Every year, around 50 outstanding young choristers in the Bundesjugendchor (Federal Youth Choir) rehearse several challenging concert programmes featuring works ranging from the Renaissance to the present day. These are performed both across Germany and internationally. Artistic direction is in the hands of Anne Kohler, who is responsible for the choir’s distinctive sound. The work is complemented by guest conductors and collaborations with professional ensembles and artists. A central focus of the Bundesjugendchor is international artistic exchange, which facilitates encounters across cultural and national boundaries.

Since its inaugural concert in August 2021 at the Philharmonie Berlin, the Federal Youth Choir has collaborated with renowned partners, including the SWR Vokalensemble, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, the Polish National Youth Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.

Performances have taken the Bundesjugendchor to major festivals such as the Heidelberger Frühling, the Bachwoche Ansbach and the Lausitz Festival. Concerts have taken place both on small stages in rural areas and in renowned venues such as the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Berlin, St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig, the Beethovenhalle Bonn, the Narodowe Forum Muzyki in Wrocław, the Filharmonia Krakowska in Kraków and the Eric Ericson Hall in Stockholm. The Choir demonstrates a particular openness to cross-genre projects, such as those within the PAX – Chor in Bewegung programme, which incorporates choreographic elements, or in its performance of Uri Caine’s The Passion of Octavio Catto, a composition that shifts between classical, jazz, avant-garde and gospel.

The Bundesjugendchor is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ).