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Farewell to music legend: Fiedler says goodbye after 53 years!
Hans-Joachim Fiedler says goodbye after 53 years as choir director of the women's choir “Freundschaft” in Neustrelitz.
Farewell to music legend: Fiedler says goodbye after 53 years!
On Saturday, July 5, 2025, the musical era of Hans-Joachim Fiedler was duly celebrated in the sold-out Yellow Hall of the Neustrelitz Orangery. The 91-year-old choir director gave up the leadership of the women's choir “Freundschaft” after 53 years. At a concert with the motto “Waves, Wind and Sea”, the ensemble celebrated a musical tour through the south of Germany, Italy and Ireland. The audience was enthusiastic and thanked the actors with standing applause. [Nordkurier](https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/neustrelitz/nach-mehr-als-eine-halben- Jahrhundert-chorleiter-says-adieu-3734747) reports that the evening offered both emotional and musical highlights.
Fiedler is a real institution in the region. He was not only a choir director, but also a long-time music school director and director of the youth symphony orchestra. His wife Erika, who accompanied the vocal ensemble on guitar, also ended her active membership in the choir. Together with the singers he made countless concert tours to Austria, France, Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Denmark and has won numerous prizes, including the gold medal at the Workers' Festival twice in 1980 and 1982 and the Hoffmann von Fallersleben Medal in 1997. Strelitzius emphasizes that many of the singers have been active in the choir, which was founded in 1948, for over 20 years.
An unforgettable evening
The evening's program was a successful mix of concert and popular songs. A highlight was a 5-part canon with the title “Farewell”, which was impressive due to the spatial arrangement of the choir. Solo vocal performances and an instrumental trio consisting of violin, oboe and piano rounded off the musical experience. Pianist Rico Gatzke supported the singers with sensitive and empathetic accompaniment. The evening was not only a homage to Fiedler, but also to the tradition of choral music, which has now been officially included in the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage. [VDKC].
The amateur choir landscape in Germany includes around 60,000 ensembles and over two million singers. The decision to include “Choral Music in German Amateur Choirs” in the directory was made from a total of 83 suggestions submitted. In addition to choral music, other cultural traditions were also honored. This is a positive signal with regard to the cultural landscape and should also encourage politicians to do more to support the cultural scene.
With his passion and dedication, Hans-Joachim Fiedler shaped the work of the women's choir “Freundschaft” and leaves an impressive legacy in the Neustrelitz choir scene. His departure closes a chapter in regional music history that will certainly be remembered for a long time.