He promoted choral singing from children's choir to adult groups for the state broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk, namely the Figuralchor Frankfurt which he founded in 1966 and conducted until 2011.
[1] Interested in cultural relevance, he also studied German, musicology, philosophy and history at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.
[2] During his studies, he worked as a pianist for radio stations, with a focus on contemporary music, collaborating with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Dean Dixon, Sixten Ehrling and Georg Solti.
[1] Beginning in the early 1960s, Ickstadt created a new concept for working with choirs, in collaboration with Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), the Hesse state radio and television broadcaster.
[1][3] The concept was to begin educating choral singers when they were children and continue with them into adulthood, not only providing systematic vocal training but also expanding their general musical knowledge.