A Diaspora Phenomena Turns to a Hobby – German Choirs in Crimea/Ukraine

• • 
  • Presentation speakers
    • Andreas Kloth, Independent Researcher, Dortmund, Germany

  Abstract:

  I examined the three German choirs Heimatweisen (Homeland songs, Sevastopol), Singende Herzen (Singing Hearts, Simferopol), Nachtigall (Nightingale, Simferopol) in Crimea. These choirs have been founded by members of the German minority during the 1990ies. But from this time, the German minority was also given the opportunity to go and live in Germany. Most of them did so. Nowadays, only 3000 ethnic Germans still live in Crimea. But the German choirs stayed alive, there are still people singing in these choirs. I found out and describe how the population (Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Poles etc.) “took over” these choirs after the leaving of the German minority and why people sing in a German singing choir without knowing German. I also line out the differences I found in motivation and systemical function between the church choir Nachtigall and the both other choirs which are not connected to the lutheran church but to the non-religious German minority organization “Wiedergeburt” (rebirth).

  Methodology:

  •Data:
  ◦Interviews with conductors (3) and singers (19) in Russian language, recorded and transcribed
  ◦Repertoire lists
  ◦Photos
  ◦Concert videos
  ◦Field notes from rehearsals and concerts

  •Qualitative research methodology is used to analyze interview and other data, software MAXQDA is used for coding and analyzing the interviews.

 

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