HONVÉD MALE CHOIR

With its 45 members, the unique worldwide HONVÉD MALE CHOIR is the second largest full-time professional male choir in the world. Its repertoire covers the entire musical literature, from Gregorian chant to choral works, oratorios, operas, jazz, rock and electronic music concerts ‑ all to the highest standards.

Their slogan is Voice, Heart, Strength…

The choir’s sound combines the dramatic power and diapason of Russian choruses, the particular detail-sensitivity of Western European choirs and the expressiveness that is the most profound specificity of the Central European tradition.

The Honvéd Male Choir is a group of professional highly trained singers. The name ‘Honvéd’ (homeland defender) is a reminder of the past, which the ensemble is proud to claim as its own. Originally called the Central Art Ensemble of Defense, the choir was formed in 1949 with singers who were then military personnel. During its existence it has made nearly 400 guest appearances on four continents in more than 50 countries and the total number of performances is approaching 30,000.

The choir has worked with many world-famous conductors, such as Marc Albrecht, Ernest Ansermet, Antal Doráti, Iván Fischer, Ádám Fischer, Lamberto Gardelli, Avner Itai, István Kertész, Lovro von Matacic, Zubin Mehta, Giuseppe Patané, Michel Plasson, Yuri Simonov, György Solti, Karolos Trikolidis, Robert Sund, Giancarlo Viotti, Andriy Yurkevych. Many outstanding figures of Hungarian and international opera life have started their careers with the Male Choir, and many of the current members are also regulars on various opera stages.

The ensemble’s work has been awarded the Prima Primissima Prize, the Hungarian Heritage Award, the Bartók-Pásztory Award and the Charles Cros Academy Record Grand Prize.

The chief conductor of the Honvéd Male Choir has been Richárd Riederauer since February 2020.