Dresdner Kammerchor
The Dresdner Kammerchor chamber choir ranks among the top choirs in Germany and is famous for its unique sound combining clarity with great intensity of tone. A fresh, lively charisma and the much praised complete harmony and transparency are the strengths of the internationally demanded ensemble. Since its foundation in 1985, the choir has been refined by its conductor, Hans-Christoph Rademann - a world renowned choral sound specialist, into a professional ensemble that has received broad acclaim on its numerous concert trips in and outside Europe (i.e. USA, South Africa, India, and China). The choir also receives regular invitations to international music festivals of great reputation like the Rheingau Musik Festival, Oude-Muziek-Festival (Utrecht), Festivales Musicales (Buenos Aires), Bachwoche Ansbach and Händelfestspiele (Halle and Göttingen).
The ensemble has developed a highly diverse repertoire that is almost unparalleled, partially due to the fact that it's membership count varies according to whichever style is performed. The extensive repertoire ranges from Renaissance music to compositions of the 21st Century. The interpretation of Romantic works received great attention, and the choir won several awards for performances at international competitions. Further the granting of the Sponsorship award of the Ernst-von-Siemens Foundation for New Music demonstrates the ensemble's achievements in the field of contemporary music. Apart from a cappella music the Dresdner Kammerchor maintains a close association with the orchestra Dresdner Barockorchester and the Ensemble "Alte Musik Dresden" and gives new impetus to the conservation of early music in Saxony.
A variety of radio and CD productions as well as frequent cooperation with renowned orchestras and conductors, from Germany and abroad, underscore the reputation of the choir. Among the most famous are the conductors René Jacobs, Sir Roger Norrington, Adam Fischer, Riccardo Chailly and the ensembles Sächsische Staatskapelle, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Concerto Köln and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. Moreover, the CD production of Der Schwanengesang by Heinrich Schütz was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque and the world premiere recording of Requiem in E flat major by Johann Adolph Hasse received the German disc critics award. Currently there are two new productions available: the complete recording of Geistliche Chormusic, 1648 by Heinrich Schütz and the oratory Saul by Georg Friedrich Händel.
The Dresdner Kammerchor is a member of the associations Verband Deutscher KonzertChöre (VDKC) and Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend (AMJ).
The ensemble has developed a highly diverse repertoire that is almost unparalleled, partially due to the fact that it's membership count varies according to whichever style is performed. The extensive repertoire ranges from Renaissance music to compositions of the 21st Century. The interpretation of Romantic works received great attention, and the choir won several awards for performances at international competitions. Further the granting of the Sponsorship award of the Ernst-von-Siemens Foundation for New Music demonstrates the ensemble's achievements in the field of contemporary music. Apart from a cappella music the Dresdner Kammerchor maintains a close association with the orchestra Dresdner Barockorchester and the Ensemble "Alte Musik Dresden" and gives new impetus to the conservation of early music in Saxony.
A variety of radio and CD productions as well as frequent cooperation with renowned orchestras and conductors, from Germany and abroad, underscore the reputation of the choir. Among the most famous are the conductors René Jacobs, Sir Roger Norrington, Adam Fischer, Riccardo Chailly and the ensembles Sächsische Staatskapelle, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Concerto Köln and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. Moreover, the CD production of Der Schwanengesang by Heinrich Schütz was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque and the world premiere recording of Requiem in E flat major by Johann Adolph Hasse received the German disc critics award. Currently there are two new productions available: the complete recording of Geistliche Chormusic, 1648 by Heinrich Schütz and the oratory Saul by Georg Friedrich Händel.
The Dresdner Kammerchor is a member of the associations Verband Deutscher KonzertChöre (VDKC) and Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend (AMJ).
Hans-Christoph Rademann
Hans-Christoph Rademann is one of the most renowned and sought after German choir directors. He was born in Schwarzenberg (Erzgebirge) where he grew up in a cantor's family. While still studying choral and orchestral conducting at the College of Music in Dresden he founded the Dresdner Kammerchor chamber choir and remains its musical director to the present day. Refining the choir into a professional ensemble and performing with outstanding quality, he soon gained reputation in Germany and abroad.
Rademann, who has also initiated the Festival of Early Music Erzgebirge, has received the Sponsorship Award of the City of Dresden in 1994 for his dedication and remarkable achievements developing the musical life of the region. After a period as musical director of the Singakademie Dresden, one of Saxony's most venerable choirs, he was the chief director of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk radio choir from 1999 to 2004, where he cooperated with conductors like Semyon Bychkov, Roger Norrington and Christoph Eschenbach. He also guest directed a number of important orchestras and choirs, among them the Sächsische Staatskapelle, Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Collegium Vocale Gent and many ensembles of the German radio institutions such as Bayerischer Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Rundfunkchor Berlin and RIAS Kammerchor. Numerous concert tours took him to important European music centers as well as to the United States, Israel, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Uruguay and Japan.
His musical work emphasizes early music, especially the recovering of the neglected gems of Dresden's musical history. Numerous premieres of works by the composers Jan Dismas Zelenka, Johann Adolph Hasse and Johann David Heinichen - epochal rediscoveries, that have often also been released as CD productions - are results of Rademann's endeavors. He was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque (2002), the Diapason d'Or (2006) and repeatedly the German disc critics award.
In 2000, he was appointed as professor for choral conducting at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden and in 2007 Hans-Christoph Rademann was designated chief director of the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin which he successfully guest conducted on earlier occasions.
Rademann, who has also initiated the Festival of Early Music Erzgebirge, has received the Sponsorship Award of the City of Dresden in 1994 for his dedication and remarkable achievements developing the musical life of the region. After a period as musical director of the Singakademie Dresden, one of Saxony's most venerable choirs, he was the chief director of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk radio choir from 1999 to 2004, where he cooperated with conductors like Semyon Bychkov, Roger Norrington and Christoph Eschenbach. He also guest directed a number of important orchestras and choirs, among them the Sächsische Staatskapelle, Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Köln, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Collegium Vocale Gent and many ensembles of the German radio institutions such as Bayerischer Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Rundfunkchor Berlin and RIAS Kammerchor. Numerous concert tours took him to important European music centers as well as to the United States, Israel, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Uruguay and Japan.
His musical work emphasizes early music, especially the recovering of the neglected gems of Dresden's musical history. Numerous premieres of works by the composers Jan Dismas Zelenka, Johann Adolph Hasse and Johann David Heinichen - epochal rediscoveries, that have often also been released as CD productions - are results of Rademann's endeavors. He was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque (2002), the Diapason d'Or (2006) and repeatedly the German disc critics award.
In 2000, he was appointed as professor for choral conducting at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden and in 2007 Hans-Christoph Rademann was designated chief director of the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin which he successfully guest conducted on earlier occasions.
Jörg Genslein
Jörg Genslein was born in 1978 in Bamberg and received his first musical education as member of the Regensburger Domspatzen boy's choir. After finishing high-school, he joined the Renner Ensemble Regensburg where he participated as a singer in various CD productions, concert tours and choir competitions. He first studied classical voice for two years with Agnes Abele-Habereder at the Musical College Nürnberg-Augsburg and in 2002, he changed to the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music Dresden to study choral conducting with Hans-Christoph Rademann. Since his degree in this subject in 2007 he was appointed as assistant director to Hans-Christoph Rademann and as lecturer at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music Dresden.
Already in 1999, he founded the vocal ensemble "solfeggio" where his achievements were documented by excellent reviews. Succeeding Prof. Dr. Bernd Englbrecht, Jörg Genslein took over the Renner Ensemble Regensburg as musical director. Since September 2003 under his direction, the ensemble was awarded several first prizes at international choir competitions like in 2005 in Tours (France) and Cornwell (England). Recent highlights of this cooperation have been the CD production "...wallen Engel durch das Korn..." with works of Max Reger and Hugo Wolf as well as a concert tour through South East Asia.
Jörg Genslein is often invited to guest direct important ensembles like RIAS Kammerchor and he is first conductor of the Dresdner Kammerchor. Besides directing, he still practices classical voice in different ensembles and choirs, for instance the chamber choir Kammerchor Stuttgart under the direction of Frieder Bernius, the vocal ensemble "Stimmwerck" and the "ensemble für frühe musik augsburg". He received the 2007 Carl Maria von Weber sponsorship award of the College of Music Dresden and a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association.
In May 2008, Jörg Genslein was selected from a variety of candidates to be the new musical director of the supra-regional chamber choir "Thüringischer Akademischer Singkreis" (TASK).
Already in 1999, he founded the vocal ensemble "solfeggio" where his achievements were documented by excellent reviews. Succeeding Prof. Dr. Bernd Englbrecht, Jörg Genslein took over the Renner Ensemble Regensburg as musical director. Since September 2003 under his direction, the ensemble was awarded several first prizes at international choir competitions like in 2005 in Tours (France) and Cornwell (England). Recent highlights of this cooperation have been the CD production "...wallen Engel durch das Korn..." with works of Max Reger and Hugo Wolf as well as a concert tour through South East Asia.
Jörg Genslein is often invited to guest direct important ensembles like RIAS Kammerchor and he is first conductor of the Dresdner Kammerchor. Besides directing, he still practices classical voice in different ensembles and choirs, for instance the chamber choir Kammerchor Stuttgart under the direction of Frieder Bernius, the vocal ensemble "Stimmwerck" and the "ensemble für frühe musik augsburg". He received the 2007 Carl Maria von Weber sponsorship award of the College of Music Dresden and a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association.
In May 2008, Jörg Genslein was selected from a variety of candidates to be the new musical director of the supra-regional chamber choir "Thüringischer Akademischer Singkreis" (TASK).