Music in the Light Church

The music in d' Lüchterkark is a special concert experience under the motto "FOLK MEETS CLASSIC." The songs of winter and Christmas bring warmth to the hearts and aim to illuminate the dark season with the light of candles. From the end of November to the beginning of February, the seven artists will perform over 30 concerts between the North Sea coast and the Rhineland. As always, many churches in East Frisia and the Oldenburg region will participate. On Thursday, November 27, 2024, the Lüchterkark ensemble will kick off in Großefehn, and on Sunday, February 1, 2025, the tour will conclude in Wilhelmshaven-Neuende. On Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 7:30 PM, the Lüchterkark ensemble will, as every year, perform at the Hoffnungskirche in Rhauderfehn. Annually, "Music in d' Lüchterkark – FOLK MEETS CLASSIC" spreads the Christmas message of peace to the world. For years, it has been a cult event in northwestern Germany, showcasing extraordinary musical diversity. From Christmas carols to well-known arias from operas and oratorios, from winter folk and Christmas folk songs from around the world to captivating instrumental music – all of this can be heard here.

The "Music in d' Lüchterkark" is a cross-border crossover project featuring the Frisian folk group LAWAY, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019. Special highlights will be brought by Borkum's singing mudflat guide Albertus Akkermann, the Mexican lutenist Fernando Olivas, and the global folk group LA KEJOCA, which was awarded the prestigious German Record Critics' Award for their album LIBERTAD in 2022. This year, they will present their new, already third CD, which was released in the fall.

The artists of Lüchterkark 2025/26:
Carmen Bangert studied singing at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Her diverse musical work ranges from early music to engagements as an opera singer, song recitals, and oratorios, as well as crossover projects like the "Takeober! Ensemble" and "Music in Lüchterkark." Keno Brandt studied church music and singing in Bayreuth and Düsseldorf. As a singer, he performs nationwide and has been engaged at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, among others. He has shared stages in crossover projects with "Die Toten Hosen" and "Fünf Sterne Deluxe" at venues like Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Essen Philharmonic, and Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Jonas Rölleke studied violin at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, where he met Carmen Bangert and Keno Brandt, with whom he has formed the global folk trio LA KEJOCA since 2016. He was part of the "Converse String Quartet," has performed as a soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and regularly gives chamber music concerts. Fernando Olivas, born in Mexico, began studying music in his home country at the age of 22. He later studied lute instruments with Joachim Held at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen. He is sought after as a lutenist beyond national borders and can be heard on various recordings by renowned ensembles. Albertus Akkermann, the singing mudflat guide from Borkum, has played the accordion since his earliest youth and accompanied the Borkum folk dancers. Since the 1990s, he has been performing with the group TRIANGEL and is a co-founder of "Music in d' Lüchterkark." Jörg Fröse has been playing folk and country music since the mid-1980s. In 1994, he won an award at the Rudolstadt Festival with the group Grenzgänger and received the Bad Bevensen Prize in 2003 with LAWAY. He has contributed as an instrumental soloist to over 20 recordings. Gerd Brandt founded LAWAY in 1979 and has received countless awards for his work as a Low German singer-songwriter, radio producer, and stage author. He has been organizing the Lüchterkark tour since 2010.