The RIAS Kammerchor enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the finest ensembles of its kind. As a concert choir, which remains closely associated with broadcasting through studio productions and concert transmissions, it has formed part of the Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre GmbH Berlin (roc berlin) since 1994.
Ever since it began its work under the direction of Herbert Froitzheim, the exploration of new and contemporary music has figured among the choir’s priorities. Distinguished composers such as Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schoenberg, Ernst Krenek, Hans Werner Henze and, later on, Pierre Boulez, Maurizio Kagel, Dieter Schnebel, Aribert Reimann and Arvo Pärt have written works for the RIAS Kammerchor or entrusted the choir with first performances of their compositions.
The RIAS Kammerchor, the only German radio choir that was never attached to a symphony orchestra, has derived its specific artistic profile from its independent status as a chamber ensemble.
Having become known beyond the confines of Berlin through numerous concert tours and radio recordings during the tenure of Günther Arndt, the Kammerchor went on, under Uwe Gronostay and (from 1986) Marcus Creed, to establish itself as a world-class ensemble which owes its reputation chiefly to the performance of a cappella works.
Marcus Creed’s association with the choir – as a pianist and guest conductor – dated back to the late 70s. He was working as a coach and later choral director for Berlin’s Deutsche Oper at the time. Concurrently, he appeared as a pianist, accompanist and conductor with various ensembles including the Berliner Scharoun Ensemble and the Gruppe Neue Musik as well as at festivals such as the Biennal Music Festival in Venice, Wien modern and the Edinburgh Festival.
His appointment as principal conductor in 1987 marked the beginning of a development in which the ensemble became firmly established as a concert choir in international musical life while continuing to record for radio stations and record companies. Displaying a clear artistic profile that is based on a cappella work and two further mainstays, authentic performance practice and exemplary readings of 20th-century works, the RIAS Kammerchor has offered a concert series of its own at Berlin’s Philharmonie ever since and presented its programmes in other German cities and abroad.
When undertaking projects in the field of authentic performance practice, the RIAS Kammerchor regularly works with leading specialist ensembles such as the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburger Barockorchester and Concerto Köln. Appearances at international festivals such as the Lucerne Music Festival and at baroque festivals such as the Handel Festivals in Halle and Göttingen, the Innsbrucker Festival für Alte Musik, the Bachwoche Ansbach or the French festivals in Ambronay and Saintes attest to the renown which the RIAS Kammerchor has won in this field as the only professional German ensemble in recent years.
Apart from performing under Marcus Creed, the choir has worked with many stars of the early music scene, notably Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Roger Norrington and John Eliot Gardiner. For many years there has been a close association with René Jacobs involving concerts, tours and opera productions, as reflected in many successful gramophone recordings. In addition, the choir is planning to cooperate regularly with Philippe Herreweghe, who first conducted the RIAS Kammerchor in 1996 when it performed Bach’s Passion according to St. John.
Dutch-born Daniel Reuss has been artistic director of the RIAS Kammerchor since 2003. He intends to enhance the choir’s specific artistic profile yet further. One of his objectives is to intensify cooperation with ensembles specializing in old and new music to raise standards in this area. further. The repertoire will be enlarged, but continue to be dominated by the choir’s mainstays: authentic performance practice, selected works of the 20th and 21st centuries and a cappella works of the Romantic period.
Quite a few of the choir’s numerous CD productions, especially those featuring a cappella works under Marcus Creed and released by harmonia mundi france, have won international awards including the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles Cros, the Edison Award and the Cannes Classical Award.
