‘HXOS Chor Berlin

Origin and musical orientation

The 'HXOS Choir Berlin is a mixed chamber choir that was founded in April 2011 by its musical director Stelios Chatziktoris. 'HXOS (pronounced "Ichos") is Greek and means sound. Since its foundation, the choir has rehearsed and performed classical and contemporary music at a high level. The choir is made up of around 25-30 amateur singers who are enthusiastic about music and want to realize projects with great ambition. The repertoire of the 'HXOS Choir ranges from early music to contemporary works from all over the world.

An integral part of the Berlin choral scene

Over the course of its existence, the 'HXOS Choir has grown musically under its artistic direction and has become a permanent fixture in Berlin's lively choral scene: The 'HXOS Choir gives regular a cappella concerts in Berlin churches, performs at festivals such as the "Fête de la Musique", takes part in the CVB's Sunday concert series in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie and gives concerts together with other ensembles. Examples include Fauré's Requiem, which the choir performed in 2015 together with the Friedrichstadt Chamber Choir and the saxophone quartet Clair Obscur in a staged and directed performance at Funkhaus Nalepastraße, the peace concert "Friede auf Erden: The Armed Man - a Mass for Peace" by Karl Jenkins with the chamber choir Vocantare Berlin and the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Berlin and in spring 2023 the project "Light and Sound" with the pop choir HOME from Hamburg, sponsored by the Ilse and Dr. Horst Rusch Foundation.

International performances and competition successes

The first choir trip of the 'HXOS Choir to Cyprus in 2014 with concerts in Limassol and Paphos also made the choir known beyond the country's borders and in the home country of its conductor Stelios Chatziktoris. In May 2016, the 'HXOS Choir won 1st place in the "Early Music" category and 3rd place in the "Romantic/Sacred Music" category at its first competition at the German Choral Festival in Stuttgart. In the international choir competition at the renowned Harmoniefestival 2017, the 'HXOS Choir won gold in front of an international jury and also received an award for its outstanding interpretation of the compulsory piece ("Gloria" by Alwin Michael Schronen). In addition, Stelios Chatziktoris was honored for his outstanding conducting performance. In October/November 2018, the 'HXOS Choir performed "Ein Deutsches Requiem" by Johannes Brahms in Nicossia and Limassol on Cyprus together with the Cypriot choir Polyfonia for the "Month of the German Language".

Activities during the coronavirus pandemic

During the corona pandemic, the choir remained active under difficult conditions: during a challenging phase of online rehearsals from spring 2019, the 'HXOS Choir sang in November 2020 under appropriate hygiene measures for the St. Andrew's Festival in the church of the Greek Orthodox parish in Berlin Steglitz. Parish in Berlin Steglitz in a live stream. This was followed in 2021 by another live-streamed performance for the St. Andrew's Festival in the Catholic parish "Maria unterm Kreuz" and the choir's traditional Advent concert in the Museum Nikolaikirche Berlin.

New successes and projects after the pandemic

In June 2022, the 'HXOS Choir was able to assert itself at the Chorfest in Leipzig after the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and took second place in contemporary music. In 2023, the choir took over the musical arrangement of the radio service live on Rbb from the Luisenkirche Berlin Charlottenburg. Since 2024, the choir has received commissions from the Cypriot Embassy and Bread for the World, among others. Here, the 'HXOS Choir was celebrated by the audience with standing ovations.