via-nova-chor München

In the artist's words:

The via-nova-chor Munich consists of around 45 singers. It is particularly committed to contemporary choral music, but without neglecting the musical tradition. It offers composers a forum for performing new choral works. The number of over 80 world premieres speaks for itself.

The choir was founded by Kurt Suttner in 1972 and was significantly shaped by him for 35 years. Florian Helgath was the choir's artistic director from 2008 to 2016. In April 2017, Kerstin Behnke was elected as his successor.

Various trips have taken the via-nova-chor abroad, most recently to Sweden (2024). It has won first prizes at national and international choir competitions, including the German Choir Competition 2018. In 2019, the via-nova choir took part as a finalist in the International Choir Competition of the European Broadcasting Union EBU "Let the peoples sing", which was held in Barcelona, Spain.

The repeated collaboration with Eric Ericson provided the ensemble with fundamental insights into the interpretation of contemporary choral works. The via-nova-chor works regularly with renowned guest conductors and renowned orchestras such as the Munich Radio Orchestra. In addition to numerous radio recordings, the choir has also made CD recordings.

Due to the expertise acquired over more than 50 years in the interpretation and promotion of contemporary choral music, the via-nova-chor Munich was awarded the Bavarian State Prize for Music 2023 in the category "Amateur Music Making".