About the Foundation

The Ernst-Lothar von Knorr Foundation was established in 1995 in order to assure the composer’s rich oeuvre its rightful place in concert life by means of active cultivation, dissemination and support.

Our activities are wide-ranging. First it was necessary to elaborate a catalogue of works and to systematise the existing scores, letters, programmes, reviews and recordings. Encouraging public performances and supporting young performers are also part of our work.


Rehearsal with Ernst-Lothar von Knorr, Ursula Bootcher and Wolfgang Boettcher, Nußloch 1966

A number of major projects were realised on the occasion of the centenary of Ernst-Lothar von Knorr's birth in 1996: the first CD of his chamber music (by performers including Gundula Schneider, mezzo-soprano, Arne Torger, piano, and the Lark Quartet, New York), the publication of his memoirs in connection with a biography (edited by Thomas Schipperges and published by Musikverlag Tonger) and many concerts with performances of his works in Germany and elsewhere.

The year 2002 saw the release of two further CDs: Formulierungen ("Formulations") featuring John Edward Kelly (saxophone), Nina Tichman (piano) and others, and Äußerungen ("Utterances") with performers including Ulf Hoelscher (violin), Wolfgang Boettcher (cello), Ursula Trede-Boettcher and Gitti Pirner (piano) and Jost Michaels (clarinet). The Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano was one of the obligatory works for contestants at the ARD Music Competition. In the same year the concert marking the annual meeting of the Foundation was integrated into the Heidelberg Spring Festival ("Heidelberger Frühling").

The 4th CD Wandlungen ("Transformations") appeared in 2005. It contained works by Ernst-Lothar von Knorr arranged for, and recorded by, the renowned ensemble Trio Contraste (B. Stefanescu, flute – S. Petrescu, piano – D. Roman, percussion). Universities and music academies have assigned examination theses on the composer and two doctoral dissertations are in preparation. On the occasion of our 10th anniversary a number of concerts took place, as was also the case in 2006.

The Foundation is funded from GEMA royalties but would be unable to continue its activities without further donations. It has been recognised by Heidelberg’s Inland Revenue Office as not-for-profit and especially worthy of support. Donations can be remitted to account no. 0142810 at the Deutsche Bank Heidelberg (bank code 672 700 24). Acknowledgments of donations are sent out to donors automatically.

The work of the Board of Directors of the Foundation is supported and supervised by a Board of Trustees made up of Dr. Peter Deubner, publisher (Cologne), Prof. Violeta Dinescu, composer (Oldenburg), Prof. Ulf Hoelscher, violinist (Karlsruhe), Michael Köhler, lawyer (Mannheim), Prof. Rudolf Meister, pianist and Rector of the State Academy of Music and the Performing Arts in Mannheim, Claudia von Knorr, eurhythmics practitioner (Stuttgart), Peter Tonger, music publisher (Cologne) and Ursula Trede-Boettcher, pianist and organist (Mannheim).

The members of the Board of Directors are Britt-Gun von Knorr (Nussloch), Dr. Peer Findeisen (Schriesheim), Freddy Freiherr von Bettendorff (Nussloch) and Ehrengard von Gemmingen (Berlin).

Nussloch, March 2008