The choir

Right from the start, the Cor de Noies de l'Orfeó Català gives its singers the chance to work on a repertoire created exclusively for treble voice choirs.

It is a highly enriching experience for the Escola Coral, as it gives choristers coming out of the Cor Infantil the chance to complete their choral education in a choir for girls.

The 39 members of the choir, aged between 16 and 25, explore the choral possibilities of their voices through a weekly work programme that includes both voice training and rehearsals.

The freshness, ductility and tenderness of their voices create a very special, attractive sound in concerts. Nevertheless, the work of the choir goes further in the vocal field, successfully venturing new experiences which explore other fields, such as the incorporation of stage features. The performers have taken up this motivating challenge and adapted to it with enormous versatility.

Booking the Choir

Alba Albert
Tel.: +34 681 28 99 66
[email protected]

Biography

Founded in 2000 by Lluís Vilamajó, the Orfeó Català Cor de Noies Girls' Choir is made up of 42 singers aged between 16 and 25 years old, who mostly started choral singing in the Orfeó Català children’s choirs. Currently, Montserrat Meneses is the conductor and Maria Mauri is the pianist. The clarity, agility and softness of their voices gives their concerts a unique and appealing sound. But performances by the Cor de Noies go beyond vocal excellence, delving into new experiences that explore other areas, such as incorporating scenic design.

The choir has worked with conductors J. Busto, P. L. Biosca, X. Puig, M. Minkowski, E. van Tiel, M. Valdivieso, N. Huynh, J. Nott, A. Salado, G. Dudamel and Z. Mehta, and has collaborated with the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, Vespres d’Arnadí, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The Cor de Noies has also collaborated with the singer Noa, and performed with the Basque company KuKai Dantza in the show Erritu (2020).

In 2023, the choir performed The pulse in the inauguration of Grec Festival, with the Australian contemporary circus company Gravity and Other Myths, before taking part in the subsequent international tour (5 July to 1 August, with a total of thirteen performances): Complètement Cirque Festival in Montréal (Canada), Festival Theatre in the Kingfisher Club in Galway (Ireland), and La Strada Graz Festival (Austria). It is also worth noting the Palau de la Música concert of Caroline Shaw’s Its motion keeps and Jordi Domènech's Pianto della Madonna, together with guest choirs Exaudio, Aglepta and Nàiades, and a performance of Debussy’s La demoiselle élue with the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya at the Auditori de Barcelona, under the baton of Ludovic Morlot.

Last season (2023-24), highlights included the concert performed by the Cor de Noies with Lluís Vilamajó as part of the project organised by the head of the Choral School, Pablo Larraz. Lluís Vilamajó is a regular guest conductor for the institution’s choirs. Concert highlights included the first-ever performance of a work written by Mariona Vila for the ensemble. Other high points will be performances of works by Ola Gjeilo, with the composer himself on the piano, performing alongside the Orfeó Català and the other choirs from the Choral School, and participation in the Choral Music Festival.

Highlights from this 2024-25 season include the concert with the OBC at L’Auditori, directed by Gemma New, to perform The Planets by Gustav Holst, and the concert with the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and Palau Vincles choirs in the premiere of a work by Arnau Tordera. Also highlights include the concert with the program Primfila, primfila, directed by Montserrat Meneses; the perform in the work The veil of the temple by John Taverner, alongside the Orfeó Català and choirs of the Escola Choral of Orfeó Català, and the concert with singers from the Children’s Choir of the Orfeó Català, directed by Basilio Astúlez.

The Cor de Noies forms part of the Escola Coral or choir school of the Orfeó Català, which is sponsored by the Banco Santander foundation.