The man from Eastern Switzerland who shook up Zurich's choral scene
Karl Scheuber (1943–2026) was known to the general public as the director of the Zurich Gay Men’s Choir. However, his contributions to the music world extend far beyond that. An obituary.
How different that choral sound was: fresher, more transparent, more modern! Certainly, back then—in the late 1970s—Zurich had a rich and thriving choral scene with accomplished conductors and a substantial repertoire. However, this scene changed only slightly. So what the Zürcher Singkreis brought to the Engadiner Kantorei under Karl Scheuber—often augmented by students from the Küsnacht Seminary, where Scheuber taught—seemed innovative. There was a strong commitment to contemporary music. Younger composers also wrote for choir, and they found reliable performers here. Leading the way was the aforementioned Karl Scheuber, who hailed from the «provinces» of eastern Switzerland.
What made the difference? Perhaps the fact that Scheuber did not come from a background in church music and did not hold a position as an organist, as so many choir directors do. He operated less from a religious context than from a generally humanistic one. I remember a harrowing performance of Othmar Schoeck’s anti-war piece Drumbeats under his direction at the Tonhalle. Choral music was, for him, a topic of current interest.
«Carletto,» Destined for Greater Things»
Born on August 11, 1943, in Amriswil, Canton Thurgau, he grew up in Hefenhofen in a musical family; his siblings played instruments. That laid the foundation. Early on, a teacher predicted that Karl—known as «Carletto»—would pursue a career in music. In Winterthur, Zurich, and Herford, he studied piano, school music, and church music: the ideal combination for later working as a choir director. In 1967, he founded the Zurich Singing Circle of the Engadiner Kantorei, which grew out of his work with the Laudinella St. Moritz. That laid the foundation for the performance of contemporary music.
«From the very beginning, I wanted to create a wide, diverse range of music—centered on classical music, but covering a broad spectrum,» he later said. For this achievement alone, he earned the recognition that led to his being awarded the Golden Medal of Honor of the Canton of Zurich in 2001. In addition, he had served as artistic director of the «Musikpodium der Stadt Zürich» since 1989 and had taken on other responsibilities.
«Karl Scheuber has played a major role in shaping Zurich’s musical life in recent years,» the cantonal government stated in its rationale. He is «now one of the most highly regarded choral conductors in Switzerland.» He is a cultural ambassador in two senses: as a conductor who, in addition to well-known works, consistently introduces the audience to musical rarities and compositions by contemporary Swiss composers, but also as a music educator who is able to recognize the talent of aspiring school musicians, choristers, and conductors and is exceptionally skilled at honing their appreciation for vocal music.”
Diversity, Commitment, and Originality
«Diversity, commitment, and originality» characterized his artistic career. For him, however, «diversity» also refers to what we call «diversity» today. After experiencing a gay men’s choir from Cologne at Christopher Street Day in Zurich, Karl Scheuber founded his own ensemble in 1990: the Zurich Gay Men’s Choir, known as “Schmaz,” a pioneering ensemble.
That was an initial spark with far-reaching consequences: What was originally planned to be two years at the helm of the choir turned into twenty-two—a life’s work—and a formative one at that, for Scheuber made it a point that the choir not only perform in the clubs of the gay subculture but also in major concert halls, such as the Tonhalle in Zurich, as well as on major stages, on the radio, and on television. Sometimes a stir would go through the audience when the «Schmaz» was unexpectedly announced. Such appearances were not yet commonplace, and they sometimes required courage on the part of the choristers. Yet they earned the choir respect and an audience—a musical audience, that is—because the choir’s sound and repertoire were, in turn, refreshingly innovative.
Directing the «Schmaz» and the Zurich Singing Circle of the Engadiner Kantorei were two of Scheuber’s main activities, but there is much more that could be mentioned. He served as an educator at the Küsnacht Teacher Training College and as a lecturer and department head at the Zurich University of the Arts. Many musicians speak of the inspiration and encouragement he gave them. He directed the vocal ensemble Cantapella, the Psychor, and the vocal ensemble Consonans, and provided coaching in choral conducting. In recent years, he directed the Sydefädeli retirement home choir and the Schwamendingen ecumenical senior choir. An active musical life. After suffering a stroke in January, he never fully recovered. Karl Scheuber passed away in Zurich on October 25.
