Radiant, transparent, homogeneous and flexible: the Dresdner Kammerchor is internationally esteemed for its unique sound. Since its founding in 1985, artistic director Hans-Christoph Rademann has shaped this distinctive sound and led the choir to worldwide renown.
The choir's diverse repertoire is rooted in baroque music, with a particular focus on Saxon court music. As a cultural ambassador for Dresden and Saxony, the choir cultivates and develops the region's musical heritage, introducing it to an international audience. A prominent example of this is the world's first complete recording of Heinrich Schütz's works, which began in 2009 in collaboration with Carus-Verlag; the Schütz St. John Passion was awarded the 2016 Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. Numerous works by other Central German masters such as Johann Adolf Hasse, Johann David Heinichen and Jan Dismas Zelenka have also been rediscovered, revived and recorded by the choir in collaboration with the Dresden Barockorchester and other musical partners.
In addition to symphonic choral works from the Classical and Romantic periods, another repertoire focus is on demanding a cappella works from the 19th and 20th centuries, including music by Johannes Brahms, Max Reger, Olivier Messiaen, Francis Poulenc, Arnold Schönberg and Herman Berlinski.
For years, the Dresdner Kammerchor has been intensively dedicated to modern and contemporary music: with world premieres, first performances and its own commissioned works. This commitment is also deepened by a wide range of music education and youth projects. In 2009, Hans-Christoph Rademann and the Dresdner Kammerchor initiated the Dresdner Chorwerkstatt für Neue Musik, which took place for the fourth time in 2018. The choir was awarded a prize by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation for its contribution to contemporary choral music.
The Dresdner Kammerchor has performed at music centers and festivals throughout Europe, and tours have taken the singers to India, Taiwan, China, Mexico, South America and South Africa. René Jacobs, Sir Roger Norrington, Ádám Fischer, Václav Luks, Stefan Parkman, Trevor Pinnock, Christoph Prégardien, Jos van Immerseel, Herbert Blomstedt, Christian Thielemann, Riccardo Chailly and Reinhard Goebel have been among its musical partners, as have the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Inégal, Anima Eterna Brugge, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Concerto Köln and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
The Dresdner Kammerchor remains true to its roots through its cooperation with the Dresdner Musikhochschule.