Max Meili (Tenor) (Winterthur, Switzerland 11 December 1899 - Zürich, Switzerland 17 March 1970)

 

His voice was trained by the famous Felix von Kraus in Munich. The artist was then able to distinguish himself as a concert and oratorio singer, devoting himself particularly to the interpretation of early music and the compositions of the Baroque era. The taste of his presentation, the delicacy of the text handling and the nuanced beauty of the voice were emphasized in his performances in his Swiss homeland as well as in Germany, Austria, France and other countries. He made great contributions as a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in 1933, with which he undertook extensive concert tours. Appreciated as a Bach and Handel interpreter, at the same time an important educational activity. In 1955 he founded the Collegium Cantorum Turicense, which, under his leadership, advocated the music of Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz on an international level. He was considered a specialist in medieval vocal music, works by the Ars nova, the troubadours, trouvères and the minstrels. As an opera singer he only appeared occasionally. In 1936 and 1937 he appeared as a concert singer at the Salzburg Festival, from 1932 to 1937 he made a guest appearance in Berlin, and in 1947 at the Openhaus in Zurich. On May 17, 1931 he took part in the world premiere of the opera "Die Mutter" by A. Hába at the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich.