Vokalakademie Berlin

On René Jacobs and Sarah Wilson’s initiative, the Innsbruck Festival Chorus was founded at the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik in 2006. In the following year, Frank Markowitsch was commissioned to develop the choir’s academy structure. The basic idea was simple: each section was to be coached by an experienced professional who would bring together the young male and female singers. The choir was able to engage the renowned mezzo soprano Regina Jakobi as its voice tutor. Another key element that would secure the ensemble’s quality was an extensive audition which took place over a number of days in Innsbruck and Berlin. The ensemble achieved its first great success on the opening night of the Festwochen in 2008, under the direction of Piers Maxim. René Jacobs decided to conduct the opening concert of the following year himself. Engagements outside the framework of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik saw the choir perform at the Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht in 2009, and at the Rheingau Musik Festival at Kloster Eberbach in 2010. In the autumn of the same year, the ensemble changed its name to Vokalakademie Berlin, and in January 2011 the singers and their conductor performed at the opening night of the newly-founded choir festival CHOR@BERLIN at the cultural centre Radialsystem V. Further information on the ensemble can be found at www.vokalakademie-berlin.de.