Eric Ericson Choir

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Eric Ericson Choir is a professional mixed choir founded in Stockholm in 1964 by conductor Eric Ericson. The choir became a central force in Scandinavian choral tradition, collaborating with ensembles and institutions such as Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm Concert Hall, Swedish Radio Choir, Stockholm University, and composers including Ola Karlsson and Ingvar Lidholm. Its influence extends through performances, recordings, broadcasts, and pedagogical work with figures like Gustav Leonhardt, Arvo Pärt, Benjamin Britten, Helmut Lachenmann, and György Ligeti.

History

The choir was established amid a burgeoning choral movement in Sweden that included groups like Orphei Drängar and Eric Berglund's initiatives, and it quickly engaged with institutions such as Svenska Kören and Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien. Under Ericson the ensemble premiered works by Ola Gjeilo, Bo Holten, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Iannis Xenakis, and collaborated with conductors Neeme Järvi, Herbert Blomstedt, Leif Segerstam, Jesper Nordin, and Semyon Bychkov. The choir participated in festivals including the BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, Edinburgh Festival, and Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and maintained partnerships with broadcasters Sveriges Radio, BBC Radio 3, and Radio France. Successive artistic leaders continued Ericson’s ethos, connecting the ensemble to institutions such as Royal College of Music, Stockholm, Swedish National Opera, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and contemporary workshops with Stockholm Early Music Festival.

The ensemble’s repertoire spans renaissance works by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Orlando di Lasso, and Palestrina to baroque composers Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi; classical and romantic repertoire including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, and Antonín Dvořák; and extensive contemporary output by Arvo Pärt, Ola Gjeilo, Eric Whitacre, Jakob Boehme, Krzysztof Penderecki, Arne Mellnäs, Sven-David Sandström, and Toru Takemitsu. The choir has been directed in projects with conductors Gustav Sjöholm, Tomas Tranströmer, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and guest directors from ensembles like Monteverdi Choir and Les Arts Florissants, achieving interpretations that reference schools associated with Swedish Radio Choir, Chorus of Royal Swedish Opera, and European consorts such as Collegium Vocale Gent.

Members are drawn from conservatoires such as Royal College of Music, Stockholm, Stockholm Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and universities including Uppsala University and Lund University. Auditions have been conducted in collaboration with pedagogues from Eric Ericson International Choral Centre, Choral Arts Society, and visiting professors from Royal Academy of Music (London), Conservatoire de Paris, and Sibelius Academy. Singers frequently overlap with memberships in Swedish Radio Choir, Stockholm Chamber Choir, Berliner Singakademie, Moscow State Choir, and ensembles such as Philomel Ensemble and Domradio Köln Choir. The choir’s structure supports freelance professionals, section principals, and alumni networks connected to institutions like Stockholm Opera Chorus and Nordic Vocal Ensemble.

The choir’s discography includes recordings on labels associated with Deutsche Grammophon, BIS Records, Naxos, Hyperion Records, Sony Classical, and ECM Records, featuring works by Bach, Pärt, Britten, Ligeti, Sibelius, and Edvard Grieg. Broadcasts have been produced by Sveriges Radio, BBC Radio 3, Radio France, NDR Kultur, WDR, and Rai Radio, and the choir contributed to filmed collaborations with orchestras including Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Stockholm Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and directors like Ingmar Bergman on filmed performances. Projects include live recordings at venues such as Stockholm Concert Hall, Konserthuset Stockholm, La Scala, Philharmonie de Paris, and Carnegie Hall.

The choir has received accolades from institutions including Grammy Awards consideration, Polar Music Prize associations, national honors from Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and awards from organizations such as International Choral Kathaumixw, European Broadcasting Union, and Nordic Council Music Prize. It has been cited in retrospectives by BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Le Monde for contributions to choral interpretation and contemporary commissioning.

Category:Choirs