SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart

Based in Stuttgart and affiliated with Südwestrundfunk, the SWR Vokalensemble continues the legacy of a radio choir founded in 1946 under the direction of Otto‑Werner Mueller during the era of American Radio Stuttgart, later undergoing several name changes linked to the development of German public broadcasting. Today the ensemble comprises around thirty permanent singers and works within the field of serious choral music, performing repertoire that ranges from a cappella pieces to works with orchestra, and from classical modernity to contemporary creations. From its earliest days the ensemble covered sacred music, arrangements of folk songs, opera, operetta and productions for radio. The SWR Vokalensemble maintains a long-standing relationship with the Donaueschinger Musiktage, where it has taken part in premieres since 1947, and regularly collaborates with the SWR Symphonieorchester as well as with guest conductors from the European scene. Its musical directors have included Hermann Josef Dahmen, Marinus Voorberg, Klaus Martin Ziegler, Rupert Huber and Marcus Creed, until Yuval Weinberg took over in 2020. In both concert and studio productions the ensemble prioritizes precise vocal writing, rigorous work on polyphony and a sustained focus on repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries.