Wartburg Choir

The Wartburg Choir is an 80-voice select auditioned a cappella choir from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. The choir sings during regular concert tours throughout the Midwest as well as through Europe.

Founded in 1937 under the direction of Dr. Edwin Liemohn, the choir became one of the first American college choral groups to tour Europe. Liemohn’s successor, Dr. James Fritschel, directed the choir from 1968 to 1984, expanding its reputation for excellence and international exposure. Dr. Paul Torkelson director from 1984 to 2009, conducted the choir at nearly every major concert hall in the United States and led the group on numerous international tours. During Torkelson's 2008-2009 sabbatical, Prof. Weston Noble, acclaimed director of choirs from Luther College, stepped in to conduct and teach The Wartburg Choir. Dr. Lee Nelson became the Wartburg Choir’s fourth conductor in 2009, continuing to build upon the tradition of choral excellence.

The Wartburg Choir performs sacred music from all historical periods and styles and often premieres new works by contemporary composers. Called a “mighty fortress of skill” by the Washington Post, the Wartburg Choir is one of Wartburg's three musical ensembles that tour internationally on a triennial basis. Beyond tours, the choir receives invitations for special appearances in the United States and abroad, most recently to participate in the December 2011 White House Holiday Concert Series. As part of that trip to Washington, D.C., the choir also sang at the National Cathedral’s Bethlehem Prayer Service, which was simulcast worldwide. In 2006, the choir performed with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague at the invitation of Maestro Paul Freeman, CNSO music director and chief conductor, who had attended a Wartburg Choir concert at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.

Wartburg

The Wartburg is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a 410 meters (1,350 ft) precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. In 1999, UNESCO added Wartburg Castle to the World Heritage List. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament of the Bible into German, the site of the Wartburg festival of 1817 and the supposed setting for the legendary Sängerkrieg. It was an important inspiration for Ludwig II when he decided to build Neuschwanstein Castle. Wartburg is the most-visited tourist attraction in Thuringia after Weimar. Although the castle today still contains substantial original structures from the 12th through 15th centuries, much of the interior dates back only to the 19th-century period of Romanticism.

Etymology

The name of the castle is probably derived from German: Warte, a watchtower, in spite of a tradition which holds that the castle's founder, on first laying eyes on the site, exclaimed, "Warte, Berg -- du sollst mir eine Burg tragen!" ("Wait, mountain -- you shall bear my castle!"). It is a German play on words for mountain (Berg) and fortress (Burg). In addition, Louis the Springer is said to have had clay from his lands transported to the top of the hill, which was not quite within his lands, so he might swear that the castle was built on his soil.

Wartburg (marque)

The Wartburg was a car marque manufactured in East Germany.

The name "Wartburg" derives from Wartburg Castle on one of the hills overlooking the town of Eisenach where the cars were manufactured.

From the 1950s, Wartburgs had a three-cylinder two-stroke engine with only seven major moving parts (three pistons, three connecting rods and one crankshaft).

History

First usage of name

The marque dates back to 1898 when a car made by Automobilwerk Eisenach was named the Wartburgwagen. It consisted of a two-seating cane chair, four mudgards, two headlamps, and a two-cylinder, 765-cc engine. Its top speed was 25 mph (40 km/h). The name was dropped in 1904 when the company changed hands but re-appeared briefly in the early 1930s on the BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg, which was BMW's first sports car.

Main usage of name

The name was revived in 1956 by VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach and given to an updated version of their IFA F9 car which had been in production since 1950. The new car had a more powerful version of the three-cylinder two-stroke engine driving the front wheels and a completely new body. By this time, Germany had been divided into two countries (the West and the East) and the Wartburg factory was in the communist East (GDR).

Wartburg (disambiguation)

The Wartburg is a castle overlooking the town of Eisenach, Germany.

Wartburg may also refer to:

Places

Organizations

Other uses