The Ensemble

A perfect blend of sound, precision, lightness, emotionality, and humoresque elements—these are the hallmarks of Calmus Ensemble, one of Germany's most successful vocal groups. The wide range of tonal colors, the passionate joy the singers convey on stage, their sound culture and their varied and imaginative programs never fail to inspire. With 50 to 60 concerts a year, Calmus is always a welcome guest throughout Europe and up to three times a year in the USA.

The ensemble's repertoire is almost unlimited: Influenced by the tradition of the old masters of Leipzig, the singers are at home in the vocal music of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic

periods, but they are also interested in music of our own time. Over the years, they have commissioned and premiered numerous compositions, including works by Paul Moravec, Mathew Rosenblum, Bernd Franke, Steffen Schleiermacher, Wolfram Buchenberg, Bill Dobbins, Mia Makaroff, Dan Dediu and Harald Banter. They also enjoy singing and arranging pop, folk and jazz, as they published numerous sheet music publications.

Partnerships with colleagues such as MDR Sinfonieorchester (Weill's "The Seven Deadly Sins"), the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, the Hamburg Ratsmusik, the hr-Bigband, the Capella de la Torre or amarcord ("Leipziger Disputation") further enrich Calmus' repertoire, and the ensemble has already collaborated on two projects with the lautten compagney BERLIN ("BachArkaden" / "Mitten im Leben"). So far, the quintet has released more than 20 CDs and won several international prizes and competitions—most recently the OPUS KLASSIK 2019 for "Best Choral Recording".

Part of their work is devoted to encouraging the up-and-coming generation, so workshops, masterclasses and jury activities are part of their regular schedule, both at home in Leipzig and on their travels, e.g. as artists in residence at STIMMEN Festival Lörrach, Bachwoche Stuttgart and also frequently in the USA.