Where is the future of professional choirs?

It seems to be more and more difficult to maintain or establish a professional choir or ensemble. What are the values and importance of professional choirs in the future? We will look at different models and structures of European professional choirs, aiming to tackle the question ‘how do we stay relevant?’, considering fundraising, audience development, talent nurturing and sustainability both of the profession and the environment.  How will they maintain themselves and stay an inspiring example for many other amateur choirs?

Panel members

Neil Wallace - moderator

Neil Wallace is Scottish and is the artistic director of Haarlem’s The Big Sing. Before moving to the Netherlands, he was CEO of Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre and deputy director of Glasgow 1990, the city’s Cultural Capital of Europe programme. Wallace opened and programmed Cardiff’s ground-breaking Tramway venue. He created Offshore Cultural Projects, before being appointed director of the municipal concert hall and theatre in Haarlem. In 2007, Wallace co-designed a Masters Degree in music programming for the ArtEZ Conservatory, holding the post of Associate Professor until 2013. He is married to the Dutch-American composer Vanessa Lann and has just co-founded Pilgrim Harbour, a new festival in Delfshaven, Rotterdam to mark the 400th anniversary of the departure of the Founding Fathers to America in 1620.

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Tido Visser

Tido is a son of an opera singer and a harpsichordist. Since 2013, Tido has been managing director of one of the finest chamber choirs in the world, the Nederlands Kamerkoor (the Netherlands Chamber Choir).
Tido believes true artists need to relate to the world they are living in. Likewise, he believes in organizations that are grounded in society. Tido believes it is possible to combine the highest standard of performance with innovation, and I believe it’s essential to emphasize the urgency of art.

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Majella Hollywood

Majella Hollywood (Ireland) is CEO of Chamber Choir Ireland, and has been for the past decade.

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Gordon Cruden

Gordon Cruden is a music manager and is one of the main forces behind the management of ZO! Gospel Choir. He has a broad network in the music industry and works for different, international artists.

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Jenni Reineke

German mezzo soprano, educator and leadership coach Jenni Reineke fulfilled her voice studies at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, with Gerhild Romberger and Manuel Lange. Aiming to connect the perspectives of singers and the conductor, Jenni sees situations from both sides.

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Bernhard Heß

Bernhard Heß (Germany) studied Music and Education at the conservatories of Mainz and Berlin, and is the managing director of the RIAS Kammerchor, one of the founding members of the Tenso network for professional choirs in Europe.