Krista Audere appointed chief conductor of Swedish Radio Choir
The Latvian conductor and 2021 Eric Ericson Award winner will take artistic responsibility for the choir from the 2027/28 season.
Krista Audere has been appointed chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir, extending a relationship that has developed since her victory in the Eric Ericson Award in 2021.
Audere, who became the ensemble’s principal guest conductor ahead of the 2025/26 season, will assume overall artistic responsibility from autumn 2027. She succeeds Kaspars Putniņš, whose tenure ran from 2020 to 2026.
Her role will include leading several productions each season and helping shape the choir’s repertoire, commissions, international collaborations and tours. Her first appearance as chief conductor is scheduled for September 2027.
Audere said, ‘I am truly honoured to have been chosen for this opportunity of a lifetime.’
Helene Stureborg, the choir’s head of planning, said the appointment had been warmly welcomed and strongly supported by its singers. She praised Audere’s responsive leadership and respect for tradition, describing the role as both a major artistic challenge and an exceptionally rewarding one.
Based in the Netherlands, Audere has worked with ensembles including the BBC Singers, the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and Cappella Amsterdam. She has taught choral conducting at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague since 2024 and will also become artistic director and chief conductor of Cappella Amsterdam in 2028.
Her training began at the Riga Cathedral Choir School and continued at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, followed by studies in Stuttgart and Amsterdam. She graduated from the Amsterdam School of the Arts with a master’s degree cum laude in 2016. Her experience also includes singing with the Latvian Radio Choir and Cappella Amsterdam.
Founded in 1925, the Swedish Radio Choir has built an international reputation through broadcasting, recordings, touring and premieres. Its work with contemporary composers has helped develop new choral repertoire, while its former chief conductors include Eric Ericson, who led the ensemble from 1952 to 1982, and Peter Dijkstra, whose tenure ran from 2007 to 2018.