Roderich Kreile

Roderich Kreile (born 1956) is a Lutheran church musician, choir director and university teacher. Since 1997, he has been the director of the Dresdner Kreuzchor at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden, as the 28th Kreuzkantor since the Reformation.

Life and work

Kreile studied church music and choral conducting in Munich. In 1981, he became a cantor at the Christ Church in Munich. From 1989 to 1996 he taught choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He was appointed Kirchenmusikdirektor (Director of Church Music) in 1990. In 1994, he also prepared the choir Philharmonischer Chor München for concerts with the Münchner Philharmoniker. In 2010 he became a member of the Sächsische Akademie der Künste (Saxon Academy of Arts). He has been the vice chairman of the Neue Bachgesellschaft and an advisory board member of the International Heinrich Schütz Society.

Since 1997, Kreile has been the 28th Kreuzkantor since the Reformation. Leading the Dresdner Kreuzchor with its history of more than 700 years is regarded as one of the most prestigious positions the Protestant church in Germany has to offer ("eines der ehrenvollsten Ämter der evangelischen Kirchenmusik"). He has a contract until 2022. With him, the Dresdner Kreuzchor has appeared extensively at home and abroad. Tours have taken the choir through Germany, other European countries, to the United States, South America, South Korea and Japan. It is one of few boys' choirs serving as ambassadors of Saxony abroad. He has conducted premieres of choral music.

Linear Pottery culture

The Linear Pottery culture is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic, flourishing circa 5500–4500 BC. It is abbreviated as LBK (from German: Linearbandkeramik), and is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incised Ware culture, and falls within the Danubian I culture of V. Gordon Childe.

The densest evidence for the culture is on the middle Danube, the upper and middle Elbe, and the upper and middle Rhine. It represents a major event in the initial spread of agriculture in Europe. The pottery after which it was named consists of simple cups, bowls, vases, and jugs, without handles, but in a later phase with lugs or pierced lugs, bases, and necks.

Important sites include Nitra in Slovakia; Bylany in the Czech Republic; Langweiler and Zwenkau in Germany; Brunn am Gebirge in Austria; Elsloo, Sittard, Köln-Lindenthal, Aldenhoven, Flomborn, and Rixheim on the Rhine; Lautereck and Hienheim on the upper Danube; and Rössen and Sonderhausen on the middle Elbe.

Dresdner Kreuzchor

The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden. It has a seven century history. Today the choir has about 150 members from the age of 9-19 from Dresden and the surrounding region. The boys attend the Kreuzschule. They are also called "Kruzianer". The present director of the choir is Roderich Kreile, the 28th Kreuzkantor since the Reformation. From 1971 until 1991 Martin Flämig was the Cantor.

The repertoire of the choir includes compositions from the early Baroque (Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach), the early 19th century and modern work. Several recordings are available from Berlin Classics, Deutsche Grammophon and Capriccio. The choir often performs with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra.

The choir sings Vespers almost every Saturday at 5 pm and on Sunday at 9:30 am in the Church Service. Every year they go on several concert tours in Germany, but also in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Canada, Latin America and the United States. Altogether the choir performs about 100 times every year, 50 Church Services and Vespers, 10 concerts at their church (including always Bach's Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew Passion and A German Requiem of Brahms) and 40 concert on tours. All in all 150.000 people are visiting the performances of the choir every year.