German Men's Choir Set to Perform Sept. 7 at TAMIU

On Saturday, September 7 at 8 p.m., deep bass tones and golden tenor notes will fill Texas A&M International University's Student Center Auditorium. The German a-cappella group Arcanum Musicae will perform works by Schubert, Brahms and Mozart. Admission is free, but donations towards the German Flood Relief Fund will be accepted.

The Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bernard Ben Buecker, from San Antonio, and TAMIU are sponsoring the concert.

Arcanum Musicae (The Mystery of Music) is comprised of male singers, all former members of the Dresdener Kreuzchor, a world-famous boys choir.

Singers in the Dresdener Kreuzchor, which means Holy Cross Choir, live, breathe and study music at a boys boarding school in Dresden, Germany. Boys ages six to nine are invited to audition for the Choir and are selected for their beautiful singing voices and excellent intellect. They then study music theory and music. At the age of nine, they are invited to join the Choir and from that time until their graduation prior to entering college, share a strenuous schedule of study, rehearsal and traveling tours.

The history of the Choir dates back to the 11th Century when a chapel devoted to a piece of the true cross was built in Dresden and choir boys were selected to perform the liturgy. A school was created to train and educate the singers in Latin and music. Since then, the choir and its affiliated school have continued, even during Nazi Germany and the Communist regime of the 20th Century.

The 15 members of Arcanum Musicae are all graduates of this famous choir and are sharing their music with others in hopes of raising money for flood-ravaged Germany. The August floods have caused havoc and destruction in many European countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania as well as in Russia. Across Europe, over 100 people have died, 24 in Germany, and in Dresden alone over 30,000 have had to flee their homes. Damage in Germany is expected to be in the billions of euros.

For more information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at 326.2180, visit our offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268 or e-mail pais@tamiu.edu.

University office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu