Schweizer Jugendchor, Switzerland
The Swiss Youth Choir is under the patronage of the Swiss Choral Association and has the responsibility to represent the Swiss choral scene as its flagship. It was founded in 1994 and consists of about 50 singers from all over Switzerland. The ensemble thus offers not only an artistic but also a linguistic and cultural exchange platform for young people from a wide variety of professional backgrounds. Its mission is to cultivate the traditional Swiss song heritage and to shine a spotlight on well-known and unjustly forgotten Swiss composers. In addition, it enables its members to become acquainted with and to deepen their knowledge of the masterpieces of European choral literature. Numerous CD recordings document the broad scope of the choir’s activities. Since 2021 the SJC is the “choir in residence” at the Bachwochen Thun. Nicolas Fink, a native of Bern who lives in Germany, has been the choir’s artistic director since 2018. He is also principal conductor of the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln and choir director at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. His primary goal in the Swiss Youth Choir is to promote talented young singers and conductors. For example, the two assistants play an important role not only in rehearsals but also in concerts.