Participants Universitas Cantat 2026

“Vocantare” Chamber Choir, Berlin, GERMANY
Conductor: prof. Tobias Walenciak

“Vocantare” Chamber Choir, Berlin

 https://vocantare.de/

The “Vocantare” Chamber Choir was founded in 2016 and has been under the direction of Tobias Walenciak since 2019. During this time, the choir, which emerged from the Hellersdorf Youth Choir, has developed into a recognisable voice in Berlin's choral landscape.

“Vocantare” is composed of young and ambitious singers with many years of choir experience. During the weekly rehearsals, the choir works on challenging a cappella literature, but also opens itself up to choral symphonic works. Thanks to the high level of vocal training and continuous work with voice coaches, the ensemble impresses with its distinctive sound and interpretative quality.

The repertoire covers a wide range of chamber choir music from the Renaissance to contemporary composers. The choir has recently premiered works in collaboration with Charlotte Seither and Frank Schwemmer.

The ensemble can look back on a diverse concert practice, ranging from concert tours in Finland and Utrecht (Netherlands) in 2019 to winning a gold medal at the International Choir Competition ‘Sing Berlin’ in 2018, as well as collaborative projects such as the Sunday Concert Series of the Berlin Choir Association. In February 2022, the ensemble performed the Mozart Requiem as the studio choir of the graduating class of the International Conducting Academy Berlin at the University of the Arts.

SINGERS

prof. Tobias Walenciak

Tobias Walenciak is the artistic director of the “Vocantare” and “Bancanta” Choirs in Berlin and a visiting professor at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin, where he heads the choral conducting programme. He has been greatly influenced in his work by the TENSO scholarship and his close collaboration with Simon Halsey.
He is actively involved in Berlin’s choral life as a lecturer in choral conducting courses and as a jury member. Concert tours and projects have taken him to Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, and China. Tobias Walenciak has worked with, among others, the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berlin State Opera, and the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera. He has collaborated with Alexandra Filonenko, Charlotte Seither, Frank Schwemmer, David Lang, and Jonathan Dove on world premieres of their works. His work also connects him with the “Vocalconsort Berlin”, the “Lautten Compagney”, and the “Prometheus Ensemble”.

   Kammerchor Vocantare, NIEMCY