Danish National Choir

In 1937 the smaller full time professional chamber choir was established by Mogens Wöldike in order to develop the art of a cappella singing and to improve the conditions for commissioning of new works as well as the performing of already existing choral music of high quality. It is the declared goal of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation that the choir should function as an inspiration for composers of a cappella music, and performing a cappella music actually takes up a little more than 50% of the choir’s 210 annual working days. Diversity, however, is one of the choir’s trademarks; - per definition all musical eras are part of the choir’s repertoire. Mogens Wöldike was very much part of the choir until the 1970’ies, when John Alldis became Chief Conductor (1972-77). Per Enevold led the choir during the years 1985-88 until Swedish Stefan Parkman in 1989 was appointed Chief Conductor. Professor Uwe Gronostay, known also then as the artistic director of the Nederlands Kamer-koor, was Principal Guest Conductor 1992-1998, a position taken over by Stephen Layton as and from 1999.

The Danish National Choir has won great acclaim through its more than 40 dacapo, DECCA and CHANDOS CD-releases of both a cappella works and symphonic works with the DNRSO. Participating in a.o. Stockholm New Music, Ultima Festival (Oslo), The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Tampere International Choir Festival as well as the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall and concerts at Alte Oper in Frankfurt has certainly confirmed the choir’s position on the great music stages of Europe. Since 1948 the Danish National Choir has made more than 15 tours in Denmark and more than 45 tours in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

Principal Guest Conductor: Stephen Layton

For more information, please visit Danish National Radio Choir website.