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Edith Möller and Erna Pielsticker founded the traditional Children’s and Youths’ Choir in 1948 in Obernkirchen. At that time nobody could have imagined the great future of the choir. From very small beginnings, Edith Möller and Erna Pielsticker led the choir with great enthusiasm and commitment to professionalism and to a high musical level.
Three directional events had been decisive:
1) The “Obernkirchen Miracle” allowing the till then unknown choir (as one of the first German choirs) to travel to England in 1950 and establish its reputation.
2) During its second voyage to England in 1953 the choir participated in an international choir competition called International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales – and won the first prize. By lucky chance, the BBC recorded the song “Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann”, composed by the choir-leader’s brother Friedrich Wilhelm Möller. Within three days this song became known all over the world after BBC’s world-wide transmission.
3) Encouraged by this success the choir-masters risked the step into professionalism, which lasted from 1954 to 1975, and resulted in thousands of concerts in Germany, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle and the Far East, and especially many concert- tours were made in the USA and Canada, each of several months’ duration.
Caused by Edith Möller’s much too early death in 1975, the choir’s outstanding era with countless successes came to an end. Owing to Edith Möller’s brilliance the choir has still got an excellent reputation.
In 1976 Erna Pielsticker founded the Musikschule Schaumburger Märchensänger e.V. with the help of the city of Bückeburg, especially the mayor Helmut Preul, thus securing the choir’s existence. It was very difficult to link up with the “era Edith Möller” .
Under the leadership of Denis Halikiopoulos (1975 to 1980), Friedrich-Wilhelm Tebbe (1980 to 1994), Kai-Uwe Jirka (1995 to 1998), Volker Arendts (1998 to 2009), Sascha Davidovic (2009 to 2019) the choir worked hard to maintain its extensive concert activities in Germany, several European countries, the USA and Japan and to participate in many TV –shows and record compact discs.
Up to now the Obernkirchen Children’s Choir is active and operates undr the name Schaumburger Märchensänger (Schaumburg fairy tale singer). |
