Chorus 116 is a mixed amateur choir founded in Dresden in 2006. To mark the return to Dresden of the teacher and choir director Christian Hauschild, who had previously spent 17 years as director of the Cantores Minores boys’ choir at Helsinki Cathedral, a group of friends comprising former members of the Kreuzchor and musicians came together in December 2005 for a concert, performing Cantatas Nos. 1 to 3 from Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Christmas Oratorio". Delighted by the renewed sense of community and the familiar joy of making music together, Chorus 116 was subsequently founded, named after the old and new rehearsal hall of the present-day Evangelisches Kreuzgymnasium Dresden.
Under the direction of Christian Hauschild, the choir developed a repertoire of sacred and secular choral music ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. Key choral-symphonic works included Bach’s "Christmas Oratorio", his "St John Passion" and his Mass in B minor, Johannes Brahms’ "German Requiem" and Carl Orff’s "Carmina Burana".
Following Christian Hauschild’s death in 2010, Milko Kersten took over as the choir’s artistic director. Under his leadership, the choir – which had by then grown to around 80 members – developed a distinctive profile. In 2022, Wolfgang Hentrich took over the artistic direction of the choir and recently led it successfully into its 20th year of existence. With Christoph Frenzel, the ensemble has also had an experienced choir assistant for many years.
In numerous concerts over recent years, the choir has performed works including the Requiem Masses by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gabriel Fauré, the Stabat Mater by Antonín Dvořák and Gioachino Rossini, the Te Deum by Anton Bruckner and "The Creation" by Joseph Haydn, as well as, most recently, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s "Elijah" and "St. Paul". In doing so, Chorus 116 has had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned soloists and orchestras such as the Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Sinfonietta Dresden, the Dresden Baroque Orchestra and the Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen. Furthermore, the choir regularly performs a cappella repertoire. Concert tours took them to Helsinki in 2007 and to Salzburg in 2014.
Thanks to the generosity of the Marienkirche in Dohna, the Himmelfahrtskirche in Dresden-Leuben and the St. Marienkirche in Pirna, the choir is able to hold performances in its home region, whilst the Evangelische Kreuzgymnasium Dresden provides the premises for its regular rehearsals.