MDR Radio Choir

The history of the MDR Radio Choir dates back to 1924, when the Leipzig Oratorio Society appeared in a broadcast of Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk AG. It is therefore the oldest choir affiliated with public broadcasting in Germany and, with more than 70 singers, the largest of its kind today. After the Second World War, it initially performed as the Leipzig Radio Choir; since 1992 it has borne its current name. The Catalan conductor Josep Vila i Casañas assumed the role of Artistic Director at the start of the 2025–26 season. The Choir performs with major orchestras and has appeared under Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Herbert von Karajan, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, and Christian Thielemann. It concertizes regularly with the MDR Symphony Orchestra. In the current season, its schedule has also included concerts with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Andris Nelsons as well as Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, the SWR Symphony Orchestra under François-Xavier Roth, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony with Alain Altinoglu. The MDR Radio Choir is also active in a cappella projects; its repertoire spans nearly a millennium of music history, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and includes both sacred and secular works. The Choir has made nearly 250 LP and CD recordings, many of which have garnered awards. Its most recent release, which appeared in 2023, was devoted to sacred works by Felix Mendelssohn. In 2013, the MDR Radio Choir was awarded the European Culture Prize.

Lucerne Festival debut on 13 September 2006 in a performance of Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder under Michael Gielen.

March 2026