal "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres"
The award honours Prof. Franz Wassermann's extraordinary services to cultural cooperation between France and Germany. It is awarded to personalities ‘who have distinguished themselves through their work in the artistic or literary field or through their contribution to the promotion of the arts and literature in France and the world’.
The French Minister for Culture writes: ‘We admire your remarkable career and your ability to pass on your knowledge across borders. We pay tribute to your talent and your ability to take music around the world with this honour, which we are proud to bestow on you.’
During a ceremony in the Senate Hall of the Old University, the French Consul General Gael de Maisonneuve presented Prof Wassermann with the insignia of the order.
In his words of thanks, the honouree emphasised that, in accordance with its motto ‘Semper apertus’, Ruperto Carola appreciates and supports the successful musical work in the Carolina Choirs, which expands knowledge and skills. This fills him with deep gratitude.
Learn more here.
© Universität Heidelberg – Kommunikation und Marketing (Foto: Rothe)
