Berliner Cappella

Berliner Cappella is a German choir based in Berlin, founded in 1965 by Peter Schwarz, then a young cantor at the Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtnis-Kirche in Berlin's Tiergarten district. The name was reportedly conceived by Schwarz during a visit to the Greek island of Hydra. The choir was established with the aim of exploring the special sound that polyphonic music brings to the world, moving beyond the immediate confines of a church congregation. Initially focusing on sacred music, the repertoire soon expanded to include major choral works from Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johannes Brahms, and Anton Bruckner, as well as modern and contemporary compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Petr Eben, György Ligeti, Dieter Schnebel, Olivier Messiaen, Arnold Schönberg, Paul Hindemith, Benjamin Britten, Grete von Zieritz, and many others. The choir has performed not only in churches and major concert halls in Berlin but also abroad, touring in Italy, Turkey, the United States, and notably in Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War, where encounters with people on the other side of the Iron Curtain were described by Schwarz as a 'creative experience.' The ensemble remains active, with upcoming performances such as Ralph Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony' scheduled for December 6, 2026, at the Philharmonie Berlin, featuring soloists Lucy de Butts and Daniel Ochoa, and conductor Sergi Gili Solé, alongside the Konzertchor Friedenau, Akademischer Chor Bydgoszcz, and Filharmonia Pomorska. The choir is a registered association or similar entity, with no known parent company or commercial ownership. Its official website provides season overviews and historical information.

Berliner Cappella was founded in 1965 by Peter Schwarz, a young cantor at the Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtnis-Kirche in Berlin's Tiergarten district. Schwarz wanted to move beyond the close ties to a church congregation and create an independent choral ensemble. He recalled that the name came to him on the Greek island of Hydra, possibly inspired by the nine-headed water snake of Greek mythology, though he noted it was not a directive from the Protestant consistory that drove him to found the choir, but rather a burning curiosity to seek the special sound that polyphonic music brings to the world with a group of agile and diligent people. This led to a passionate journey through centuries of music, with communal music-making serving as a vessel for humanity, friendship, and love. Initially, sacred music remained the focus of the program, which also turned to modern experiments. Alongside major choral works by Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johannes Brahms, and Anton Bruckner, compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Petr Eben, György Ligeti, Dieter Schnebel, Olivier Messiaen, Arnold Schönberg, Paul Hindemith, Benjamin Britten, Grete von Zieritz, and many others were soon added. The choir performed not only in churches and major concert halls in Berlin but also abroad, touring in Italy, Turkey, the United States, and especially in Eastern Bloc countries. During the Cold War, encounters with people on the other side of the Iron Curtain became a 'creative experience,' as Peter Schwarz noted. The choir has continued to perform, with a notable upcoming concert on December 6, 2026, at the Philharmonie Berlin, featuring Ralph Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony,' a symphonic cantata for soprano, baritone, choir, and orchestra, with soloists Lucy de Butts and Daniel Ochoa, conducted by Sergi Gili Solé, and joined by the Konzertchor Friedenau, Akademischer Chor Bydgoszcz, and Filharmonia Pomorska.

• 2026

  Scheduled performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony' at Philharmonie Berlin on December 6.

• 1965

  Founded by Peter Schwarz in Berlin.

A Berlin-based choir with a broad repertoire spanning centuries, performing in major venues and internationally.

Product categories. Choral concerts · Live performances · Classical music repertoire

1. 1Saisonübersicht - Berliner Cappellaberliner-cappella.de
2. 2Geschichte - Berliner Cappellaberliner-cappella.de
3. 3Berliner Cappella - Wikidatawikidata.org