SWR Radio Choir

Vocal and stylistic flexibility, technical perfection, and a chamber music approach to interpretation are the hallmarks of the SWR Vokalensemble, which was founded in 1946. Over the course of its 80-year history, more than 300 works have been written for the ensemble, with new ones added every year. Alongside contemporary music, it devotes particular attention to the demanding choral repertoire from the Romantic era and classical Modernism. Principal Conductors Marinus Voorberg, Klaus-Martin Ziegler, and Rupert Huber played a decisive role in shaping the SWR Vokalensemble in earlier decades. Under the artistic direction of Marcus Creed from 2004 to 2020, the ensemble made numerous recordings that garnered such honors as the German Record Critics’ Annual Award, the Echo Klassik, the Diapason d’or, the Choc de la Musique, and the Grand Prix du Disque. Yuval Weinberg has served as Artistic Director since 2020. His programs create illuminating juxtapositions between old and new, and in 2022 his complete recording of György Ligeti’s choral works received, among other honors, the Diapason d’or and the German Record Critics’ Award. For today’s concert, the SWR Vokalensemble has been prepared by Heide Müller. After studying in Detmold, Stockholm, and Oslo, she won Second Prize at the Eric Ericson Award in 2024. As a guest conductor and chorus master, she works regularly with leading ensembles including Cappella Amsterdam, the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, the Bavarian Radio Chorus, and the NDR Vokalensemble.

The SWR Vokalensemble made its Lucerne Festival debut on 4 September 2003 in Schumann’s Manfred under the direction of Heinz Holliger; last appearance here was in 2015 with Marcus Creed, performing works by Beste, Delz, and Poppe.

September 2026