Since 1987 RFC has been associated with choirs in Düsseldorf as part of the twinning between the two towns. In 2006 we first performed with Johanneskantorei, and since then every four years (except during Covid) there has been an exchange between the choirs. The most recent performance was Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in 2025 at the Great Hall in Reading and in the Johanneskirche in Düsseldorf (pictured below during the Verdi in 2019). Not only did it have a choir of 120, but also in Reading the full orchestration required by Elgar, which included three harps.
Our exchange visit to Düsseldorf is open to all members who wish to go, and usually entails a long weekend in Düsseldorf where members can either stay with a Johanneskantorei host or in a hotel.
The weekend culminates with a major concert. For the return visit we offer hospitality to our Johanneskantorei friends for a similar period of time and a UK performance usually of the same music. Many friendships have sprung up between the two choirs which have lasted for decades, and it means that our combined forces enables us to learn and perform these classic works as they should be heard, supported by professional orchestras and soloists.
Our exchange visit to Düsseldorf is open to all members who wish to go, and usually entails a long weekend in Düsseldorf where members can either stay with a Johanneskantorei host or in a hotel.
The weekend culminates with a major concert. For the return visit we offer hospitality to our Johanneskantorei friends for a similar period of time and a UK performance usually of the same music. Many friendships have sprung up between the two choirs which have lasted for decades, and it means that our combined forces enables us to learn and perform these classic works as they should be heard, supported by professional orchestras and soloists.
| Joint concerts |
| 20 June 2025 | Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius in Reading University Great Hall with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf (and others) |
| 25 May 2025 | Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius in Johanneskirke, Düsseldorf with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf (and others) |
| 21 September 2019 | Verdi - Requiem in Johanneskirke, Düsseldorf with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 22 June 2019 | Verdi - Requiem in Reading University Great Hall with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 31 December 2015 | Handel - Messiah in Johanneskirke, Düsseldorf with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 17 October 2015 | Handel - Messiah in Reading University Great Hall with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 17 September 2011 | Bruckner - Te Deum in C major in Johanneskirke, Düsseldorf with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 4 June 2011 | Verdi - Quattro Pezzi Sacri, Bruckner - Te Deum in C major in The Concert Hall, Reading with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 29 October 2006 | Beethoven - Missa Solemnis in Johanneskirke, Düsseldorf with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 1 April 2006 | Beethoven - Missa Solemnis in Reading University Great Hall with Johanneskantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 2 July 1995 | Britten - War Requiem op 66 in the Tonhalle, Düsseldorf with Kreuzkantorei, Kantorei der Friedenskirche, and Chor des Gorres-Gymnasiums |
| 6 May 1995 | Britten - War Requiem op 66 in The Hexagon, Reading with Reading Bach Choir, Kreutzkantorei Düsseldorf, Kantorei der Friedenskirche Düsseldorf, Southend Boys' Choir, and Reading Bach Choir |
| 24 March 1991 | Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius in The Hexagon, Reading with Kreutzkantorei Düsseldorf (joint concert with Wokingham Choral Society) |
| 29 October 1988 | Dvorak - Stabat Mater in The Kreuzkirche, Düsseldorf with Kreuzkantorei, Düsseldorf |
| 7 June 1987 | Verdi - Requiem in The Hexagon, Reading with Kreuzkantorei, Düsseldorf (and others) |
