The Orfeón Pamplonés is one of the oldest choral ensembles in Spain, founded in 1865. It currently has 120 members, allowing performances of a wide variety of repertoire spanning all periods, from Classical through Romantic, to the 20th century. The group also performs regularly in opera and zarzuela, as well as in a capella music.

The Orfeón Pamplonés was the first vocal ensemble in Spain to allow the admission of women, with the creation of a female choir in 1903. Since then the chorus has been able to give the first performances in Spain of a large number of works, including Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Bach’s Mass in B minor. In 1928, Maurice Ravel conducted the Orfeón Pamplonés in performing his Trois Chansons.

The artistic achievements of the Orfeón Pamplonés have been repeatedly recognized with several awards. The repertoire of the Orfeón Pamplonés includes the most important symphonic and choral works, and the ensemble has collaborated with many leading Spanish and European orchestras, including the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Münchner Philharmoniker and the Berliner Symphoniker. In the last few years, the Orfeón has appeared at some of the most prestigious festivals in Spain (Quincena Musical Donostiarra, Santander, Peralada, Granada), France (Avignon, Orange, Montpellier) and Germany (Ruhr), among others. In September 2007, the Orfeón Pamplonés undertook its first tour Mexican tour, singing Verdi’s Requiem.

Igor Ijurra Fernández has been chief conductor since 2005.