Collegium Vocale Gent

Collegium Vocale Gent, founded in 1970 by Philippe Herreweghe, revolutionized baroque vocal music by embracing new performance practices. Their emphasis on authenticity and textual clarity propelled them to international acclaim, gracing stages from Europe to Asia. Since 2017, the ensemble has hosted its own summer festival, Collegium Vocale Crete Senesi, in the picturesque setting of Tuscany, Italy.

With a diverse repertoire spanning centuries, Collegium Vocale Gent has evolved into a versatile ensemble, tailoring its forces to suit each project. From intimate renditions of Renaissance music to grand symphonic performances of Romantic and contemporary works, the ensemble’s adaptability knows no bounds. Their mastery of German Baroque, particularly J.S. Bach’s vocal compositions, remains unparalleled.

Collaborating with leading historical and symphony orchestras, Collegium Vocale Gent has established itself as a dynamic force in the classical music world. Under Herreweghe’s guidance, the ensemble has amassed a prolific discography, showcasing their artistry and innovation. Supported by the Flemish Community, the city of Ghent, and Belgium’s National Lottery, Collegium Vocale Gent continues to inspire audiences worldwide with its timeless interpretations and unwavering commitment to musical excellence.

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PRESS

“Those marvellous voices.”

Tagesspiegel Berlin, 28 September 2024

“Rarely has virtuoso colouratura been heard with such naturalness and expressiveness as with the Collegium vocale from Ghent.”

Tagesspiegel Berlin, 16 September 2022

„There are ensembles and conductors who are indispensable to the performance history of a composer. In the case of the Collegium Vocale Gent conceived by Philippe Herreweghe, this is Johann Sebastian Bach, who has been elevated to the musical shield in a very small ensemble.“

bachtrack, 08 April 2022

SELECTION OF PROJECTS 2027/28

29 October – 7 November 2027
with Philippe Herreweghe, conductor // Orchestra of the 18th Century // Regula Mühlemann, soprano // Anna Lucia Richter, mezzo // Benjamin Hulett, tenor // Johannes Kammler, bass

L. v. Beethoven: Missa Solemnis

December 2027
with Benjamin Bayl, conductor // Finnish Baroque Orchestra // Carolyn Sampson, soprano //
Helen Charlston, mezzo soprano // Guy Cuttingh, tenor // Florian Störtz, bass

G. F. Handel: The Messiah

Finnish Baroque Orchestra (Credits: Juuso Westerlund)
Benjamin Bayl (Credits: Bart Barczyk)
Carolyn Sampson (Credits: Marco Borggreve)
Collegium Vocale Gent (Credits: Eric de Mildt)

DOWNLOADS

Going East

Sarah Willis has been celebrating great success in Europe with her “Mozart y Mambo” project for several years – both in concert halls and with the three recordings that are now available. In May, “Mozart y Mambo” will be making its debut in the Far East, with the aim of sweeping audiences in Taiwan’s major concert halls off their feet with South American rhythms!

He (Mozart) would certainly have liked this lively approach!“ (Tagesspiegel Berlin, 12 Aug. 2023)

1 May 2024, National Taichung Theatre / 4 May 2024, Tainan Cultural Center / 5 May 2024, National Concerthall, Taipei
MOZART Y MAMBO
Sarah Willis, horn & musical direction Works by R.. Egües, W. A. Mozart, J. Davis, J. Peña, J. Fernández, S. Siaba a.o. Arrangements by J. Aragon

Shaping the future

Classical:Next is considered one of the most important gatherings of the international classical music world. This year, it is taking place in Berlin for the first time, and there have also been changes behind the scenes: Andreas Richter joined the organising GmbH as a partner at the beginning of the year and is responsible for the conference part of the event together with the ARCC team. Karsten Witt and Nikolaus Rexroth, both from Karsten Witt Musik Management, and Clemens Seemann are also new to the team. Fabienne Krause is Managing Director.

The conference programme offers a wide variety of inspiring topics: new concert formats and audience development, digitality and AI, change management and sustainability and many more. Showcases present a broad spectrum of high-calibre artists and productions from all genres, from early to contemporary, traditional to experimental.

Press conference
Thursday, 25 April 2024
10.30 a.m. start (admission from 10.00 a.m.)
Colosseum Berlin, Schönhauser Allee 123, 10437 Berlin

On the podium
Joe Chialo, Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion
Fabienne Krause, Managing Director Classical:NEXT
Ole Bækhøj, Artistic Director Pierre Boulez Saal
Katja Frei, member of the Classical:NEXT Jury

13 – 17 May 2024, Colosseum / Pierre Boulez Saal / Holzmarkt 25 Classical:NEXT – The Global Gathering For All Art Music Professionals Conference Sessions, Showcases, Meet Ups, Presentations, Exhibition, Mentoring and more

Our Next concerts

“ “A May day is a categorical imperative of joy”, as the poet Friedrich Hebbel once said. For us, the joy begins already in April with a concert tour to Athens, and by no means ends at the end of May at Esterházy Palace. The programmes and projects of the coming weeks point to the future in many respects, play with genre boundaries and accompany the next generation of young musicians from all over the world:

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe doesn’t just have Europe in its name
Debut in the Far East: Sarah Willis’ Mozart y Mambo
Fab’ Four: Kronos Quartet
Tomorrow’s pianists: Building Bridges
Baroque and more: B’Rock Orchestra & Avi Avital
Classical:NEXT is getting closer!

IAMA 2024

We look forward to meeting you next week at IAMA 2024 in the Concertgebouw Bruges! Julia Larigo and Michael Sauter will be on site from Monday to Wednesday and will be happy to present the new programmes of our orchestras and ensembles as well as our Special Projects.

We are also delighted to present new ensembles in our portfolio: the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, the Scharoun Ensemble and Stanley Dodds‘ musical multimedia project: The Once and Future!

29 April – 1 Mai 2024, Concertgebouw Bruges / Brugge 33rd IAMA Conference

Far East

Our next concerts

  • a Carmen premiere with B’Rock Orchestra
  • a Milanese string quartet expedition with Europa Galante
  • a courtly firework display of sound with Finnish Baroque Orchestra
  • one St Matthew Passion in Korea with Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
  • and another one at the Philharmonie Essen with Vox Luminis
  • well-tempered consort music with Phantasm Viol Consort
  • an all-Beethoven programme with Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century
  • what we have to do with Classical:NEXT?

    … We look forward to the coming weeks!

Our next concerts

Original sound from the Renaissance to the present day – we are looking forward to a musical excursion into the world of Romanticism with Compagnia di Punto and Ian Bostridge, to a special Easter setting in the Hungarian Archabbey of Pannonhalma with Belgian choir Vox Luminis, to another get-together of Il Giardino Armonico and Avi Avital, to excursions into emotional depths with Europa Galante and Phantasm Viol Consort, to the Babylon ORCHESTRA and a new version of their programme ECHOES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, and a special concert programme by Ensemble Polyharmonique on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024!

Heine meets Büchner

Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie is celebrating one of the most important German artists of the 19th century, poet Heinrich Heine – without any anniversary, without a (half or quarter) round birthday. Ian Bostridge, Compagnia di Punto and the actress Marina Galic juxtapose some of Robert Schumann’s settings of Heine with Büchner’s epochal work Woyzeck, which remains a fragment, and thus open up a broader perspective on the art of the early 19th century.

Founded in 2010, Compagnia di Punto is an ensemble of historical performance practice that plays music from the Baroque to the early Romantic period, in fluid transitions from chamber ensemble to orchestral formation. Accordingly, the ensemble performs this programme on instruments from the early 19th century.

9 February 2024, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
HEINRICH HEINE MEETS GEORG BÜCHNER
R. Schumann: Songs
G. Büchner: Excerpts from Woyzeck
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Marina Galic, actress / Christian Binde, leader / Matthias Schlothfeldt, concept & composition