Monteverdi Choir

For over 60 years the Monteverdi Choir has been recognised as one of the greatest and most influential choirs in the world. Through a combination of consummate technique and historically informed performance practice, the choir constantly strives to bring fresh perspectives, immediacy and drama to its performances, reflecting the passionate humanism of its namesake, the composer Claudio Monteverdi, whose music the group has brought to worldwide attention.

The recipient of numerous awards, the Monteverdi Choir was named ‘Best Choir’ at the 2024 Oper! Awards, with the jury noting that: ‘At festivals, on concert tours and in their numerous recordings, this is an ensemble whose quality will always leave the listener speechless.’

The music of J.S. Bach is central to the choir’s repertoire, and in 2026 the choir has toured the St John Passion with Peter Whelan, and Mass in B minor with Laurence Equilbey. Masaaki Suzuki made his debut in 2025 with Bach’s cantatas from the year 1725, and will return to conduct a major US tour of the St Matthew Passion in February 2027 culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall.

The choir is renowned for its concert stagings of operas. In 2026 these have included Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas conducted by Jonathan Sells in a staging beneath Cutty Sark in Greenwich, and Weber’s Oberon at the BBC Proms conducted by Sir Mark Elder. In 2027 they will perform Beethoven’s Fidelio in a European tour conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. A longstanding project exploring concert stagings of Handel oratorios will continue with Christophe Rousset conducting Theodora on a tour of South America and Europe in November 2026. In 2025 the choir opened the Edinburgh International Festival with a staged performance of John Tavener’s The Veil of the Temple, conducted by Sofi Jeannin.

With over 150 recordings to its name, the choir continues to build its international recording legacy. In June 2026, the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras announced a new long-term partnership with the French record label harmonia mundi, launching with three recordings that showcase the ensemble’s ongoing artistic collaborations with leading conductors. In September 2025, the choir released an album of Charpentier: Baroque Christmas on its own record label, Soli Deo Gloria. The album was recently selected as the benchmark recording of Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noël by France Musique.

Founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the choir performed at the Coronation of HM The King in 2023, with the Telegraph proclaiming ‘if the Monteverdi Choir isn’t singing when I get to the gates of Heaven, I want my money back.’

“The Monteverdi Choir has dominated the choral scene worldwide for more than 50 years.”

The Guardian

“They are truly one of the finest choirs of their time.”

Bachtrack

We regularly hold auditions for the Monteverdi Choir. If you would like to be considered for the next round of auditions, please email a CV and any relevant recordings to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Monteverdi Choir Audition’.