Chor der Deutschen Oper am Rhein

While the respective orchestras of both cities – the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the Duisburger Philharmoniker – contribute to the artistic success of the opera and ballet productions in Düsseldorf und Duisburg, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Chorus appears on stage in almost all opera productions and selected ballet productions and is appreciated by the audience as a significant element of the theatre partnership.

The emotional generator that is opera rarely reaches full power without a dynamic chorus! What luck that the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Chorus is at home on both stages in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. Created by the Düsseldorf-Duisburg theatre partnership, since it was re-founded in 1956, it has proven night after night that its balanced vocal power and exuberant performance have provided the finishing touch for opera stories in the most varies musical styles, genres and languages.

Under the committed leadership of its Choral Directors Hans Frank (1957–1967), Rudolf Staude (1967–1996), Volkmar Olbrich (1996–1999), Deputy Choral Directors Wolfgang Dünwald (1969–2001) and Christoph Kurig (2001-2018) and, since 2000, Gerhard Michalski with his deputy Patrick Francis Chestnut, the chorus has earned itself an excellent reputation. Whether with Schönberg’s ‘Moses und Aron’, the choral operas of Benjamin Britten, Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’, with the British baroque works of Georg Friedrich Handel or successful operetta productions, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Chorus has consistently demonstrated its charisma and vocal power. It can also boast numerous original collaborations with the Ballett am Rhein including Brahms’s ‘Ein Deutsches Requiem’, Stravinsky’s ‘Symphony of Psalms’ and Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe solennelle’.