Århus Girls Choir ~ Denmark

Århus Girls Choir consists of approximately 35 girls, aged 16-25 years. When entering the choir, the girls usually have a lot of vocal experience - often from other choirs at Århus Music School, since this is where Århus Girls Choir has its base. The history of the choir goes back to the 1940’s, and the choir got its current name in 2002 after winning the competition “Sangerdyst fra Kyst til Kyst” (“Battle of Choirs, from Coast to Coast”), which among the Danish choral community is considered to be the unofficial Danish championship for children’s – and youth choirs.

Århus Girls Choir has a high level of activity including a lot of different projects:

• Concerts in Århus as well as outside the city, mostly in Jutland
• Concerts with Århus Symphony Orchestra and the Jutland Opera
• Participation in various choir competitions
• CD recordings
• Exchanging with Danish – as well as foreign choirs
• Travelling to foreign countries (latest Argentina 2008, China 2006, South Africa 2004, Hungary 2003)

Within the last 5 years Århus Girls Choir has achieved the following:

• 2003: Gold Diploma, 9th International Choir Competition in Budapest, Hungary
• 2006: Gold Medal, World Choir Games in Xiamen, China
• 2008: Participation in the opening concert at the World Choir Symposium in Denmark

The repertoire, with which Århus Girls Choir work, is always good choral music within a big range of genres. The choir sings virtually everything; from the challenging classic repertoire to the more groovy rhythmic arrangements; songs from countries far away, new times as well as old and church music as well as secular.
In the year of 2008 Århus Girls Choir will work with a broad variety of Danish music as well as an international bouquet of fantastic choral music. This will also be the repertoire that the choir brings to Argentina on its concert tour in October of 2008. 

Singing in Århus Girls Choir provides the girls with a thorough musical “education”, which often leads to having a musical carreer. Several girls later on attend the Classical Music Academy, while others enter the world of more popular, rhythmic music.

The conductor of Århus Girls Choir is Helle Høyer Mogensen, educated at the Royal Academy of Music, Århus, in 1984. Within the last 25 years she has been music teacher at Århus Music School and the conductor of several mixed and children/ girls choirs. She has also often been instructor for conducting seminars and workshops for choirs.