MASTERCLASS WITH ANNE KOHLER, TINE FRIS-RONSFELD AND STUDIO CHOIR POP-UP
01 – 04 October 2026, Leipzig
Under the direction of Anne Kohler and Tine Fris-Ronsfeld, the four-day chor.com-masterclass in choral conducting offers choir directors the opportunity to individually develop their skills in the areas of conducting, rehearsal methodology, stylistics and presence in front of the ensemble. The focus is on timing, sound, phrasing, balance, and gestural and verbal communication.
Participants can immediately put what they have learned into practice with the Pop-Up Detmold studio choir. A concert in Leipzig, conducted by the participants themselves, concludes the masterclass on Sunday, 4 October 2026.
Anne Kohler is professor of choral conducting at the University of Music in Detmold and artistic director of the German National Youth Choir. She teaches a focus class in choral conducting in Detmold and directs the vocal ensemble Pop-Up and the university's chamber choir, both of which have won first prizes at national and international competitions. She is internationally active as a lecturer for courses on conducting, voice training and jazz choir conducting, as well as a juror.
Tine Fris-Ronsfeld is a significant figure in the international choir scene, where she is known for her artistic work with Postyr, Lyt, Syng Selected and Vocal Line, as the head of Aarhus Vocal Festival and as a passionate educator. Together with Kristoffer Fynbo Thorning, she has published several books on icebreakers and choir warm-ups, and she regularly publishes her arrangements and compositions with Danish and international publishers.
Pop-Up is the name of the 30-member vocal ensemble at the Detmold University of Music, which is directed by Anne Kohler. The choir seeks musical collaboration and is always on the hunt for new, exciting arrangements, most of which are written especially for the ensemble. Pop-Up won first prize at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf (2017), the German Choir Competition (2018) and the German Choir Festival (2025). In August 2023, the choir was celebrated by the audience at the international ‘VoiceUp’ festival in Istanbul.
REPERTOIRE
The repertoire consists of arrangements by Vocal Line and Pop-Up (details will be announced in due course).
APPLICATIONS FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
PARTICIPANTS
The masterclass is primarily aimed at experienced choir conductors who wish to further their education. The number of active participants is limited to six to eight people. Selected parts of the masterclass will also be accessible to passive participants (listeners).
The masterclass is held in German and English.
Click here to download the application information (PDF).
PRICES
Participation in this masterclass is covered by price of the chor.com full-access ticket (Gesamtticket) €360 normal price, €180 reduced rate*, as well as €200 / reduced rate €100* for active participation. The full-access tickets are valid for all workshops and entitle the holder to purchase concert tickets at a special price of €5 (subject to availability and prior booking). One-day tickets do not entitle the holder to active participation in masterclass.
Board and lodgings are not included in the price of the ticket and must be organized independently. Full-access tickets are available at www.chor.com/tickets or at the chor.com event itself.
*for students, pupils, unemployed persons, trainees, participants in the German Federal Volunteer Service, persons doing military or civilian service, persons with disabilities with a degree of 50 or more, subject to valid ID
PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR APPLICATION
To apply as an active participant in the masterclass, please fill out the relevant application form. Please include:
- a concert recording where you direct
- a short rehearsal recording where you lead
- a song sung by the applicant, accompanying themselves
Links to YouTube and other online platforms are welcomed. Alternatively, you may send a DVD via postal service to: Deutscher Chorverband e. V., chor.com/Masterclass Kohler + Fris-Ronsfeld, Karl-Marx-Str. 145, 12043 Berlin, Germany.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
The closing date for applications is 30 June 2026. A preliminary selection of the participants will be made by mid- August 2026.
APPLY HERE:
PASSIVE PARTICIPATION
Registered full-access participants of the chor.com can also passively participate in public sessions of the masterclasses without applying. For these time slots, a chor.com ticket (full-access ticket or day ticket) is a prerequisite as is the registration which is part of the workshop bookings.
CONTACT AND ENQUIRIES
Maike Fiedler
Deutscher Chorverband e. V.
Karl-Marx-Straße 145, 12043 Berlin, Deutschland
projektbuero[at]deutscher-chorverband.de, Tel. 030 847108930
