The singer Waltraud Rennebaum was born in Bochum (Germany). She grew up in a family full of music-making. Her father played trumpet, two of her brothers became professional musicians too. Even as a child, Waltraud was encouraged to sing; she loved to present herself in public with her voice. She visited the municipal music school where she received trumpet und piano lessons. Later she aquired her artistic qualification at the conservatories of Detmold, Cologne and Düsseldorf. Iniatilly she had intended to become a classical orchestral-musician. She studied french horn and played in some orchestras and chamber music ensembles. But more and more she got mainly interested in singing, and so she finally concentrated completely on training her voice (mezzo-soprano). Additionally she studied Hebrew under a Judaism teacher in Düsseldorf for four years. Inspired by the Hebrew language and biblical psalms, she discovered her love for sacred songs and she began to set Bible verses to music herself. She delved into the world of Tehilim, the Hebrew Psalter. Also she was fascinated by Jewish folk music of former centuries and different cultures with their special melody, harmony and rhythm. In this way, a unique song repertoire developed, combining the genres of the classical song and of Jewish folk music.
