2025

Christmas Concerts

December 6, 2025, 5pm - Catholic Church Mariä Himmelfahrt, Kirchenstraße 2, 67731 Otterbach

December 7, 2025, 5pm - Gustav-Adolf-Church, Erzhütterstraße 68, 67659 Kaiserslautern

"The Rhineland-Palatinate International Choir is now in a class of its own." says Reiner Henn in his concert review "No trace of yesterday's snow" in the Rheinpfalz newspaper edition of December9, 2025. And further:

"The “tour de force” through styles, genres, and genres, as well as the consistently lively presentation instead of the static sequence of performances that was common in the past, give an idea of why this successful combination, thanks to choir director Eric Weddle, is a model of success that could set a trend. [...] Whether in the classical unaccompanied a cappella style with flawless intonation and clear diction, or lively and pulsating thanks to the piano and instrumental accompaniment, or in changing formations (choir or ensemble) – the exquisite moments of musical inspiration and fascination always impressed with their tonal homogeneity and expressiveness. The choir also sets clear standards in terms of vocal technique."

(full article)

Otterbach (Photo: Barbara Ziska)

The colorful program spanned centuries and continents: from the medieval hymn “Gaudete” to contemporary works such as Eric Whitacre's “Glow,” which expresses a longing for light and hope. Well-known melodies such as “Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen” in a special arrangement by Jan Sandström and the powerful spiritual “See Dat Babe” complemented the repertoire and created a connection between tradition and the present.

Conductor: Eric Weddle
Piano: Alice Ramirez
Percussion: Emma, Ian & Rob Rose

The following pieces were performed:

Gaudete - Piae Cantiones, Arr. Mark Burrows
Gabriel's Message - Trad. Basque Carol, Arr. Tony Alonso
(Flute: Courtney Fox)
Es wird nicht immer dunkel sein (God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen) - Trad. English Melody, Arr. Molly Ijames
O Radiant Dawn - James MacMillan
Noël Nouvelet - French Carol, Arr. Ruth Dwyer
Freu dich Erd und Sternenzelt - Trad. Bohemian Melody, Arr. Karl Riedel
Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen - Michael Praetorius, Arr. Jan Sandström
(Melody Choir: Soprano - Lisa Kadow, Anastasiia Lavrenova; Alto - Konnie Deßloch, Tess Foster; Tenor - Christoph Hartmüller, Robby Wetzler; Bass - Patrick Casey, Andreas Fordan)
Northern Lights - Ola Gjeilo
(Soprano - Monica Alent, Flora Cordero, Haley Maddox, Gosia Schulze; Alto - Konnie Deßloch, Anne Doll, Emma Rose, Barbara Ziska)
Patapan Fantasia - Bernard de la Monnoye, Arr. Audrey Snyder
Deck the Halls - Traditional, Arr. Derric Johnson
A One-Horse Open Sleigh (In a Jingly Minor Way) - Greg Gilpin & James Piermont
Glow - Eric Whitacre
The 12 Days of Christmas - Traditional, Straight No Chaser, Arr. Michael Klein
(Soprano - Mariella Collinsworth, Keysha Martinez, Kristina Wise; Alto - Carmen Pekarek, Noël Sprenkle, Kortney Whaley; Tenor - Daniel Armstrong, Scott Thomsen; Bass - Michael Cohen, Stefan Deßloch, Joel Foster)
See Dat Babe - Spiritual, Arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Let There Be Light! - Craig Courtney
Encore: Hallelujah! - Georg Friedrich Händel

Northern Lights (Photo: Barbara Ziska)

The 12 Days of Christmas (Photo: Barbara Ziska)

Winter Songs

Friday, December 5, 2025, 6pm - ASZ Winter Market, Pfaffstraße 3, Kaiserslautern

With a selection of songs from our current program, we welcomed the Advent times at the cosy ASZ Winter Market. The following songs were performed, all a capella:

Gaudete - Piae Cantiones, Arr. Mark Burrows
O Radiant Dawn - James MacMillan
Noël Nouvelet - French Carol, Arr. Ruth Dwyer
Freu dich Erd und Sternenzelt - Trad. Bohemian Melody, Arr. Karl Riedel
Patapan Fantasia - Bernard de la Monnoye, Arr. Audrey Snyder
Deck the Halls - Traditional, Arr. Derric Johnson
The 12 Days of Christmas - Traditional, Straight No Chaser, Arr. Michael Klein
See Dat Babe - Spiritual, Arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Let There Be Light! - Craig Courtney

ASZ Winter Market (Photo: Kristina Wise)

10 Jahre HasteTöne

October 25, 2025, 7pm - Sängerheim Weilerbach

By invitation of the Gesangsvereins Weilerbach we performed at the anniversary concert "10 Jahre HasteTöne" together with other regional choirs and contributed the following pieces:

Dies Irae - Michael John Trotta
O Radiant Dawn - James MacMillan
City Called Heaven - Josephine Poelinitz
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Paul Simon, Arr. Kirby Shaw
Tshotsholoza - Arr. Jeffery L. Ames

"Circle"

May 17, 2024, 6pm - Catholic Church Mariä Himmelfahrt, Kirchenstraße 2, 67731 Otterbach

May 18, 2024, 6pm - Gustav-Adolf-Church, Erzhütterstraße 68, 67659 Kaiserslautern

I was singing with my sisters and my brothers, I was singing with my friends.
And we all can sing together, ‘cause the circle never ends!
(from „Will the Circle Be Unbroken“)

The motto "Circle" was inspired by our opening song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". It is symbolic of the community of the choir, from whose midst the instrumental support of the program and numerous solos also come.

In his concert review in the Rheinpfalz of May 19th, Reiner Henn called the concert a "huge success" and wrote:

"There are concerts where you know from the first bars “where the journey is going”. When three soloists (Haley Maddox, Gosia Schulze, soprano, and Noel Sprenkle, alto) began by singing Charles Gabriel's first contribution alone in the sanctuary in a moving trio and then gradually formed a harmonious, expressive tonal unity with the solemn entry of the following choristers, it was already obvious that something special, magnificent and perhaps unique and of rare value was being created. Solemn, sublime sounds break through the silence, intensifying and inspiring each other. Magnificent, and that at the beginning! Subsequently, a sophisticated interplay of soloists, vocal ensembles and full choir developed, which provided as much variety as the performed repertoire itself (...)"

Our program consisted of the following songs:

Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Trad. Appalachian/B. Rose, C. Winter & M. Taylor, arr. J. David Moore
Hear My Prayer, O Lord - Henry Purcell
Abendlied - Josef Rheinberger
Dark and Luminous Night - Ola Gjeilo
Dies Irae - Michael John Trotta
Good Night Dear Heart - Dan Forrest
Wannabe (as an English Madrigal) - Spice Girls, arr. Nathan Howard
Seasons of Love - Jonathan D. Larson, arr. Roger Emerson (small ensemble)
City Called Heaven - arr. Josephine Poelinitz
Wade in the Water - arr. Rob Dietz
Helplessly Hoping - Stephen Stills (small ensemble)
Wanting Memories - Ysaye M. Barnwell
Into the Woods (Act I Opening) - Stephen Sondheim, arr. Mark Brymer
Nyon Nyon - Jake Runestad
The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon, arr. Mac Huff
Encore: I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash, arr. Larry Nickel

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