Gustav Gunsenheimer

He conducted notable choirs, was responsible in the Bavarian organization of chorale conductors, and was a lecturer at the Musikhochschule Würzburg.

• Name — Gustav Gunsenheimer • Born — 10 March 1934 • Birthplace — Kunzendorf, Gau Silesia, Nazi Germany • Died — 3 March 2026 • Occupation — * Director of church music • Composer • Academic teacher • Organizations — * St. Lukas, Schweinfurt • Musikhochschule Würzburg • Awards — Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Born in Kunzendorf, Grafschaft Glatz, on 10 March 1934 to parents from Franconia, Gunsenheimer left Silesia with his family at the end of World War II. He attended a gymnasium in Bamberg with a focus on old languages in Bamberg, graduating with the Abitur in 1954. He studied to be a music teacher. He taught at elementary schools, from 1956 in Bad Königshofen. His career as a musician began in 1962 when he founded and conducted a regional teachers' choir later named "Fränkischer Singkreis" (Franconian singing circle). In 1963 he passed the Kantorenprüfung (church musician's exam) at the Kirchenmusikschule Bayreuth. In 1966 the state of Bavaria granted him a scholarship to study for two years at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. His studies included "Elementare Musik- und Bewegungserziehung" (Elementary music and movement pedagogy), which brought him into personal contact with Carl Orff. • Illustration — Organ at St. Lukas, Schweinfurt He returned to Schweinfurt in 1968, teaching music at an elementary school and leading the oratorio choir "Liederkranz Schweinfurt" for almost 30 years, until 1997. He was the church musician at St. Lukas from 1969. He initiated in 1970 an annual festival "Musiktage am Hochfeld" (Music days at the Hochfeld, the location of the church), as well as another regular festival "Musik um die Osterzeit" (Music for Eastertide). For these concerts, he was able to attract musicians who would not normally play at a small church, such as the Bamberger Streichquartett (Bamberg String Quartet), the violinist Wolfgang Forchert, soloists at the beginning of their careers such as soprano Barbara Schlick, contralto Waltraud Meier, tenor Christoph Prégardien, and the guitarist Michael Tröster. He grouped the music around themes, such as anniversaries of composers. In 2013, the programs focused on music set to texts by Friedrich Rückert, to commemorate his 150th anniversary of death. With "Fränkischer Singkreis", he performed the world premieres of 14 works at a composition competition in Bad Brückenau. Gunsenheimer succeeded Kurt Thomas after his death in 1973 as conductor of the annual Chorleiterwoche im Landesverband Evangelischer Kirchenchöre, a week of meetings and music for Bavarian Protestant chorale conductors that he led until 2002. He had a position as lecturer at the Fachhochschule Würzburg, later also at the Musikhochschule Würzburg in music therapy. He was responsible for the church music at St. Lukas until the first Sunday in Advent of 2015. In 1983, he was honoured with the title Kirchenmusikdirektor (director of church music with regional responsibility). In 1987 he was awarded the Stadtmedaille Schweinfurt, and on 12 December 1989 the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He received the Bach medal from Evangelischer Posaunendienst Deutschland in 2010, and became an honorary member of the Fränkischer Sängerbund association in 2011. Gunsenheimer died on 3 March 2026, at the age of 91.