PRESS RELEASE, AUGUST 27, 2026
Justin Doyle appointed new Chief Conductor of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
Internationally acclaimed British conductor Justin Doyle has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir from the 2026/2027 season. Doyle has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin since 2017 and has enjoyed a long international career as a choral and opera conductor. The appointment marks a new artistic chapter for one of Sweden’s most internationally renowned professional ensembles.
Since the 2017/2018 season, Justin Doyle has served as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin, one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles. His contract has recently been extended until 2030. He has extensive experience working with professional choirs and ensembles across Europe, with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance polyphony and Baroque vocal music to contemporary works.
The foundation for his collaboration with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir was laid in March 2025, when he conducted the choir in the concert programme Sung Poetry, featuring works by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schubert and Elisabeth Fußeder, among others. The artistic encounter inspired a shared desire to continue working together.
“From our very first production together, it was clear that Justin Doyle has an outstanding ability to shape the music together with the singers. He inspires, listens and creates a vibrant musical dialogue. We are immensely proud that one of today’s foremost choral conductors wants to lead the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir into its next artistic chapter,” says Olof Akre, Chairman of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.
As Chief Conductor, Justin Doyle will lead the choir’s major a cappella productions over the coming years. The collaboration will combine the choir’s artistic tradition with a curiosity for new forms of expression.
“I am tremendously happy and honoured to have been entrusted with leading this outstanding ensemble. There is a special warmth in its strong individual voices and an unusual sensitivity to the collective expression. There is also a spirit of artistic freedom and curiosity, and I look forward to carrying this exceptional tradition forward while exploring new repertoire together with the choir,” says Justin Doyle, incoming Chief Conductor of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir.
First concerts in October 2026
In October, Justin Doyle will lead his first production as Chief Conductor of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir. Inspired by the poetry of Tomas Tranströmer, the programme brings together music from the Renaissance with works by Ildebrando Pizzetti, Sven-David Sandström and John Tavener, among others.
The concerts will take place on 15 October 2026 at 7.00 pm at De Geerhallen in Norrköping; 17 October 2026 at 3.00 pm in the Main Hall of Konserthuset Stockholm; and 18 October 2026 at 4.00 pm at Gävle Concert Hall.
The collaboration continues on 13 February 2027 with the a cappella programme Mother and Child in Grünewald Hall at Konserthuset Stockholm, featuring works by Djuro Zivkovic, Ingvar Lidholm, Veljo Tormis, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Judith Weir and Benjamin Britten, among others.
About Justin Doyle
Justin Doyle was born in Lancaster, England, in 1975 and began his musical education as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. He subsequently became a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge.
Since the 2017/2018 season, he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin. There, he has initiated an annual series of major commissioned works, deepened the ensemble’s exploration of Handel’s music in collaboration with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and expanded the choir’s repertoire of Renaissance polyphony. His programmes range from Heinrich Biber’s monumental Missa Salisburgensis to intimate arrangements of folk songs from around the world.
From 2018 to 2022, he was Professor of Choral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. From 2019 to 2024, he was Visiting Professor of Choral Conducting and Early Music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Doyle regularly works with leading choirs including the Swedish Radio Choir, MDR Rundfunkchor, the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir and Genesis Sixteen, as well as orchestras including the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Freiburger Barockorchester, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Kammerakademie Potsdam. He is also active as an opera conductor, with a particular focus on works by Mozart, Haydn and Britten.
In 2006, he was awarded second prize at the Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Barcelona and became the first recipient of the BBC Singers Conducting Fellowship.
About the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
The Eric Ericson Chamber Choir was founded in 1945 by Eric Ericson and has since taken a central position in the Swedish and international music scene. The ensemble is internationally renowned for its distinctive sound, technical virtuosity and broad repertoire, encompassing everything from early music to contemporary and newly commissioned works. Through close collaborations with Swedish and international composers, the choir has contributed significantly to the development of professional choral music.
For further information and press enquiries
Håkan Ekman, Producer, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir
Telephone: +46 (0)73 041 81 99
Email: [email protected]
www.eekk.se
https://www.facebook.com/EricEricsonsKammarkor
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