Kaspars Putniņš is Chief Conductor of Swedish Radio Choir since 2020/21 and Artistic Director of Latvian Radio Choir since 2024. He held the position of Chief Conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) from 2014 to 2021.
The Latvian conductor regularly appears with the RIAS Kammerchor, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Collegium Vocale Gent, Danish National Vocal Ensemble & Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, NDR Vokalensemble Hamburg, Flemish Radio Choir, Polish Chamber Choir among others.
Whilst Kaspars Putniņš’ work encompasses a wide range of choral repertoire from the polyphony of the Renaissance period through to romantic music, his foremost goal has always been to promote new outstanding choral music. He has forged close relationships with many Baltic and Nordic composers including Maija Einfelde, Mārtiņš Viļums, Gundega Šmite, Toivo Tulev, Lasse Thoresen, Gavin Bryars and Andris Dzenitis and has set standards with his interpretations. Putniņš has initiated several drama projects in collaboration with visual and theatre artists.
His large discography includes recordings of Peteris Vasks’ Mate Saule for BIS Records, Jonathan Harvey’s The Angels for Hyperion, works by Bryars, Vasks, Esenvalds, Maskats and Silvestrov, all with the Latvian Radio Choir as well as the CD New Latvian Harvest with contemporary Latvian music with the Latvian Radio Chamber Singers.
BIS Records has released five albums with EPCC: Rachmaninov Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Ülo Krigul Liquid Turns, Alfred Schnittke Concerto for choir, Arvo Pärt Seven Magnificat Antiphons, Franz Liszt’s Via Crucis and Arvo Pärt: Sacred choral works as well as an album with Schnittke Psalms of Repentance and Pärt Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis, which was awarded the Gramophone Award and Diapason d’Or in 2018. In 2023 the first album with Swedish Radio Choir, Schumann Missa Sacra has been released.
He has also recorded Rachmaninov’s The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom with the Flemish Radio Choir for Glossa. BIS Records released Rachmaninov Vespers with the Netherlands Chamber Choir.
In recent years, Putniņš has worked extensively with young singers and conductors in various projects and masterclasses, such as Bachakademie Stuttgart, Vocaal Talent and Meesters & Gezellen. From 2013 to 2017 Kaspars Putniņš has been Artistic Director of the Tenso Europe Chamber Choir.
Kaspars Putniņš is recipient of the Latvian Grand Prix of Music and the Latvian Council of Ministers Award for Achievements in Culture and Science. For his devoted activity in the music life of Estonia as chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Kaspars Putniņš was given the Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in 2019.
Season 2024/25
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Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 16 November 2024. The programme encompasses Brahms: Warum ist das Licht gegeben op. 74/1 and Schnittke: 12 Penitential Psalms.
Kaspars Putnins and the Swedish Radio Choir interpreted the programme A Night of Dreams
at Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm on 30 August 2024 featuring music by Richard Strauss, Kaija Saariaho, Arnold Schönberg, Märt-Matis Lill as well as the premiere of a piece by Victoria Vita Poleva commissioned by festival (available until 29 September sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/ostersjofestivalen-radiokoren-en-natt-av-drommar)
Kaspars Putnins conducts Sven-David Sandström: Sonnets of Darkness and Love with Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 15 and 16 March 2024.
The new album of Kaspars Putnins and Swedish Radio Choir with Robert Schumann: Missa sacra and Vier doppelchörige Gesänge op. 141 was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1/2024 (BIS label).
Kaspars Putniņš has been appointed Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of Latvian Radio Choir on 1 January 2024 parallel to his position with Swedish Radio Choir.
Kaspars Putnins conducts Bach: Christmas Oratorio (I, V + VI) with Latvian Radio Choir, Riga Sinfonietta & soloists in Riga on 29 December 2023.
Kaspars Putnins and Swedish Radio Choir performed three concerts featuring music by Jesper Nordin, David Wikander, Arvo Pärt, Britta Byström, Lew Pollack, Ingvar Lidholm, Hugo Alfvén, Staffan Storm and Swedish Folksongs: Växjö 18.10.2023, Lund 20.10. and Linköping 22.10. Here the link: https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/radiokoren-direkt-fran-lund (available until 19 November)
Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir and instrumentalists at Baltic Sea Festivals in Stockholm on 31 August 2023 encompassing the world premiere of Mats Larsson Gothe: Pigeons, as well as music by Jan Sandström, Lidholm,Tally, Nordin, Pollak, Henrikesen, Jormin and Langeland. Here the concert video: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/radiokoren-a-riveder-le-stelle/
Kaspars Putniņš conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 29 April 2023 in Stockholm, 02.05. Kiruna,
04.05. Pitea, 05.05. Umea, 07.05. Östersund, 08.05. Sundsvall, 09.05. Bollnäs featuring the programme The breathing of the world with music by Anders Hillborg, Brahms, Gösta Nystroem, Ingvar Lidholm, Györgi Ligeti among others. Here the audio link: https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/radiokoren-direkt-fran-kiruna-kyrka
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Kaspars Putniņš conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 23 March 2023 in an hommage to
Györgyi Ligeti. The programme features Lux Aeterna, Drei Hölderlin Phantasien and A cappella music by Lars Johan Werle, Lars Edlund and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Here the video: https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/radiokoren-ligeti-100-ar/
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Kaspars Putnins conducts the RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin on 26 February 2023 within the festival Alte Musik Spandau featuring a programme of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli as well as Orlando di Lasso.
Kaspars Putniņš conducts the NDR Vokalensemble in Hamburg on 21 January 2023. The programme Light seeking light features music by Felix Mendelssohn,
Jonathan Harvey, Peteris Vasks, James MacMillan and Gundega Smite.
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Kaspars Putnins conducts J.S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio, cantatas 1-3 with Latvian Radio Choir, Riga Sinfonietta and soloists in Riga on 29 December 2022.
Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Sankt Matteus Kyrka on 3 December with the world premieres of Orjan Matre: 2 Christmas Songs and Albert Schnelzer: Sparkling cold as well as music by Schumann, Jonathan Harvey, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Jan Sandström. S2 broadcasts the concert on 30 December, 19:03-20:30 (available until 29 January 2023).
Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 29 October 2022 performing Sven-David Sandström: Sonnets of Darkness and Love with trombonist and vocalist Nils Landgren plus the world premiere of Matthew Peterson: An Inner Sky.
Video broadcast on 11 November, 19:00 (CET): https://www.radiokoren.se/en/concert/swedish-radio-choir-sandstrom-in-memoriam/
Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in a French A cappella programme in Stockholm
on 2 September within the Baltic Sea Festival. The repertoire includes music by Ton de Leeuw, Olivier Messiaen and Jean-Yves David-Lesur together with video artist Roberts Rubīn, painter Kristīna Rubīne and narrator Etienne Glaser. Swedish Radio2 broadcasts the concert live with an interview of Kaspars Putnins: https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/lovsang-till-karleken-med-radiokoren-och-putnins (available until 1 Oct)
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Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 4 December. The programme features music by Robert Schumann and Toshio Hosokawa. Swedish Radio 2 broadcasts the concert on 10 December.
Kaspars Putnins conducts the NDR Vokalensemble in two concerts in Hannover on 13 November and Hamburg on 14 November. The programme features music by Brahms, Schumann, Toshio Hosokawa and Jonathan Harvey.
On 7 May Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Engelbrektskyrkan in an A cappella concert with music by Arvo Pärt, Brahms, J.S. Bach,
Gavin Bryars and Tõnu Korvits. Here the video: <link https: www.berwaldhallen.se play radiokoren-putnins-bach>
www.berwaldhallen.se/play/radiokoren-putnins-bach/
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Here the video of the inaugural concert of Kaspars Putnins with Swedish Radio Choir as Artistic Director to be broadcasted on 22 January featuring music by György
Ligeti, Sofia Gubaidulina, Gundiga Smite and Arvo Pärt and an interview with Kaspars Putnins (available until 22 February):<link www.berwaldhallen.se/en/play/interview-with-kaspars-putnins/ _blank>
</link><link www.berwaldhallen.se/en/play/interview-with-kaspars-putnins/ _blank>https://www.berwaldhallen.se/en/play/interview-with-kaspars-putnins/</link>
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Kaspars Putnins directs the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm Berwaldhallen on 5 December.
The programme features Messiaen: Cinq rechants, Giacinto Scelsi: Tre canti sacri and Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur: Cantique des Cantiques.
Kaspars Putnins conducted the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 10 October featuring music by Jonathan Harvey, J.S. Bach, Händel and Thomas Adès. Here the video: <link www.berwaldhallen.se/play/bachs-magnificat/>https://www.berwaldhallen.se/play/bachs-magnificat/</link>
Kaspars Putnins conducts his first concert as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm on 12 September. The programme features
music by Ligeti, Pärt, Gubaidulina and Gundega Smite. <link www.radiokoren.se/en/concert/the-swedish-radio-choir-meets-kaspars/></link>
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On 11 June, 19:00 (CET) Kaspars Putnins conducts the Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm with music by Mahler/Gottwald, Gundega Smite, Arvo Pärt and Brahms in livestream: <link http: www.berwaldhallen.se play>www.berwaldhallen.se/play
Kaspars Putnins is appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Swedish Radio Choir from the season 2020/21. The multiple award-winning Latvian conductor has already
worked with the long-standing, treasured choir. His first concert as Chief Conductor takes place in Stockholm in October 2020. Here a video interview of 2018 (11 min): <link https: www.youtube.com _blank>
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The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putnins are performing at Muziekgebouw Amsterdam on 20 February Arvo Pärt's Summa and Nunc Dimittis as well as Rachmaninov's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomus op. 31.
Robert Schumann: Missa sacra + Vier doppelchörige Gesänge op. 141
Swedish Radio Choir
Kaspars Putnins, conductor
(BIS 2023)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Chor
Kaspars Putnins, conductor
BIS (2022)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kaspars Putnins, conductor
BIS (2022)
Franz Liszt: Via Crucis
Arvo Pärt: Sacred Choral Works
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
ONDINE (2019)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kaspars Putnins, Dirigent
BIS (2022)
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Kaspars Putnins, Dirigent
BIS (2022)