Uwe Gronostay, born on October 25, 1939 in Hildesheim, Germany, was a choral conductor and composer. At age 15 he became an organist at St. Jakobi Church in Braunschweig. Following his studies in church music in Bremen, Gronostay worked as a cantor and instructor for organ playing. In 1972, he was appointed director and chief conductor of the Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir. He also led the Berlin Philharmonic Choir from 1982 to 2002. Gronostay served as a professor for choir conducting at Frankfurt am Main and later at the Berlin University of the Arts until 2003. Notable albums he conducted include The 13 Part-Songs - Motet "Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme" (1992) and Weihnacht Der Romantik - Noëls Romantiques - Romantic Christmas Songs (2002). Gronostay passed away on November 29, 2008, in Berlin.
