The Monteverdi Choir, founded in 1964, is famous for its passionate, committed and virtuosic singing. Over the past 49 years it has been consistently acclaimed as one of the best choirs in the world, noted for its ability to switch composer, language and idiom with complete stylistic conviction. The Choir is also a fertile training ground for future generations of choral and solo singers: choir members often step out to sing solo parts and many former choristers have gone on to spectacular solo careers. Since 2007, the Monteverdi Apprentice Scheme has added an exciting new dimension to its profile.

The Choir has undertaken a number of trail-blazing tours. The most ambitious was the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 during which they performed all 198 of J S Bach’s sacred cantatas in more than 60 churches throughout Europe, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. The entire tour was recorded and released by the company’s record label, Soli Deo Gloria. The Choir has more than a hundred recordings to its name and has won numerous prizes. It regularly participates in staged opera productions, and is currently involved in a five-year residency at the Opéra Comique in Paris, through which they appeared in Der Freischütz (Weber), L’Etoile (Chabrier) and Carmen (Bizet).

In 2012/13, the Choir took part in a variety of projects across varied repertoires—from a cappella English renaissance music, to a tour of Beethoven Missa Solemnis along with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. It was involved in collaborations with the Orchestre National de France and Chœur de Radio France, and with the Berlin-based Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in Schumann’s Manfred, all under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Other touring engagements have included various Bach programmes (St John Passion, the B Minor mass, Easter and Ascension Oratorios and more) in Lucerne, Barcelona, Cologne, Paris, Aldeburgh, Braunschweig and Versailles; a performance of the Handel / Mozart oratorio Alexander’s Feast at the Salzburg Summer Festival, and Bach Oratorios at the BBC Proms.