The vocal ensemble sirventes berlin
is totally dedicated to early music for small forces and new a cappella music. The group is committed to neglected works from Germany’s rich musical heritage. At the same time the musicians offer a platform for new compositions and engage in interdisciplinary projects. The ensemble comprises soloists from the Berlin Radio Choir, the RIAS Kammerchor and freelance singers. For almost five years sirventes berlin, in a double quartet formation, has presented “NoonSong” concerts every Saturday at 12:00 noon in the Church at Hohenzollernplatz in Berlin- Wilmersdorf – a musical hour of prayer based on the model of Anglican evensong. These performances have resulted in a repertoire of over 200 a cappella motets, including ten premieres. Since then NoonSong has gone on to become more than just an insiders’ tip; every week 150 to 200 visitors listen to the polyphonic liturgy. As supporters of a living tradition, Berlin being the only place where it can be heard in this form in Germany, sirventes berlin made a very successful guest appearance at the Abu Gosh Vocal Festival in Israel in the summer of 2013.

Stefan Schuck
completed his studies in Catholic church music at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt/M. in 1987. He then studied choral and orchestral conducting in Frankfurt with Uwe Gronostay and Jiri Starek. From1989 onwards he was active in choral conducting at the UdK Berlin, and from 1992 to 1997 he was an artistic assistant to Uwe Gronostay. During this time he had an intensive exchange with Eric Ericson in Stockholm. Since the summer of 1992, Schuck has been the conductor of the Hugo-Distler-Chor Berlin, which has since given a large number of positively acclaimed concerts in Germany and abroad. In 1998, Schuck was appointed professor of choral and orchestral conducting at the Rottenburg-Stuttgart University of Church Music. He has worked as a freelance conductor since 2013. Schuck has worked with numerous professional choirs, including the Netherlands Chamber Choir Amsterdam, the Cologne Radio Choir, the Berlin Radio Choir and the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart. His choir and organ concerts have been broadcast on Deutschlandradio and Südwestrundfunk, among others. In 1998, Schuck received the Hans Joachim Erhard Memorial Prize of the city of Aschaffenburg, and in 2012 he was awarded the Citizen's Medal of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district for his cultural work. He is a co-founder of the KinderStimmen project of Lernwerkstatt Berlin, Kindergärten City's own enterprise, with the aim of voice pedagogical work with pre-school children in Wedding/Kreuzberg.