The Zürich Opera Chorus, with its 60 permanent members and the participation of up to 160 performances per season, forms an essential cornerstone of the artistic ensemble at the Zurich Opera House. Under the umbrella of the most traditional Swiss opera house, it unites singers on the highest professional level, whose musical and stylistic versatility is combined with the power of acting and spontaneity. On a regular basis, the members also prove their artistic format as soloists. The choir reflects the claim and the radiance of the Zurich Opera in its international composition, which have been proven by numerous DVD recordings and were awarded the «Opera Company of the Year» in 2014.
The choir members gained important musical impulses by working with conductors such as Nello Santi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Franz Welser-Möst, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, Daniele Gatti, Zubin Mehta and Fabio Luisi. They developed their actorial skills in dialogue with directors such as David Pountney, Robert Wilson, Harry Kupfer, Peter Stein, Peter Konwitschny and Andreas Homoki. Guest performances took the choir to Tokyo (The Rosenkavalier and La traviata), London (The Meistersinger of Nuremberg, Tannhauser, The Flying Dutchman), Paris (La cenerentola, Fierrabras), Athens (Carmen, Idomeneo) or Rome Papstmesse to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Swiss Guard of Mozart's Coronation Fair. The choir of the Zurich Opera House was awarded the "International Chamber Vocalists" in the 2014 with an echo prize-winning new recording by Vincenzo Bellini's Norma.
Choir Direktor Janko Kastelic
Choir Direktor Ernst Raffelsberger
Choral Disponent Tatjana Kukawka