Peter Schreier

Peter Schreier (born July 29, 1935) is a German tenor and conductor.

Early life

Schreier was in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist. In June 1945, when Schreier was almost ten years old, and just a few months after the destruction of Dresden, he entered the boarding school of the famous Dresden boys' choir, the Kreuzchor (Choir of the Kreuzkirche or Church of the Cross). The choir had just been re-established. The young Peter and the few other choir members and teachers lived in a cellar in the outskirts of Dresden.

Related Topics:
Meissen - Saxony - Gauernitz - 1945 - Dresden

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The conductor of the Kreuzchor, Rudolf Mauersberger, soon recognized Peter Schreier's great talent. He let him sing many solo alto parts and also created compositions that perfectly fitted Peter's boy voice. Solo recordings of Peter Schreier were made at the time and are obtainable on compact disc even today.

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Schreier was 16 years old when his voice broke, and he became a tenor, as he had passionately wished, because of the roles of Evangelist in J.S. Bach's music. After he had decided to become a professional singer he took lessons, at first privately, then later on at the Dresden Academy of Music. He had enough spare time to also study choral and orchestral conducting.

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