Introduction

The Monteverdi Choir, founded in 1964, is famous for its passionate, committed and virtuosic singing. Over the past forty five years it has been consistently acclaimed as one of the best choirs in the world, noted for its ability to switch composer, language and idiom with complete stylistic conviction. The Choir is also a fertile training ground for future generations of choral and solo singers: Choir members often step out to sing solo parts and many former choristers have gone on to spectacular solo careers. Since 2007, the Monteverdi Apprentice Scheme has added an exciting new dimension to its profile.

The Choir has undertaken a number of trail-blazing tours. The most ambitious was the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 during which they performed all 198 of JS Bach’s sacred cantatas in more than 60 churches throughout Europe, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. The entire tour was recorded and released by the company’s record label, Soli Deo Gloria. The Choir has more than a hundred recordings to its name and has won numerous prizes. It regularly participates in staged opera productions, and is currently involved in a five-year residency at the Opéra Comique in Paris, through which they appeared in Le Freyschütz (Weber), L’Etoile (Chabrier) and Carmen (Bizet).

In 2012, the Choir took part in a variety of projects across varied repertoires. In the spring they recorded and toured a cappella English renaissance music, as well as Bach Ascension Cantatas along with the English Baroque Soloists. They finished the 2011/12 season with the opening ceremony of the Salzburg music festival, in a performance of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung. Most recently they joined the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in performances of Beethoven Missa Solemnis throughout Europe and the USA.

2012 and 2013 also see a number of new collaborations, with the Orchestre National de France/ Choeur de Radio France in Berlioz Grande Messe des Morts, and with the Berlin-based Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in Schumann Manfred, all under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Other touring engagements in 2013 include a continuation of their collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra in Stravinsky Oedipux Rex, as well as a number of Bach concerts. They will take part in a “Bach Marathon” project in London and other European cities, and perform the Easter and Ascension Oratorios in Aldeburgh, Braunschweig, Leipzig and Versailles.