An ensemble of the German Music Council

National Youth Choir of Germany

Sing and inspire together.

Each year, around 50 talented young choral singers come together for intensive workshops to develop several ambitious concert programmes. These programmes feature works ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary pieces, which they perform at concerts across Germany and internationally. Anne Kohler leads the artistic direction, ensuring that the National Youth Choir of Germany delivers stylistically confident musical interpretations whilst focusing on ongoing vocal training to cultivate a cohesive and distinctive sound for the ensemble. The choir also benefits from the fresh perspectives brought by guest conductors and collaborations with other professional ensembles.

Since its inaugural concert at the Philharmonie Berlin in August 2021, the choir has collaborated with the SWR Vokalensemble under Yuval Weinberg, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin led by Robin Ticciati, and the Polish National Youth Choir (PNChM) led by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny and has performed at international music festivals. These include the Lausitz Festival, the Bachwoche Ansbach, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Bachfest Eutin-Plön, the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf, and the International Children’s and Youth Choir Festival in Hanover.

Concerts have taken the National Youth Choir of Germany to small stages in rural areas as well as to renowned venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig, St Peter’s Church in Mainz, Limburg Cathedral and Görlitz, the Narodowe Forum Muzyki (near Wrocław), and the Filharmonia Krakowska (near Kraków).
In autumn 2024, the National Youth Choir of Germany travelled to Sweden and performed there as part of a collaboration with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir under the direction of Cecilia Martin-Löf. With the new a cappella programme ‘Every voice counts! - Choral music for many voices’, the National Youth Choir of Germany will be demonstrating its great musical skills. With works such as ‘Spem in Alium’ by Thomas Tallis, in which the 40 individual voices are soloists, the young singers demonstrate that every voice counts when they combine to form the characteristic overall sound of the Federal Youth Choir.

To date, the German Music Council has commissioned five compositions specifically for the National Youth Choir of Germany. These works include pieces by Kathrin A. Denner, Jan Kopp, and Roxanna Panufnik, along with two compositions by Elisabeth Fußeder.

In April 2024, the choir released its debut CD, “Waldeslust”, under Anne Kohler’s direction, in collaboration with the publishing house Carus.

The National Youth Choir of Germany is a selective ensemble of the German Music Council, dedicated to promoting outstanding young choral talent. It is open to young singers aged between 18 and 26 whose main place of residence is in Germany or who are German citizens living abroad. A successful audition is required to join the National Youth Choir of Germany.

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) provides the basic funding for the National Youth Choir of Germany.

The German Music Council assigns advisory boards to its projects to help shape them and provide guidance on fundamental issues. These boards are appointed by the Executive Committee for a term of four years.

Press reviews

The sound of this choir is flawless. It is unrivalled because it combines the power, beauty, youth, and suppleness of the voices with a level of technical mastery typically seen only in seasoned professionals.

What a sound in Limburg Cathedral, what harmony! Each voice shines with solo quality, yet together they form arguably the finest choir currently heard in Germany: the National Youth Choir of Germany.