Romy Gundermann

Romy Gundermann (b. 1933, d. 20 October 2019) was a German soprano who performed from 1959 to the early 1990s throughout Germany and its neighboring countries. After her retirement from the concert stage, she worked as a concert promoter and charity event organizer.

Romy Gundermann
Born1933 (age 86–87)
Aschaffenburg, Germany
Died2019, October 20th
Aschaffenburg, Germany
NationalityGerman
Other namesRomy Kalb-Gundermann
OccupationClassical soprano
Years active1959–1990s
Spouse(s)Alfred Kalb

Early life

Gundermann was born in 1933 in Aschaffenburg to a family that encouraged her musical talent. At 13, she began appearing in productions, including a film on the fairy tale Hänsel und Gretel.[1]

Marriage and career

Gundermann married shortly after graduating from high school and had two children. Her husband, Alfred Kalb, was a pianist, but gave up his music career to run his family's shirt company. He encouraged his wife to pursue her desire to sing, and she began performing in Frankfurt and Munich. Her official debut was in 1959 at the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg (municipal theatre), where "critics praised her unique timbre, the softness of her singing and her high luminosity".[2]

She performed throughout Germany and neighboring countries; and as a representative of the Goethe-Institut, toured India and Egypt. She appeared in the Berliner Philharmonie over 30 times, and sang in Mozart's Coronation Mass at the Salzburg Festival.[2] She won many competitions and made many recordings.[1]

Charity concerts

In the 1980s, Gundermann began organizing charity concerts, including the "ECCO - Help through Art" project, an innovative program promoting local talent which uses its concert revenues to complete public works projects.[1]

Gundermann retired from the concert stage in the early 1990s, but continued as a concert organizer, with such events as the Advent concert series for Aschaffenburg, and spring concerts which included Wenn die Magnolien blüh'n.[2]

Public Service Medal

In 2014, Gundermann and her husband received a Public Service Medal of Aschaffenburg for their commitment to expanding music awareness and their contributions to the town's cultural heritage.[3]

Death

Gundermann died on October 20, 2019, shortly after the death of her husband, Alfred Kalb, on September 1.[4]

References
  1. "Romy Kalb-Gundermann". Aschaffenburg (in German). Stadt Aschaffenburg. pp. Aschaffenburg, Germany. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  2. "Romy Gundermann (Soprano)". bach-cantatas. Bach Cantatas. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  3. "Bürgermedaille: Romy Kalb-Gundermann und Alfred Kalb werden am Montag im Stadttheater ausgezeichnet" (in German). Aschaffenburg, Germany: Main-Echo. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  4. "Ein großes Herz für die Musik: Romy Kalb-Gundermann ist tot (A big heart for the music: Romy Kalb-Gundermann is dead)" (in German). Aschaffenburg, Germany: Main-Echo. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
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