Dresden (dpa / sn) - The organist of the Dresden Frauenkirche has been dismissed after 17 years of service. The foundation terminated the employment relationship with church musician Samuel Kummer on September 30 of this year, as a spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday. He received the notice and is taking legal action against it, said Kummer of the German Press Agency. With reference to the currently pending labor law proceedings, the foundation does not want to provide any further information.
The "Dresdner Latest News" first reported on the dismissal. According to the newspaper report, there was talk of unreliability around the foundation, and Kummer received more than a dozen warnings. "I deny that I was often unpunctual and that I had received more than a dozen effective warnings in 17 years," said the organist about the allegations.
The 54-year-old from Stuttgart has been the first organist at the world-famous Frauenkirche, which was rebuilt from the ruins of the war, since autumn 2005. "I did my work with great empathy and a sense of mission," he said. The workload is enormous, he referred to around 7,000 services at organ prayers and church services alone, as well as over 30 organ concerts per year.
