In September 2015, Peter Dijkstra was appointed as the chief conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir. His appointment elicited almost a sigh of relief from choir enthusiasts: finally, one of the most prominent choral conductors in the world - who had already served as chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir and the Bavarian Radio Choir - had come home. To 'his' Netherlands Chamber Choir.
Peter Dijkstra is widely regarded as a specialist in vocal music and feels at home in a broad spectrum of musical styles, from Medieval polyphony to contemporary music. He has premiered compositions by a range of prominent contemporary composers and is a passionate advocate for young compositional talent in choral music.
His interpretations of the major oratorios by Mozart, Handel, and Bach were acclaimed in Germany. He won ECHO Klassik Awards for Fauré’s Requiem (Sony Classics) and Schnittke’s Choir Concerto (BR Klassik), Diapasons d’Or for an album featuring works by Strauss, Wagner, and Mahler (BR Klassik) and Poulenc’s Figure humaine (Channel Classics), the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for his recording of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, and he was nominated for two Grammys. His CD featuring a capella choral works by Johannes Brahms, recorded with the Swedish Radio Choir, was honored with an Edison Classical award in 2015.
Bridge
Dijkstra is particularly committed to bridging the professional music world with the amateur realm. He enjoys working with amateur ensembles and serves as the artistic director of the vocal ensemble MUSA. Additionally, he dedicates himself to mentoring young generations of conductors and regularly conducts masterclasses. From 2016 to 2020, Dijkstra served as Professor of Choral Conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.
Awards and accolades
Peter Dijkstra is an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. In 2013, he was awarded the Gouden Viooltje, a prize for internationally renowned musicians from the northern Netherlands, and in 2014, he won the Eugen Jochum Prize. In September 2015, Dijkstra was appointed as the chief conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and in 2018, he was named the first guest conductor of the Groot Omroepkoor. Since 2022, he has again assumed the role of artistic director of the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
Niels Knelis
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