Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana
About this Artist
The chamber choir at the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Cor de Cambra, is one of the most prestigious professional choirs in Spain. The choir was founded by the Orfeó Català in 1990 in order to promote universal choral music, give new energy to Catalan musical heritage, and encourage new compositions; choir members are required to have high levels of vocal artistry. The choir has been conducted by Jordi Casas i Bayer, Josep Vila i Casañas and Simon Halsey. Xavier Puig is the current choir director, while Pau Casan is the choir pianist.
The Cor de Cambra has also been conducted by great maestros, such as R. Jacobs, M. Minkowski, K. Nagano, S. Rattle, D. Barenboim, C. Rousset, V. Jurowski, D. Gatti, S. Carrington, F. Biondi and G. Dudamel. Since 2010 the ensemble has been a member of the European Network for Professional Chamber Choirs (TENSO).
The Cor de Cambra has performed throughout Spain and further afield, including at the BBC Proms in London and the MÜPA Festival in Budapest. Notably, the choir performed in Los Angeles (USA) at the start of the choir’s international tour, giving a rendition of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio with the LA Phil, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel (2024). Also noteworthy are the choir’s own works, El cançoner popular contemporani (2022), commemorating the centenary of the Obra del Cançoner Popular de Catalunya, Un cant a la natura. Un crit a la terra (2023), Una Schubertíada (2024) and Canto la lluita... i l'amor, dedicated to the centenary of the poet Joan Salvat-Papasseit (2024). Further highlights from 2025 include the choir’s collaboration with Thomas Hengelbrock’s Balthasar Neumann Chor, with the programme Romanticisme coral i Escola de Montserrat, conducted by Xavier Puig, and the concert with cellist Nicolas Altstaed, performing Stabat Mater for choir and cello, conducted by Júlia Sesé, as well as the début of a work by Raquel García-Tomás.
The 2025-26 season will feature a tour with the Il Gardellino ensemble and conductor Chistroph Prégardien, taking J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio to stages in cities in Spain and further afield (Antwerp and Amsterdam), including a performance in the Palau in December 2025. The Cor de Cambra will also return to Los Angeles (USA), together with the Orfeó Català and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, with a concert featuring Beethoven's Missa solemnis in February 2026. Also worthy of note is the new production Judici a Gesualdo, to be sung on stage alongside pianist Marco Mezquida, featuring works by Carlo Gesualdo and Mezquida himself. The Cor de Cambra will also take on J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor, with the baroque orchestra Vespres d’Arnadí, participate in concert with compositions by contemporary Catalan choral composers, and give the début performance of a work by Gabriela Ortiz.