Marie-Louise Schneider

After a spending a year of studies in the USA, Marie-Louise Schneider took up her studies of church music at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin (choral direction with Prof. Uwe Gronostay, organ with Prof. Leo van Doeselaar). She graduated with a diploma in 2001 (Kirchenmusik-A-Diplom), and has since then attended master classes with Eric Ericson, Hans-Christoph Rademann, and others. She has also been assistant to the director of music at the Humboldt Universität Berlin, Prof. Constantin Alex. She has directed the Kronenchor Friedrichstadt since October 2003. Under her direction, the choir was successful at the Landeschorwettbewerb in 2005. At the end of 2006, Marie-Louise Schneider became cantor at the cathedral of St Mary’s in Berlin-Mitte. Here, she leads the children’s choir, the Marienvokalensemble, and the Marienkantorei, with whom she performs major works of the oratorio tradition. Marie-Louise Schneider founded the international choir music festival „ChorInt.,“ first held under her artistic directorship in June 2010 – after the restoration of St Mary’s. Further, she initiated the project “500 Years of Music from Berlin’s Historic Centre”, entailing research on the music history of Berlin’s historic centre and making public rediscovered works by composers and musicians active at Berlin’s central churches. The project found its preliminary conclusion with the publication of “Wie mit vollen Chören – 500 Jahre Kirchenmusik in Berlin’s historischer Mitte” (Ortus Musikverlag, 2010) and with a concert series in 2010/11. On the occasion of Berlin’s 775th anniversary, Marie-Louise Schneider performed a number of the rediscovered works by sixteenth to eighteenth century Berlin composers at St Nikolai Berlin (Stiftung Stadtmuseum).