Bad Schandau Organ and Music Summer: "Go Forth, My Heart!" - Grand Choral Concert

The Dresden Philharmonic Choir is one of the city’s most influential concert choirs.

The ensemble brings together around 70 singers and regularly collaborates with the orchestra’s principal and guest conductors. A key focus is on classical and Romantic choral symphonies; at the same time, the choir dedicates itself to oratorios, modern works, and challenging a cappella repertoire. Since October 2022, the Dresden Philharmonic Choir has been under the direction of Iris Geißler. Under her direction, the ensemble continues to develop its profile: In addition to performances with the Dresden Philharmonic, the choir creates its own concert programs, maintains collaborations with other choirs and orchestras, and is also active on the international stage. In recent years, the choir has performed at festivals such as Lípa Musica and the Beethoven Festival in Teplice, as well as at other concerts in the German-Czech cultural region. The Dresden Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1967 on the initiative of the then principal conductor, Kurt Masur. Since then, it has been synonymous with high vocal quality, stylistic versatility, and a vibrant choral tradition. Radio broadcasts, CD recordings, concert tours, and numerous significant performances attest to the ensemble’s artistic standards. Today, the choir combines this long-standing tradition with an active concert schedule in Dresden, the surrounding region, and beyond.

Founded in 2007, the ensemble Vocapella Limburg consists of young men from the Limburg region whose musical roots lie with the Limburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir. Under the direction of Tristan Meister, the choir is dedicated to challenging male choral music. The ensemble enjoys an excellent reputation and is regularly invited to perform at concerts both at home and abroad. Its tours have taken it to the U.S., Israel, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Hungary, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Portugal, and throughout Germany, among other places. In 2020, Vocapella Limburg was invited to represent Germany at the World Symposium on Choral Music in New Zealand. First prizes and category wins at the German Choral Competition in Weimar (2014) as well as at choral competitions in Budapest (2013), Varna (2016), and Lindenholzhausen (2024) attest to the ensemble’s artistic quality. There, the ensemble also won the Special Prize for Contemporary Music as well as the CD production “Vom Werden und Vergehen” (2016) on the Rondeau Production label. The same label also released “Alwin M. Schronen – Men’s Choirs” (2020) and the world’s first complete recording of all of Max Reger’s works for men’s choir on three CDs (2016, 2017, 2024). As early as 2012, the ensemble released its first CD, “In der Ferne.” Its repertoire encompasses sacred and secular men’s choir literature from all eras, ranging from the Renaissance to world premieres of contemporary works by renowned composers.

Iris Geißler studied accompaniment and piano at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden. She began working as an accompanist with the Dresden Philharmonic Choir while still a student. After graduating, she worked for several years as a lecturer in accompaniment at her alma mater. She also gained valuable insights from a master class in choral conducting with Miltiades Caridis. As an assistant to the choir director of the Dresden Philharmonic Choirs, she collaborated with renowned conductors such as Kurt Masur, Miltiades Caridis, Peter Schreier, Aldo Ceccato, Markus Poschner, and Benjamin Pope. Iris Geißler has been the director of the Dresden Philharmonic Choir since 2022. With the ensemble, she presents choral-symphonic projects with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as her own a cappella programs and guest performances. In recent years, under her direction, the choir has performed at international festivals such as Lípa Musica and the Beethoven Festival in Teplice, as well as at other concerts in the German-Czech cultural region. The Dresden Philharmonic Choir has also recently participated in major orchestral projects of the Dresden Philharmonic, including works by Beethoven, Britten, and Holst. In addition to her work with the Dresden Philharmonic Choir, Iris Geißler serves as stage manager for the Dresden Philharmonic Children’s Choir. In addition, she teaches piano, performs as a singer in various ensembles, and serves as a choir director. As a pianist, accompanist, and rehearsal director, she regularly collaborates with other choirs and vocal ensembles.

Tristan Meister works as a conductor and lecturer in choral conducting at the conservatories in Mannheim and Frankfurt am Main. After receiving his initial musical training with the Limburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir, he studied conducting under Georg Grün, Frieder Bernius, Harald Jers, and Klaus Arp. He founded the chamber choir Vox Quadrata and has served as Artistic Director of the Chamber Choir of Europe since 2024, as well as Music Director of the Hochtaunus Youth Choir and Chamber Choir. With the Beethoven Choir Ludwigshafen, he focuses on oratorios and choral symphonies and regularly collaborates with the Mannheim Chamber Philharmonic, the Kurpfälzisches Chamber Orchestra, and the German State Philharmonic Rhineland-Palatinate. As founder and conductor of the Ensemble Vocapella Limburg, he won first prizes at the German Choral Competition and the International Choral Competition in Varna; there he also received the special prize for best conducting performance. Radio recordings for WDR and SWR, as well as numerous CDs, document his work, including the world’s first complete recording of all of Max Reger’s works for men’s choir and the first recording of Friedrich Gernsheim’s song cycle *Hafis*. In addition, he is the editor of several choral anthologies, a competition juror, and a sought-after guest, workshop leader, and course instructor at national and international choral festivals, most recently in Barcelona, at the Abu Gosh Music Festival in Israel, at the ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati, and at the San Juan Canta Festival in Argentina.

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Tickets: 10 euros

Available starting June 8, 2026, at the Evangelical Lutheran Parish Office in Bad Schandau or at the Bad Schandau Tourist Information Office

Box office opens 30 minutes before  the concert begins at St. John’s Church in Bad Schandau