Niklaus Peter, born in 1956, studied theology in Basel, Berlin and Princeton. He was a senior assistant lecturer at the University of Basel, a university pastor in Bern from 1995 to 2000 and then director of the “Theologischer Verlag Zürich”, a publishing house for theological texts, until 2004. For the next seventeeen years, he was pastor at Zurich’s Fraumünster church and in 2016 became dean of the parish chapter of the city of Zurich. In addition to his work as a pastor and counsellor, Niklaus Peter has authored numerous articles and books, was a freelance journalist for the Swiss NZZ newspaper and a columnist for “Das Magazin”. Niklaus Peter remains involved in volunteer work with the Karl Barth Foundation, the Nietzsche House Sils Foundation and the Swiss Reformation Foundation. Niklaus Peter was awarded the STAB Annual Prize in 2019 and the University of Basel Alumni Prize in 2023.
Since 2018, he has been responsible for the theological content of the introductory workshops of the J. S. Bach Foundation’s cantata series, which he presents together with Rudolf Lutz.
Karl Graf (*1934) grew up in the small town of Pfyn, where his father was the local pastor. After earning his school-leaving diploma in Frauenfeld, he studied theology in Zurich and Göttingen. Karl Graf’s first post as a pastor was in the town of Stein in Appenzellerland. In 1966, he was called to a position at the St. Laurenzen church in St. Gallen, where he remained until 1993. It was there that his rewarding collaboration in theology and music with church organist Rudolf Lutz originated.
During his time at St. Laurenzen, Karl Graf was assigned various church offices alongside his post as county pastor. From 1982 to 1986, he was dean of the church district of St. Gallen. He also served as president of the reformed church forum of St. Gallen, the Christian-Jewish working group of St. Gallen, and “Schulheim Langhalde”, a reformed church boarding school in Abtwil.
From 1993 to 1999, Karl Graf was president of the canton of St. Gallen's church council of the reformed church of Switzerland; previously, he had served on the council as a voluntary member. From 1994 to 2002, he served on the authority responsible for supervising the qualifying examinations for pastors.
From 2000 to 2018, Karl Graf was a member of the Foundation Board of the J.S. Bach Foundation of St. Gallen.
Karl Graf is married to Magdalena Rüegg and is the father of four adult children.