Radio choir

A radio choir is an orchestra of a radio company . As a rule, radio choirs are professional choirs, i.e. mixed choirs with professionally trained and permanent choir singers. Because of the cultural mandate of public broadcasters , the focus of the repertoire is often - but not always - more strongly than in the case of independent choirs in the maintenance of contemporary music. As a rule, there is also close cooperation between the choirs and the respective radio orchestra , especially in oratorio productions , in choral symphonies and operas .

The position of the radio choirs depends heavily on the general broadcasting landscape in each country. While radio choirs are almost unknown in the USA due to the purely privately organized radio landscape (the NBC Chorus , which was affiliated to the NBC Symphony Orchestra founded for Arturo Toscanini , remained a temporary exception), they have had a permanent role in the in many European countries for decades Musical life. Particularly noteworthy here is Scandinavia , where the radio choirs are a decisive engine of contemporary choral music . The role of the decades-long collaboration between the Stockholm Radio Choir and the choir director Eric Ericson , who promoted and premiered numerous new compositions, cannot be overestimated.

Important radio choirs

Germany

• RIAS Chamber Choir
• Rundfunkchor Berlin
  • see also: Rundfunk-Orchester und -Chöre gGmbH
• RIAS youth choir
• WDR Radio Choir Cologne
• SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart (formerly: Südfunk-Chor )
• Bavarian Radio Choir
• MDR-Rundfunkchor Leipzig
• MDR children's choir
• NDR choir
• Wernigerode radio youth choir
• Rundfunk-Kinderchor Berlin

Austria

• Austrian Radio Choir (until 1995)

Switzerland

• Coro della Radiotelevisione della Svizzera Italiana

Belgium

• Vlaams Radio Koor

Bulgaria

• Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir

Denmark

• DR KoncertKoret

France

• Chœur de Radio France

Italy

• Coro di Milano della Radiotelevisione Italiana
• Coro di Roma della Radiotelevisione Italiana
• Coro di Torino della Radiotelevisione Italiana

Netherlands

• Nederlands Radio Koor

Poland

• Chór Polskiego Radia w Krakowie

Sweden

• Stockholm Radio Choir

Czech Republic

• Pěvecký sbor Českéhorozhlasu

United Kingdom

• BBC Symphony Chorus
• BBC Singers

Recordings / sound carriers

German Music Council : CD series Music in Germany 1950–2000

• Radio choirs 1950–1975
• Radio choirs 1975–2000

literature

• Heribert Allen: Choirs in Germany. Series of publications by the Association of German Concert Choirs, Vol. 6. Viersen 1995, ISBN 3-929698-06-4 .
• The radio sounding bodies in the Federal Republic of Germany. A broadcasting and media policy policy and thesis paper . Broadcasting Commission of the German Orchestra Association, 2005 ( digital version (PDF file; 40 kB); open letter with reaction of the ARD chairman to the paper: online text ).

Web links

• Wolfram Goertz: Knife on the throat. The choirs of the public service broadcasters are top class. Nevertheless, in some places their existence is on the brink . In: The time . December 2, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2008.