Orfeó Català is one of the country’s leading amateur choirs. Founded more than 125 years ago, in 1891, by Lluís Millet and Amadeu Vives, its purpose was to showcase the Catalan and international choral repertoires, and to ensure the excellence of its performances. Presently, Pablo Larraz is the main conductor, Montse Meneses is the second conductor, and Pau Casan is the pianist. Simon Halsey is still connected to the choir as principal guest conductor and ambassador of Palau de la Música’s choirs. Orfeó Català is based in Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It has performed the most representative choral works and first performances in our country of Bach’s Mass in B minor and Haydn’s The Seasons. It has been conducted by leading international conductors, such as R. Strauss, P. Casals, Z. Mehta, M. Rostropovich, L. Maazel, D. Barenboim, S. Rattle, G. Dudamel, and K. Petrenko, among others. It has performed at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Gulbenkian Hall in Lisbon, the Royal Festival Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall in London (BBC Proms). It has toured China, invited by the Shanghai International Art Festival; Italy with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, conducted by D. Gatti; Europe, in Paris with G. Dudamel and Luxembourg with G. Gimeno, and with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (April-May 2023), conducted by Kirill Petrenko, in Berlin (Berliner Philharmonie), Barcelona (Sagrada Familia), and Madrid (Teatro Real), with a program dedicated to W. A. Mozart.
Among the projects for this 2023-24 season at the Palau, highlights include the performance of Brahms’ A German Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2, “Lobgesang” with the Balthasar Neumann Chor & Orchester, conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock, in February. Subsequently, the Orfeó and the Hengelbrock ensembles took these works to Hamburg: Brahms’ work at the Laeiszhalle and Mendelssohn’s work at the Elbphilharmonie. Finally, notable is the concert by the Orfeó Català and the choirs of the Escola Coral featuring works by Ola Gjeilo, with the composer himself at the piano, and the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the National Orchestra of Lyon, conducted by Nikolaj Znaider, at the Auditoriums of Barcelona and Madrid.
The Orfeó Català is supported by mesoestetic®.
