Wilhelm Pitz

Wilhelm Pitz was a German choral conductor particularly known for his work at the Bayreuth Festival. He grew up in a musical family and studied violin under Fritz Dietrich before joining the Aachen City Orchestra, later becoming one of its first violinists. During World War I, he also played trombone in a military band. After the war, he directed the Aachen Choral Society and later became choir director at the Aachen City Theatre. In 1935, following Herbert von Karajan’s appointment as General Music Director in Aachen, Pitz became Municipal Choir Director. After World War II, he worked to rebuild Aachen’s musical life and led the Cologne Men’s Choir until 1957. From 1951 to 1973, he directed the Bayreuth Festival Chorus, helping shape its renowned choral standard, and from 1957 he also worked with the Philharmonia Choir in London. From 1962, he occasionally worked at the Vienna State Opera, preparing choruses for conductors such as Karajan and Karl Böhm. Pitz died on November 21, 1973, in Aachen.