Around 100 young people experience "circlesing" and a special feeling of sound
Around 100 young people gathered at St. Paul's Church in Darmstadt 2025 Youth Choir Day under the motto "Live is a Circle" circle singing – a form of improvisation in which short motifs are repeated in groups to create multi-part sound circles.
Enthusiasm for singing together
The participants came from choirs in Viernheim, Wiesbaden, Bad Nauheim, Oberursel, Gießen, and Darmstadt , joined by individual singing enthusiasts from across the EKHN region. For many, it was their first time singing together with so many others. "It's wonderful to sing in such a large choir," Friederike (19), Stella (15), and Maie (15) all agreed.
Choral Evensong as a solemn conclusion
The highlight of the day was a public choral Evensong , in which the pieces rehearsed during the day were performed. The program ranged from William H. Monk's "Abide with Me, Lord" and Howard Goodall's "The Lord Is My Shepherd" to modern works such as Mary Donnelly's "I Have a Dream." Circlesinging was also introduced with Matthias Nagel's "Loopsong Gloria."
City church cantor Christian Roß was impressed: "Even during the warm-up there was a wonderful sense of group cohesion." He was accompanied by cantor Manuel Dahme from Frankfurt and music teacher Alexandra Ziegler-Liebst , who led the circle singing.
Organization and sponsorship
On-site, community educator Andreas Schitt the organization. Overall management was in the hands of Ursula Starke (EKHN) and Anne Langenbach (EKKW), who praised the excellent preparation and teamwork. The Youth Choir Day was organized by the Choir Association of the Evangelical Church in Germany (CEK) and the Association of Evangelical Choirs in Hesse and Nassau . CEK General Secretary Niklas Dörr emphasized the unique experience of the "fullness of sound" created by 100 voices.
The Youth Choir Day took place simultaneously in 2025 with a unified concept at five locations in Germany – Leipzig, Munich, Hamburg, Iserlohn and Darmstadt .
