PRESENTERS

Robert George Moore

The Rev. Dr. Robert Moore served as Pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston from 1994 until 2016 when Kathy and he moved to Houston’s sister city, Leipzig, Germany to represent the City of Leipzig and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the 500th Anniversary Observation of the Reformation. This project ended in 2019, but Robert and Kathy remained in Leipzig at the historic St. Thomas Church where Robert serves as pastor in residence. Both Robert and Kathy are native Texans from the Amarillo-Lubbock area.

Prior to his call to the serve Christ the King Lutheran Church, Dr. Moore earned the Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Rice University. His research was in New Testament Studies under Professor Werner H. Kelber. His dissertation is entitled The Gospel and Narrative Performance: The Critical Assessment of Meaning-as-Correspondence in D. F. Strauss and R. Bultmann (May 1992). He completed training in clinical pastoral education at Memorial Hermann Hospital and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center and served as a chaplain in both institutions for a combined three years.

Dr. Moore served on the Faith Community Work Group of the Mental Health Association. He also served on the Professional Advisory Group for the Department of Spiritual Care and Education at The Methodist Hospital. He served on the board of directors of Bach Society Houston and is a past president (2X) of the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association. He has served on the board of directors of Holocaust Museum Houston and of Southampton Civic Club. He has served as adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas. He served on the Board of Regents at Texas Lutheran University from 2011 until 2016 and was elected in 2011 to the church council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Robert was a member of Rotary Club of University Area Houston.

The Lord Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung, awarded Robert the Golden Pin of Honor of the City of Leipzig in 2013. The president of the German Federal Republic, Joachim Gauck, conferred upon Robert the Order of Merit (Verdienstorden), the highest honor that the Republic of Germany bestows on citizens and foreigners. Robert received the Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande) on January 14, 2013.

JOHANNES LANG

Johannes Lang was born in Düsseldorf in 1989. He studied church music (organ with Prof. Martin Schmeding, improvisation with Prof. Karl Ludwig Kreutz, historical keyboard instruments/harpsichord with Prof. Dr Robert Hill and concert exam organ at the Freiburg University of Music. After winning eleven first prizes as an organist, harpsichordist and pianist at the national "Jugend musiziert" competition, he went on to win the organ competitions in Lübeck (2009), Bellelay (2011), Leipzig (Bach Competition 2012) and was a prizewinner at the competitions in Ljubljana (2007), Herford (2008) and Munich (ARD Competition 2011). He has received scholarships from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes“, among others, and performs extensively around the world. From October 2016, he was cantor at the Friedenskirche Potsdam-Sanssouci for five years and teacher for organ and harpsichord at the Institute for Church Music at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Various activities as a juror, lecturer at masterclasses, radio and CD recordings (including Clavierübung III with the Bachstiftung St. Gallen and his debut CD "In the Spirit of Bach" as Thomasorganist with the Rondeau label) and his exam as a bell expert expand his profile.

On 6 January 2022, Johannes Lang was inaugurated as organist of St Thomas Church during a festive service and has since performed in church services, motets, concerts and organ tours at St Thomas Church. He focuses on continuo playing based on historical sources on large and small organs as well as improvisation. In November 2022, he was honoured with the Markgräfler Kunstpreis for his artistic work. Johannes Lang teaches organ at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig, which appointed him as a professor on 20 December 2023.

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