Ensemble - The Zurich Chamber Singers

The Zurich Chamber Singers

Christian Erny, Artistic Director

The Zurich Chamber Singers were founded in the autumn of 2015, born out of long-standing friendships and a shared artistic vision. Over the past decade, the ensemble has grown into one of Switzerland’s few professional choirs, establishing itself as a major force in the Swiss choral landscape through acclaimed concert performances and recordings. Comprising young singers from across Switzerland as well as international colleagues, the ensemble is distinguished by its refined vocal artistry, remarkable versatility, and an insatiable curiosity for inventive programming.

What began as a group of ten friends has since expanded into a pool of over thirty singers. The choir’s artistic home is the historic Liebestrasse Hall in Winterthur, where they present their own subscription concert series. Typically in smaller formations, the Zurich Chamber Singers focus here on their core work: sophisticated a cappella repertoire, creative programme architecture, and seasonally themed projects.

As exclusive recording artists with Berlin Classics, the Zurich Chamber Singers pursue an ambitious discography. Their albums have received enthusiastic reviews from international critics and have been nominated for both the International Classical Music Award and the German Record Critics’ Award.

The choir’s repertoire spans from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary and symphonic choral works. A hallmark of their artistic identity is the bold juxtaposition of old and new, which has led to collaborations with some of today’s leading composers.

At the helm of the Zurich Chamber Singers is founder and artistic director Christian Erny. Born in Winterthur in 1988, Erny studied conducting, piano, and music theory in Zurich, Bloomington, and Lucerne. Alongside his work with the ensemble, he appears regularly as a guest conductor with orchestras and ensembles in Switzerland and abroad. The choir’s nuanced sound culture and agility also attract renowned conductors such as Roberto González-Monjas, Joana Carneiro, and Fabio Biondi, who have led the ensemble in guest appearances.

SINGERS

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Meret Roth

Sopran

Domino Schlegel

Sopran

Simona Moran

Sopran

The Zurich Chamber Singers are committed to supporting young singers still in training, offering them a platform to gain experience in professional ensemble singing and helping them advance toward new career opportunities. The ensemble also develops formats for emerging conductors, including workshops in ensemble leadership and freelance project work.

In addition to their own concert series in Winterthur, the Zurich Chamber Singers perform in major venues such as the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Brucknerhaus Linz, Tonhalle Zürich, and Künstlerhaus Boswil. They have also made repeated appearances in the “Stunde der Kirchenmusik” series at the Stiftskirche Stuttgart. In recent years, the choir has become a valued partner for orchestras, frequently collaborating with the Musikkollegium Winterthur, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, CHAARTS chamber artists, argovia philharmonic, and the Morphing Chamber Orchestra in performances of core works of the choral-symphonic repertoire.

Artistic direction

Christian Erny is the founder and artistic director of the Zurich Chamber Singers and appears regularly as a guest conductor with orchestras such as the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the argovia philharmonic, and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen. He studied piano, choral and orchestral conducting, and music theory at the Zurich University of the Arts, the Jacobs School of Music, and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Christian Erny collaborates with some of today’s most prominent composers, including Caroline Shaw, Paul Mealor, and David Philip Hefti. He has conducted numerous world premieres, most recently Alfred Felder’s opera Walpurgisnacht and Paul Mealor’s choral opera The Light of Paradise.

He began his career as a pianist, performing in many European countries, the United States, and South America. His acclaimed discography has received multiple awards, and he is a prizewinner of the Île de France International Piano Competition.

Christian Erny teaches piano and conducting at the Basel Academy of Music (FHNW). In 2019, he was awarded the Cultural Promotion Prize of his hometown Winterthur.