The Rheinland-Pfalz International Choir

Originally founded in 1986 as the Ramstein Community Choir and renamed in 1988, our international choir has for a number of years united singers who share a passion for choir music and enjoy musical and cultural diversity.

In its more than 30 years of choral history, the RPIC performed numerous major choral works. Among them were Händel’s „Messias“, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s „Requiem“, John Rutters’ „Requiem“, W.A. Mozart’s „Missa brevis in C-major (Spaur-Mass)“, Antonio Vivaldi’s „Gloria“ and Franz-Joseph Haydn’s „Missa in angustiis (Nelson Mass)“. With the latter piece, the choir also gave its debut performance at Carnegie Hall, New York in January 2017, alongside other international ensembles. The performance of Johannes Brahms’ “A German Requiem”, jointly with the Kaiserslautern University Classical Choir and the Kaiserslautern Symphony Orchestra (SOKL), was followed in 2018 by joint concerts with the United States Air Forces Europe Band in Kaiserslautern and Saarbrücken. The concerts featured the cantata “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Ralph Vaughan Williams with guest conductor Dr. Craig Jessop, who had directed the USAFE Band and the RPIC 30 years ago. The choir was also invited to perform this cantata at the Great Britain Choral Festival at Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire in July 2018 and at a concert commemorating the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Ludwigskirche in Saarbrücken in October 2019.

The RPIC is a registered non-profit association. As a member of the Kaiserslautern Choir Forum we support choral music in Kaiserslautern jointly with other concert and church choirs. We are a member choir of the Kreischorverbands NordwestPfalz e.V..

Musical Staff

Our conductor and musical director is Eric Weddle. Our pianist Lothar Bendel accompanies us at our performances and during our rehearsals.

Eric Weddle (conductor and musical director)

Eric’s been involved in music for most of his life - from his high school marching band, university jazz band, university choir, musical theater and barbershop quartets, to teaching general music and directing school choirs for more than fifteen years.

Most recently, serving as the conductor for the singers of the English Speaking Music Ensembles of Munich, a large choral group of nearly 50 members performing an eclectic mix ranging from classical choral literature to spirituals and modern selections. He holds masters degrees in Music Education and Instructional Technology.