Wiener Singakademie

Founded in 1858 as Vienna’s first mixed choir association, the Vienna Singakademie is one of Europe’s most historic concert choirs. From the very beginning, the ensemble combined a strong commitment to the great choral masterpieces with an openness towards contemporary music, quickly establishing itself as a key presence in Vienna’s musical life. As early as 1862, the young Johannes Brahms was appointed choir director, a clear sign of the choir’s artistic standing even in its early years.

Over the following decades, the Vienna Singakademie collaborated with an exceptional range of leading conductors and composers. Figures such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Bruno Walter shaped the ensemble’s artistic profile, while composers including Edvard Grieg, Anton Rubinstein and Pietro Mascagni personally conducted performances of their own works with the choir.

With the opening of the Vienna Konzerthaus in 1913, the Vienna Singakademie finally gained a permanent artistic home and became an important partner of the institution. Despite inevitable interruptions during the two World Wars, the choir maintained its concert activities and quickly resumed its role after 1945. Under the leadership of Hans Gillesberger, the ensemble experienced a remarkable artistic peak during the 1950s and 1960s, distinguished by wide ranging repertoire, international touring, and consistently high performance standards. During this period the choir worked with conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Paul Hindemith, Karl Böhm, Hans Svarowsky, and the young Lorin Maazel.

In 1983, Agnes Grossmann assumed the artistic directorship, becoming the first woman to lead the Vienna Singakademie. She revitalised the original academy concept by placing vocal training and musical education at the centre of the choir’s work, a principle that continues to define the ensemble today. In the following years the choir’s position within the Vienna Konzerthaus was further strengthened, leading to outstanding collaborations with artists such as Georges Prêtre, Yehudi Menuhin, Claudio Abbado, Sir Roger Norrington, John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle, and Kent Nagano.

Since 1998, the Vienna Singakademie has been under the artistic direction of Heinz Ferlesch. As one of the longest serving leaders in the choir’s history, he has shaped its distinctive sound and expanded its repertoire, while also establishing programmes dedicated to supporting and promoting young artists. Today the choir’s musical range extends from major Baroque choral works to large scale masterpieces of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. Collaborations with conductors including Ton Koopman, Simone Young, Franz Welser Möst, Ingo Metzmacher, Yannick Nézet Séguin, and Gustavo Dudamel reflect the ensemble’s artistic breadth and international profile.

In 2006, the Vienna Singakademie also founded its Chamber Choir, created to strengthen its focus on a cappella singing and to explore vocal repertoire written for smaller forces. The chamber ensemble quickly achieved international recognition through competition success and further artistic development through commissions and innovative projects.

Today, the Vienna Singakademie stands for a unique combination of tradition, stylistic versatility, and artistic excellence. It remains an essential part of Vienna’s concert life and a highly respected partner for leading orchestras and conductors worldwide.