molto cantabile, 6000 Luzern. +41 (0)76 222 1001. www.moltocantabile.ch

molto cantabile "With good reason, this Lucerne choir is regarded well beyond the borders of Switzerland as one of the most important representatives of a new choir generation." Neue Luzerner Zeitung

"molto cantabile demonstrates a vocal culture that is one of the very best offered by choirs today." Frankfurter Neue Presse

The Lucerne choir molto cantabile was founded in 2003, and is under the dedicated leadership of the young conductor Andreas Felber.

molto cantabile makes many appearances, and regularly organises its own concerts. Its carefully arranged a-cappella concert programmes, with titles such as "mystisch hören" (mystical hearing) in 2006, "einklang" (harmony) in 2009, or "übernacht" (overnight) in 2012, are worthy of special mention. In their anniversary year of 2103, in their "feierwerk" (celebratory work) programme, molto cantabile took their audience on a musical journey through time by means of their own story. The ensemble organised its first independent concert in the internationally renowned KKL concert hall in Lucerne in October 2014, with its "erahnt" (presentiment) programme, and appeared together with the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet and the Lucerne tenor Mauro Peter. Under the title "aufbruch" (awakening), works by Francis Poulenc, György Ligeti, Veljo Tormis, Krzysztof Penderecki and other contemporary composers were performed in April/May of this year, music which the choir will also be bringing along with them on their summer tour.

molto cantabile regularly appears with other ensembles from Lucerne or other Swiss cities, and also participates in première performances of works in this context. The ensemble also took part in the local, but internationally renowned "Lucerne festival" for the first time in 2012.

From an early stage, this young ensemble was able to celebrate numerous competition successes, for example, at the European Music Festival in Neerpelt (Belgium) in 2004, at the Swiss Choir Competition and at the Choir Festival of Tolosa (Spain) in 2005, at the International Choir Competition in Spittal an der Drau (Austria) in 2011, and most recently, at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf in 2011.

But it was not only competitions that led the ensemble to foreign countries. molto cantabile presented its highly acclaimed "einklang" concert programme at the Oranienstein Concerts in

molto cantabile, 6000 Luzern. +41 (0)76 222 1001. www.moltocantabile.ch

Diez, Germany, in 2009. In 2012, they accepted the invitation of the famous American composer and conductor Eric Whitacre to visit New York, and performed under his direction at the Carnegie Hall. In the same year, the ensemble was a guest at the European Choir festival "Canta Sacra" in Wolfenbüttel (Germany).

The molto cantabile ensemble has released six CDs to date. Their latest release is the "aufbruch" CD, with live recordings from the concert with the same name in April/May 2015.

www.moltocantabile.ch

Andreas Felber – Conductor

Born and raised in Lucerne, Andres Felber was a member of the Luzerner Singknaben for many years, and attended his first singing lessons there. He studied conducting and song at the Lucerne School of Music (Musikhochschule Luzern), and graduated from both courses with honours. Andreas Felber has studied further in master courses and workshops under various conductors, including, among others, Ton Koopman, Johannes Prinz and Simon Halsey.

In addition, he has taken part in singing master courses given by Margreet Honig, Mariëtte Nollen and Jakob Stämpfli.

He was a guest singer and conductor at the Lucerne Theatre, and was the musical director on the Lake Stage in Walenstadt in 2010 ("Die Schwarzen Brüder") and 2012 ("Tell").

In addition to molto cantabile, Andreas Felber also conducts the ProMusicaViva vocal ensemble (Lucerne Landschaft) and has been the conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir since 2011. Furthermore, he is the musical director of the professional Davos Festival Chamber Choir, and works regularly with the Zurich Singakademie.

In his work as musical director of molto cantabile, Andreas Felber is supported by Benjamin Rapp (second conductor) and the Lucerne singer Madelaine Wibom as voice trainer.

www.andreasfelber.ch

Benjamin Rapp – Second conductor

Benjamin Rapp was born and raised in the Basel region. Many years of piano tuition and singing in the youth choir led him to study as a choir master and school musician at the Lucerne School of Music and the Hamburg School of Music and Theatre. He has gained major inspiration in master courses (among others, with Simon Halsey) and in his work as second conductor of molto cantabile. Benjamin Rapp worked as a teacher of singing classes at the Jeki Stiftung in Bern, works regularly as a répétiteur for choirs, and has been teaching at the High School

(Gymnasium) on the Munsterplatz in Basel as a music teacher and choir master since 2014.

April 2015