Thomas Gropper has been exploring his lifelong theme of “voice” in various forms since his youth. After spending several years in the Regensburger Domspatzen (the Cathedral Boys’ Choir), he studied voice and vocal pedagogy at the University of Music and Theater Munich, and later in Berlin with Markus Goritzki and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Other influential teachers include Hanns-Martin Schneidt and Adalbert Kraus in oratorio singing; Helmut Deutsch in art song; and Josef Metternich in operatic singing. What followed were years spent working as a vocal teacher and voice trainer (for the Munich Bachchor and the Munich Motettenchor, among others); as a freelance soloist in concerts and oratorios as well as host and narrator; and later, as a speech coach at the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian State Radio). After four years as a lecturer at the University of Music and Theater Munich, in 2001 Thomas Gropper was appointed professor of voice, speech training, and vocal pedagogy. At the same time, he has pursued his career as a concert singer, participating in numerous radio and CD productions, as well as working with major choirs, orchestras and festivals. His work as choir director and conductor has only intensified; in his ongoing work with ambitious amateur choirs, he strives to develop their vocal technique, expressiveness and depth of interpretation. In 2005, he founded – and continues to lead – the Arcis-Vocalisten Munich, with whom he has so far produced seven CDs and major broadcasts for the Bayerischer Rundfunk (most recently, seldom-performed oratorios by Carl Loewe). The Arcis-Vocalisten have also sung in numerous guest appearances (including at the latest Europäische Wochen Festival in Passau; at the Bad Hersfeld Festival; in the Domplatz in Linz; at the Thurn-und-Taxis Festival in Regensburg; in the KKL in Luzern; the Tonhalle in Zurich; and the Casino in Bern), and they perform major annual concerts in the Herkulessal of the Isar Philharmonie and at the Brunnenhof of the Munich Residenz.
In 2014, Thomas Gropper also took over as director of the Birnauer Kantorei, a long-established oratorio choir on Lake Constance, as well as the artistic direction of the “Sacred Music in Birnau” series, which features major oratorio concerts in Birnau and throughout the Lake Constance region. In 2016, Thomas Gropper became director of the Chur Chamber Choir in Graubünden, which focuses on performing intricate a cappella pieces and smaller concert works.
Since June 2025, he has served as artistic director of the Bachchor Heidelberg and values the quality, openness and enthusiasm of his new ensemble. He believes that preserving the choir’s tradition along with its unique structures can and should go hand-in-hand with exploring new ideas and formats.