At its meeting on 12 June 2015 in Leipzig, the Board of Directors of the Neue Bachgesellschaft elected Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christfried Brödel as new Executive Board Chairman of the association. In accordance with
the articles of association of the Johann Sebastian Bach Foundation, he is therefore also the Chairman of our Foundation.
The new election became necessary after our long-serving Chairman Prof. Dr. Martin Petzoldt passed away on 13 March 2015 after a long illness.
Christfried Brödel, born 1947, has been a member of the Neue Bachgesellschaft since 1966. He is a church musician and, from 1988 to 2013, headed the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik (University of Church Music) in Dresden (name until 1992: Kirchenmusikschule Dresden) as rector and professor of choral conducting. The main focus of his musical career has been the performance of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and contemporary church music, making this music accessible to wider audiences . He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Neue Bachgesellschaft since 1990. On the Board’s behalf, he has led 12 Bach Academies in Eastern Europe. As Professor Emeritus since 2013, he is still active in the field as a choirmaster, author and director of choral conducting classes.