Nordklang – Hamburg Chamber Choir Festival

Hamburg's Own Choral Tradition

Hamburg has been a city of choirs for centuries — from the main church choirs of the Reformation era and the NDR choirs to today's vibrant amateur choral scene. The Nordklang Festival has been consolidating this tradition since 2022 in a three-day festival that focuses on chamber choir practice — that is, choir ensembles of up to about 24 voices, working transparently and with a soloistic vocal approach.

Three Venues, Three Acoustics

The festival is spread across three very different venues:

• Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal — Hamburg's most traditional concert hall on Johannes-Brahms-Platz; opening concert
• St. Pauli Church — sacred acoustics in Hamburg's St. Pauli district
• Hauptkirche St. Jacobi — one of Hamburg's five main churches, Gothic, with the famous Arp Schnitger organ

The interplay between a grand concert hall and church acoustics shapes the festival experience: the same works sound different in the Laeiszhalle and St. Jacobi Church, which is equally appealing to choristers and audiences alike.

International Headliners and 30+ Hamburg Choirs

Programmatically, the festival combines internationally renowned professional ensembles with the local choral scene:

• The NDR Vokalensemble as Hamburg's professional vocal collective
• The Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig, one of Germany's most distinguished vocal quintets
• Over 30 other Hamburg choirs, ranging from university choirs and cantor choirs to independent chamber choirs

Workshops and Masterclass

Accompanying the festival are workshops for singers and choirmasters, as well as a masterclass for young choral conductors — a deliberate connection between festival and education. The Feminale, a platform for women at the podium, is part of the program.

Organizers and Funding

The festival is supported by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media, the Nordkirche, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT). This institutional anchoring ensures a level of quality assurance rarely found in the amateur choral scene.