A surprisingly rocking start marked this year’s pre-Christmas evening at the Johannes-Brenz-Gemeinschaftsschule on 15 December 2025, held in the hall of the Schulzentrum West. The two music teachers Jannis Krämer and Markus Schneider opened the evening together with Jörg Vogt with a rock piece – in true style, with Santa beards and Santa hats. The performance immediately created a lively atmosphere and was celebrated by the audience with thunderous applause. Afterwards, Jana Sudler and Julia Wehr from Year 12 took over the welcome, the hosting of the evening and the closing blessing. They guided the programme with confidence and gave the evening the theme of a reflective, community-spirited pre-Christmas celebration.
The official welcome followed from the school management. Andrea Fürle, Headteacher of the Johannes-Brenz-Gemeinschaftsschule, reminded everyone that this musical pre-Christmas evening has a long-standing tradition at the school. The aim was to create an evening that brings different cultures together – with rocking, lively pieces as well as quiet, thoughtful tones.
What followed was an impressive musical programme involving over 250 pupils and their teachers. Many of them had already rehearsed for the evening that morning. The programme opened with the wind band class led by Friedrich Mück. The Young Musix delighted the audience with, among other things, “We Will Rock You”. At present around 20 pupils have newly joined the Young Musix, and a total of 36 pupils are in training.
A special highlight of the evening was the numerous choir performances. The junior choir under the direction of music teacher Miriam Bay, the middle school choir led by Jannis Krämer, the senior choir under the direction of Friedrich Mück, and the teachers’ choir, also led by Jannis Krämer, showed impressively the wide range of choral work at the school. Whether classic Christmas carols, modern arrangements or multi-part medleys, the choirs made clear how much joint rehearsing, listening and working together lies behind these performances.
Jannis Krämer, who together with Markus Schneider was mainly responsible for the musical direction of the evening, reflected: “What I find so great about the Christmas concert is that the pupils can show on stage what they have worked on. For each of them it is a different challenge – for some it is singing in the choir, for others playing an instrument. But everyone can grow from it and in the end be proud of themselves. That matters to me more than a perfect musical performance.”
The Music specialist course then took up a question that occupies many people during Advent: What are we looking forward to at Christmas? Is it the biscuits – or is it, in the end, family? This idea was set to music with “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”. Another special moment was the performance of the Montessori class M79. The pupils presented their piece without any support from a teacher and without having rehearsed it in regular lessons – a contribution that had been announced in the programme and received loud applause.
After the performance by the school band led by Markus Schneider, there was an address by Jochen Old, religion teacher at the Gemeinschaftsschule. In his speech, Jochen Old took up the metaphor of the door and invited guests to think about which doors they had already walked through that day – and which they had opened with anticipation or perhaps preferred to keep closed. He reminded them that doors only open when one is willing to open them oneself, and encouraged people to meet others with openness: “Nice that you came – I have time for you.” Fitting the Advent season, Jochen Old referred to the tradition of Advent calendar doors and the hymn “Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit” (“Lift up your heads, you mighty gates”). His address combined thoughtfulness with confidence and stayed in the memory of many listeners.
To close the evening, Andrea Fürle once again addressed the audience. She spoke of opening the doors of our hearts, highlighted the diversity of talents at the school and stressed that great things can emerge when everyone pulls together. With a vote of thanks to all those who took part and a collectively sung “Happy X-Mas”, a musically varied, atmospheric and thoroughly successful pre-Christmas evening came to an end.
