Wolfram Röhrig

• Name — Wolfram Röhrig • Other Names — Wolf Droysen • Born — 5 October 1916 • Birthplace — Halle (Saale), Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia in the German Empire • Died — 30 May 1998 • Place of death — Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg, Germany • Occupation — * Jazz pianist • Conductor • Composer • Organizations — * Hessischer Rundfunk • Süddeutscher Rundfunk • Deutsche Jazz Föderation • Nürnberg Lehrergesangverein • Awards — * Medaille für Verdienste um die deutsche Musik • Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Ring

Born in Halle (Saale), from 1935 Röhrig studied piano, conducting and composition in Berlin. After World War II he worked as a jazz pianist and arranger. In 1953, he became director of the music department of the broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk. He moved in 1955 to the Süddeutscher Rundfunk, where he directed Unterhaltungsmusik, initiated the "Tage der Leichten Musik" (Days of light music) and was responsible for "Treffpunkt Jazz" (Meeting point jazz). He was from 1967 to 1996 president of the Deutsche Jazz Föderation, and from 1969 also the vice president of its European organisation. As a conductor, he recorded with Jimmy Giuffre (Piece for Clarinet and Strings) and Johnny Hodges, including the albums Piece for Clarinet and String Orchestra/Mobiles and Johnny Hodges and His Strings Play the Prettiest Gershwin. He composed film scores for Rommel Calls Cairo (1959), Foxhole in Cairo (1960) and Immer wenn es Nacht wird (1961). He also wrote the music for the films of Die Hesselbachs. He was particularly interested in choral music, conducting performances and recordings with the Nürnberg Lehrergesangverein at the Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg, with the Nürnberger Symphoniker. In 1972 he conducted Bruckner's Third Symphony and Te Deum. In 1978, he recorded the Te Deum by Heinrich Sutermeister with soprano soloist Maria de Francesca-Cavazza. Also in the 1970s, he recorded Max Reger's Der 100. Psalm. In 1982 he was awarded the Medaille für Verdienste um die deutsche Musik (Medal of merits for German music) from the Deutscher Komponistenverband. He received in 1983 the quadrennial Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Ring award from the Verband Deutscher Konzertchöre. He died in Esslingen am Neckar.

Wolfram Röhrig is recorded as having received Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.