Olaf Katzer · Composing with and for Vocal Ensemble

BIOGRAPHY

"Back to art!" is the credo of conductor Olaf Katzer. He combines humanity, originality and artistic authenticity in his musical interpretations – across epoch boundaries, mediating between different stylistic and aesthetic orientations, and also among people and their multifaceted cultures.
Born in 1980 in the Rhineland, Olaf Katzer studied music and psychology in Munich, Weimar and Dresden. While still a student, he founded the ensemble AUDITIVVOKAL DRESDEN in 2007, which he has since led artistically and made known beyond the borders of Germany. Over 100 world premieres, worldwide guest performances at numerous festivals and radio recordings document his commitment to vocal music. In a transdisciplinary exchange with singers, instrumentalists, dancers, composers, painters, directors and scientists, he develops contemporary ensemble art for the 21st century in sustained and unconventional programming. In addition, the young conductor receives invitations from orchestras such as the RIAS Kammerchor, the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, the MDR Rundfunkchor, and the Dresdner Kammerchor, which he led as Principal Conductor from 2010 to 2015. He gained numerous insights into various performance practices while working with renowned conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Vaclav Luks, Reinhard Goebel and Christian Thielemann. In the instrumental field, Olaf Katzer works with the Dresdner Barockorchester, the Elblandphilharmonie Sachsen and the Ensemble Moto Perpetuo New York.
Teaching music is a matter close to Olaf Katzer's heart. From 2008 to 2012 he taught choral conducting at Dr. Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt/Main. Since 2011 he has been a lecturer for choral conducting at the Dresden University of Music, since the academic year 2015/16 in the function of substitute professor for choral conducting. In this capacity, he also holds the directorship of the university choir. He has led workshops at the invitation of the Manhattan School of Music in New York, at the Universidad Catolica Santiago de Chile and at the Conservatório das Música in Belo Horizonte. In addition, in recent years Olaf Katzer has taken over the directorship of the Meissen Choral Festival and the direction of the Junges Ensemble Dresden. He combines both activities with a search for an "aura of the special", which seeks to bring a contemporary ensemble culture and the joy of singing closer to the people.