In 1964 Grube was chosen for a new position at
St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim. To recruit young singers for the Kantorei, the Lutheran Church of Hanover/Lower Saxony and the state of
Lower Saxony linked the position of choirmaster (Kantor) at St. Michael’s with that of music teacher/choirmaster at the . Grube held this dual position until 1973; his reputation there earned him an invitation to the
Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. In 1973 Grube became Professor for liturgy, hymnology, and choral conducting at the
Berlin University of the Arts (formerly
Hochschule der Künste), as well as director of the . As its dual name suggests, the Staats- und Domchor was active both in government and church activities, singing regularly in the
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche as the "bishop's choir", and also at official functions as the "state choir". In 1975 Prof. Grube founded the Chamber Choir of the
Berlin University of the Arts (Kammerchor der Universität der Künste). Under his leadership, these two choirs frequently toured North and South America, the former Soviet Union, Egypt, Israel, Korea, Taiwan, and Africa, in addition to all of the European countries. These concert tours included lectures and workshops, as well as radio and television productions. His choirs have performed with
Herbert von Karajan,
Seiji Ozawa,
Zubin Mehta,
Riccardo Chailly, and
Mauricio Kagel; with the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Deutsche Oper Berlin, the
Berliner Ensemble, and the
Komische Oper; with
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,
Edita Gruberová, and
Thomas Quasthoff (who began his singing career in Grube's children's choir in
Hildesheim). Grube served as an jury member in German national choir competitions, as well as in Hungary, Poland, and in the California International Choral Festival and Competition in San Luis Obispo. He served as guest conductor and held choral workshops and conducting master classes in Sweden, Spain, Russia, Israel, Korea, and the United States. In June 2006 he became Artistic Director and Conductor of the Santa Cruz Chorale in
Santa Cruz, California. As emeritus professor Christian Grube spends part of the year in Berlin, teaching conducting classes at the Berlin University of the Arts, and performing and touring with the university Chamber Choir. Every summer he holds conducting master classes and is a guest conductor in
Granollers in
Catalonia, Spain. As he has done for many years, he writes reviews of newly published music for
Bärenreiter-Verlag. Grube spends part of each year in the mountains of
Santa Cruz, California, where he conducts the Santa Cruz Chorale and gives private conducting lessons. ==Highlights==