Collegium Vocale Gent

Collegium Vocale Gent is a Belgian vocal choir from Gent.

Collegium Vocale Gent was founded in 1970 by a group of befriended students on the initiative of Philippe Herreweghe. The ensemble was among the first to apply new insights regarding the performance of baroque music to vocal music. This authentic, text-focused and rhetorical approach resulted in a transparent sound idiom through which the ensemble acquired worldwide fame in just a few years and was a guest at all major venues and music festivals in Europe, Israel, the United States, Russia, South America, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia.

In the meantime, Collegium Vocale Gent has evolved into an ensemble with a broad repertoire from different stylistic periods. German baroque music, and more specifically the vocal works of J.S. Bach, were and remain a crown domain. Today, Collegium Vocale Gent performs this music preferably with a small ensemble, in which the singers take on both the choir and solo parts. Collegium Vocale Gent also focuses on the classical, romantic and contemporary oratorio repertoire. Finally, the ensemble contributes to various music theatre productions.