Uppsala Cathedral Choir was founded in 1867 under the direction of Jacob Axel Josephson and is one of the oldest church choirs in Sweden. It is a mixed choir consisting of about 35 choristers. At the heart of the choir's very being is the singing of services in the cathedral. In addition, the choir frequently gives concerts and tours abroad. In recent years the choir has travelled to England, Spain, the USA, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, France and Italy. In 1991 the choir was invited to sing at the Vatican's ecumenical celebration of the sixth centenary of St Bridget's canonization in the presence of Pope John Paul II. More recently the choir gave a Christmas concert in the Cathedral of Nice in France, which was greeted enthusiastically by the audience. In May 2007 the choristers joined the Swedish Baroque Orchestra for a performance of Haydn's The Creation in Uppsala Cathedral, as part of the tercentenary celebration of the birth of Carolus Linneaus.
Through recordings and broadcasts the choir has reached many people with high-quality singing. The choir's latest disc Swedish Folk Tunes from Dalecarlia is a recording of a commissioned work by the composer and soloists from Sweden and abroad, such as the Swedish jazz singer Alice Babs and the composer Sven-David Sandström.
Although the choir's primary commitment is to the services in the cathedral, it is always looking to extend its range in musical activities and broaden the repertoire. Apart from performing sacred works - such as Handel's Messiah, J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Verdi's Requiem - the choir also performs secular music at different venues. Contemporary music is also an important part of the choir's repertoire, and the choir has performed works for the first time by composers such as Daniel Börtz, Knut Nystedt and Sven-Erik Bäck.
Recently, as the first choir in Sweden, the Cathedral Choir also has performed music by the French composer Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657–1726) in cooperation with prof. Lionel Sawkins, London.
In 2006 Uppsala Cathedral Choir sang several works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in remembrance of the composer's 250th birthday.
Milke Falck - Director of Uppsala Cathedral Choir
Milke Falck (b. 1955) has been Director of Uppsala Cathedral Choir since 1994. He also holds the post of Assistant Organist at the cathedral. Mr Falck studied organ, harpsichord and choral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with professor Eric Ericson and professor Olle Scherwin. He has previously worked as Organist and Director of Music at Visby Cathedral and St Jacob's Church in Stockholm.
As a conductor and organist, he has toured in several European countries. He has also taught choral conducting and lectured about music on different occasions. Mr Falck is currently active in promoting the music of the French baroque composer Michel-Richard de Lalande through concerts and lectures. He and Uppsala Cathedral Choir have also been praised in Sweden and abroad for their performances of French 17th and 18th century music.
The human voice is said to have the ability to touch our deepest
feelings
like no other instrument. Sometimes it is the voice of a particular
piece of
music that arouses this experience. At other times it is all about being
affected by the energy released when a piece of music is being performed
-
the excitement of witnessing and listening to something unexpected.
As a conductor I find it very stimulating working with proficient
singers possessing the unusual ability of conveying positive energy,
which
adds an even greater experience to the music itself. Throughout the
years I
have discovered that Uppsala Cathedral Choir keeps finding new ways of
exploring new musical areas. However the most important issue for the
choir
and for me as the conductor is trying to convey our experience of the
music
to the listener."
Milke Falck, Director of Uppsala Cathedral Choir