DRESDEN KREUZCHOR (DRESDEN BOYS’ CHOIR)

The Dresden Kreuzchor is one of the oldest and most famous boys’ choirs in the world. Its history dates back to the first recorded mention of the city of Dresden in the early 13th century. Even after more than 800 years, one of the Kreuzchor’s most important duties remains singing at the liturgical services of the Kreuzkirche on Dresden’s Altmarkt. Here, the Dresden Kreuzchor performs at vespers and church services and regularly gives concerts featuring outstanding works of sacred music. These form the core of the choir’s repertoire and reflect its Christian-humanist ethos. In addition to leading soloists, key artistic partners include the Dresden Philharmonic and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. However, the Dresden Kreuzchor also collaborates with early music ensembles such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The Dresden Kreuzchor’s repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to world premieres of contemporary works. Its extensive artistic output is documented in numerous recordings.

In addition to its pivotal role in Dresden’s musical life, the city-sponsored choir has been touring Germany and beyond European borders for almost 100 years, travelling as far afield as Israel, Canada, Japan, South America, Korea, China and the USA. As the Saxon capital’s oldest cultural institution, it represents the city on almost every continent and most recently made its debut at the Shanghai International Arts Festival and, together with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

The choir’s singers are also regularly engaged as soloists for opera roles.

The members of the Kreuzchor attend the Evangelische Kreuzgymnasium, one of Germany’s oldest schools, until they take their A-levels. Many members of the Kreuzchor live in the neighbouring Alumnat, the choir’s boarding house. Alongside their normal school routine, the singers, aged between nine and eighteen, receive individual vocal and instrumental tuition. Their intensive rehearsals and the unique magic of the boys’ voices form the foundation of the Dresden Kreuzchor’s international fame.

Season 2026/27

MARTIN LEHMANN CONDUCTOR

Since 2022, Martin Lehmann has been the 29th Kreuzkantor of the Dresden Kreuzchor and, in this role, artistic director of the oldest cultural institution in the Saxon capital. His tenure combines tradition with innovation; his repertoire spans a wide range from a cappella choral music and choral symphonic works to world premieres and first performances of contemporary music. A key focus of his first seasons as Kreuzkantor is on works by previous Kreuzkantors who were also successful as composers. By awarding regular commissions for Introit compositions, he is continuously expanding the Kreuzchor’s Vesper canon.

From 2001 to 2005, Martin Lehmann was director of the Schola Cantorum Leipzig girls’ choir, after which he moved to the Wuppertaler Kurrende as musical director. In 2012, he took over as artistic director of the renowned Windsbach Boys’ Choir. Under his ten-year leadership, the boys’ choir has regularly performed at major international festivals and in prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Tonhalle in Zurich.

Martin Lehmann has collaborated with renowned ensembles such as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and the WDR Big Band; in the field of historical performance practice, he has also worked with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. An extensive discography documents his diverse career. Most recently, in April 2025, Poulenc’s ‘Gloria’ and Schubert’s Mass in A flat major with the Dresden Kreuzchor and the Dresden Philharmonic on Berlin Classics, as well as a live recording of the world premiere of Sven Helbig’s “Requiem A” with René Pape, the Dresden Kreuzchor and the Saxon State Orchestra Dresden on Deutsche Grammophon in May 2025.