The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) is one of the best-known music ensembles of Estonia. The choir was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, who was its artistic director and chief conductor for twenty years. In 2021 Kaljuste returned to this role, succeeding Paul Hillier (2001–07), Daniel Reuss (2008–13) and Kaspars Putniņš (2014–21). The EPCC’s repertoire extends from Gregorian chant and baroque to the music of the 21st century, with a special focus on the work of Estonian composers. Each season the choir gives about 60–70 concerts in Estonia and abroad. The EPCC has collaborated with a number of eminent conductors including Claudio Abbado, Eric Ericson, Neeme Järvi and Gustavo Dudamel, working with leading orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The choir is a welcome guest at prestigious festivals, including the BBC Proms, Aix-en-Provence and the Salzburg Festspiele. A large and acclaimed discography has received awards such as Grammy and Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, and in 2018 a previous release on BIS – with music by Schnittke and Pärt – won a Gramophone Award. In 2020 the EPCC was named one of the ten best choirs in the world by the BBC Music Magazine.

For more information on the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, please visit their homepage. [www.epcc.ee/en]

 

One of today’s most exciting choral conductors, Kaspars Putniņš has been artistic director and chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir since the 2020/21 season. He held the same position with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) from 2014 until 2021 and has been permanent conductor of the Latvian Radio Choir since 1994. He appears regularly as a guest conductor with leading international choirs. Whilst Kaspars Putniņš’ work encompasses a wide range of choral repertoire from Renaissance polyphony to works of the Romantic period, his foremost aim has always been to promote new and outstanding choral music. He has also initiated projects which involve the participation of his choirs in collaboration with visual and dramatic artists. A wide-ranging discography includes recordings for BIS of Pēteris Vasks’ Mate Saule and Rachmaninov’s Vespers. Kaspars Putniņš is the recipient of the Latvian Music Grand Prix and the Latvian Council of Ministers Award for Achievements in Culture and Science.