Cantus Domus

Cantus Domus opens up the traditional concert set-up towards vivid stagings and ground-breaking cooperations, presenting its audience new approaches to choir music. While being a classical choir, Cantus Domus frequently seeks out ways off the beaten track of performance routine, by performing in unusual locations (J. S. Bach: “Mass in B minor”, Kraftwerk Berlin, 2015) or by involving the audience (J. S. Bach: “Matthäuspassion”, Kammermusiksaal der Berliner Philharmonie, 2018). Trademark of the choir are their „ConceptConcerts“. Initiated in 2008 by Paul Liebrecht and refined ever since, these concerts regularly present elaborate choreographies and ambitious musical performances in intriguing locations (e.g. the German premiere of J. Wolfe: “Anthracite Fields”, 2018, A. Honegger: “Le Roi David” at Vollgutlager, Alte Kindl Brauerei in cooperation with choreographer Christoph Winkler, 2017, “SYNTHESIS for choir, synthesizer and DJ” at Kindl-Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst und Kultur, 2015 or “SINGINGPOOL” at Stadtbad Steglitz). Cantus Domus was founded in 1996 by Lena Schönfelder and has since been directed by Ralf Sochaczewsky. The choir transcends genre boundaries, has a wide variety of artistic expression and its performances develop a force that can be overwhelming. In the last two years alone, Cantus Domus – in groups of varying size and composition – performed in five different countries, cooperated with 30 orchestras, choirs or bands in over 40 performances and staged the brilliantly reviewed premiere of an opera for choir they had commissioned (F. Schwemmer: “Macbeth”, 2016, stage direction: C. Rindfleisch, Libretto U. Küchler und J. Fraune). Inspiring international encounters recently took place with Bang on a Can All Stars and Wood River from New York, Vox Humana from Oslo, and with the Georgian choirs Shavnabada and Tutarchela. Cantus Domus has worked with the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Antonello Manacorda (2018), the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi (2018), Konzerthausorchester Berlin (2013), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Jonathan Nott (2012) as well as with Rundfunkchor Berlin and Simon Halsey (2007). In addition different chamber ensembles of Cantus Domus do side projects that often cross the boundaries between classical and indie/pop music, such as performances at festivals like PEOPLE or Haldern Pop, or cooperations with Bon Iver, Charlotte Greve, Damien Rice, Helga Davis, Kjartan Sveinsson, Kurt Wagner, Lisa Hannigan, Loney Dear, Mads Brauer, Shara Nova, stargaze, The Slow Show and Tocotronic. Cantus Domus is a member of the Chorverband Berlin and is funded by the Berlin Senat Department for Culture and Europe. The choir has been awarded the first prize at the choir competition of the Landesmusikrat Berlin as well as the third prize at the eighth German choir competition of the Deutscher Musikrat 2010.

As of February 2019.