Kaspars Putniņš is Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Swedish Radio Choir since 2020/21. He held this position with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) from 2014-2021 and is permanent conductor of the Latvian Radio Choir since 1994.
The Latvian conductor regularly appears with the RIAS Kammerchor, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Collegium Vocale Gent, Danish National Vocal Ensemble & Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, NDR Vokalensemble among others.
With the Swedish Radio Choir Kaspars Putniņš plans in this season projects with music by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Kaija Saariaho, Peteris Vasks, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Robert Schumann and Toshio Hosokawa.
Whilst Kaspars Putniņš’ work encompasses a wide range of choral repertoire from the polyphony of the Renaissance period through to romantic music, his foremost goal has always been to promote new outstanding choral music. He has forged close relationships with many Baltic and Nordic composers including Maija Einfelde, Mārtiņš Viļums, Gundega Šmite, Toivo Tulev, Lasse Thoresen, Gavin Bryars and Andris Dzenitis and has set standards with his interpretations. Putniņš has initiated several drama projects in collaboration with visual and theatre artists.
His discography includes recordings of Peteris Vasks’ Mate Saule for BIS Records, Jonathan Harvey’s The Angels for Hyperion, works by Bryars, Vasks, Esenvalds, Maskats and Silvestrov, all with the Latvian Radio Choir as well as the CD New Latvian Harvest with contemporary Latvian music with the Latvian Radio Chamber Singers. He has also recorded Rachmaninov’s The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with the Flemish Radio Choir for Glossa. BIS Records released Rachmaninov Vespers with the Netherlands Chamber Choir.
BIS Records has released three albums with the EPCC including Alfred Schnittke‘s Concerto for choir, Arvo Pärt’s Seven Magnificat Antiphons, Franz Liszt’s Via Crucis and Arvo Pärt: Sacred choral works as well as an album with Schnittke’s Psalms of Repentance and Pärt’s Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis, which was awarded the Gramophone Award and Diapason d’Or in 2018.
In recent years, Putniņš has worked extensively with young singers and conductors in various projects and masterclasses, such as Bachakademie Stuttgart, Vocaal Talent and Meesters & Gezellen.
From 2013 to 2017 he has been Artistic Director of the Tenso Europe Chamber Choir.
Kaspars Putniņš is recipient of the Latvian Grand Prix of Music and the Latvian Council of Ministers Award for Achievements in Culture and Science. For his devoted activity in the music life of Estonia as chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Kaspars Putniņš was given the Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in 2019.
Season 2021/22
Read moreKaspars Putnins conducts the NDR Vokalensemble in two concerts in Hannover on 13 November and Hamburg on 14 November. The programme features music by Brahms, Schumann, Toshio Hosokawa and Jonathan Harvey.
Kaspars Putnins and the Swedish Radio Choir perform at Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm on 16 September, 19:00
(CET) the programme Baltic Seasons with music by Kaija Saariaho, Britta Byström, Jan Sandström (The Great Enigma premiere), Peteris Vasks and Ralph Vaughan Williams in livestream/video: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/the-baltic-seasons-nystart-for-gransoverskridande-samarbete/ (available until 15 October)
Read moreKaspars Putnins conducts the Croatian Radio Choir in Zagreb, Bezgrjesno Srce Marjina Church on 24 May with Arvo Pärt: Kanon Pokajanen.
On 7 May Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Engelbrektskyrkan in an A cappella concert with music by Arvo Pärt, Brahms, J.S. Bach,
Gavin Bryars and Tõnu Korvits. Here the video: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/radiokoren-putnins-bach/
Read moreKaspars Putnins conducts the Collegium Vocale Gent in Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil op. 37 in Hannover |chor.com on 25 September, Northeim | Lower Saxony Festival 26.09., Leuven 27.09. and Gent 28.09.
Here the video of the inaugural concert of Kaspars Putnins with Swedish Radio Choir as Artistic Director to be broadcasted on 22 January featuring music by György
Ligeti, Sofia Gubaidulina, Gundiga Smite and Arvo Pärt and an interview with Kaspars Putnins (available until 22 February):
https://www.berwaldhallen.se/en/play/interview-with-kaspars-putnins/
Kaspars Putnins directs the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm Berwaldhallen on 5 December.
The programme features Messiaen: Cinq rechants, Giacinto Scelsi: Tre canti sacri and Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur: Cantique des Cantiques.
Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 10 October featuring music by Jonathan Harvey, J.S. Bach, Händel and Thomas Adès. Here the video: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/bachs-magnificat/
Kaspars Putnins conducts his first concert as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 12 September. The programme features
music by Ligeti, Pärt, Gubaidulina and Gundega Smite. https://www.radiokoren.se/en/concert/the-swedish-radio-choir-meets-kaspars/
Read moreOn 11 June, 19:00 (CET) Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm with music by Mahler/Gottwald, Gundega Smite, Arvo Pärt and Brahms in livestream: www.berwaldhallen.se/play
Kaspars Putnins is appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Swedish Radio Choir from the season 2020/21. The multiple award-winning Latvian conductor has already
worked with the long-standing, treasured choir. His first concert as Chief Conductor takes place in Stockholm in October 2020. Here a video interview of 2018 (11 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KYGwaCiGlw
Read moreThe Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putnins are performing at Muziekgebouw Amsterdam on 20 February Arvo Pärt's Summa and Nunc Dimittis as well as Rachmaninov's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomus op. 31.
The album with music by Liszt and Pärt by Kaspars Putnins and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with Ondine has been nominated for the ICMA Award 2020. The winners will be announced on 21 January 2020.
Kaspars Putnins conducts Collegium Vocale Gent with Arvo Pärt: Kanon Pokajanen in five concerts in Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Gent and Brugge from 22-26 October.
On 1 October, the chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Kaspars Putniņš was given the Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia
for the devoted activity in the music life of Estonia.The ceremony took place at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn within the Music Day Gala.
Read moreThe Finnish label Ondine publishes the new album LISZT & PÄRT of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putnins in September.
Kaspars Putnins and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir perform three concerts at Abu Gosh Festival in Israel from 7-9 June with two programmes featuring works by J.S. Bach, Brahms, Ligeti, Mendelssohn, Mahler/Gottwald and Pärt.
Kaspars Putnins conducts the RIAS Kammerchor with the first performance of Lera Auerbach's Goetia 72 – in umbra lucis in Berlin on 24 May.The concert will be broadcasted
live on Deutschlandfunk Kultur at 20:03-22:00 (CET):
https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/programmvorschau.282.de.html?drbm:date=24.05.2019
Kaspars Putnins conducts the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir in a gala concert in Tallinn on 15 June at the 800th anniversary of the Danish flag with Concerto Copenhagen. The programme features music by J.S. Bach, Händel, Telemann and Arvo Pärt.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir performs J.S. Bach's B minor Mass on 15 March with the Bielefelder Philharmoniker under Alexander Kalajdzic as well as the A cappella programme Northern Land & Spirit under Kaspars Putnins in Bielefeld on 17 March.
Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 9 February featuring music by J.S. Bach and Sven-David Sandström.
Kaspars Putnins conducts the NDR Radio Choir in Hamburg at its first performance at Grand Hall Elbphilharmonie on 20 November and on 21 November in
Lüneburg within the NDR festival "My Polish Heart". They perform music by Penderecki, Szymanowski and Roman Padlewski. NDR Kultur broadcasts the concert live: https://www.ndr.de/ndrkultur/programm/epg1482_display-all_date-2018-11-20.html
Read moreThe Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putnins were awarded the Gramophone Award in the category Choral for their album with music by Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt at BIS Records.
Kaspars Putniņš conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Engelbrekt Church on May 5 with music by Ravel/Gottwald, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Wikander, Sven-David Sandström and Daniel-Lesur.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putniņš perform at Klangvokal Festival Dortmund on 20 May the programme Longing for the North presenting "Best of Arvo Pärt" pieces as well as sacred and folk songs by Cyrillus Kreek and Veljo Tormis.
Kaspars Putnins and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir are to perform A cappella concerts in Brussels on 28 January, London on 30 January, Dublin on 31 January, Amsterdam on 5/6 February featuring pieces by Ülo Krigul, Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Cyrillus Kreek, Galina Grigorjeva, Liisa Hirsch, Jonathan Harvey among others.
Kaspars Putnins returns to conduct the Swedish Radio Choir for an A cappella concert in Stockholm on 29 April with a programme featuring Schumann, Toshio Hosokawa and Jonathan Harvey.
Kaspars Putnins presents a programme with the Crème de la crème of the French choral music of the 19 and 20th century with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
in Tallinn on 20 February featuring works by Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Jean-Yves Lesur and Gabriel Fauré.
Read moreKaspars Putniņš conducts the Danish National Vocal Ensemble in Copenhagen on 30 January and 1 February in two concerts. The programme contrasts Brahms’ Kanon op. 113, Schumann’s Die Lotusblume and Die Capelle with works by Guo Wenjing, Niels Gade, Toru Takemitsu and Toshio Hosokawa.
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and its new chief conductor Kaspars Putniņš are on tour in China from 25 October to 1 November. The programme of the
four concerts in Peking, Shanghai, Xuzhou and Jinan includes works by Arvo Pärt, Cyrillus Kreek, Veljo Tormis and Claude Debussy.
Read moreLatvian conductor Kaspars Putniņš and the Netherlands Radio Choir have recorded Rachmaninov’s "All-Night Vigil" op. 37 for BIS Records: "A wonderful legato is unfold,
elegant, ruled lines, added by a closed vertical quality: it is impressive how compact and safe chordal effects are set…The recording is very compelling, especially in the elegant ability to fine difference (www.klassik.com, Matthias Lange, 31.05.2014).
Read moreRachmaninov: Liturgy of St John Chrysostum
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
BIS (2022)
Franz Liszt: Via Crucis
Arvo Pärt: Sacred Choral Works
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
ONDINE (2019)