The Zürcher Sing-Akademie is renowned for its versatility and flexibility, performing at the highest level in both chamber and symphonic settings. The Swiss choir collaborates with many eminent orchestras within Switzerland and internationally, and boasts an extensive symphonic repertoire. The ensemble also frequently presents a cappella programmes and plays a prominent part in the promotion of Swiss composers, both historical and contemporary.
Central to its ethos is the continued development of the choral landscape: the Zürcher Sing-Akademie frequently commissions new works and has given many première performances. Florian Helgath has been conductor and artistic director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie since 2017. Since its formation in 2011, the choir has collaborated with numerous conductors including Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Roger Norrington, Pablo Heras-Casado, Neeme Järvi, Giovanni Antonini, Paavo Järvi, and René Jacobs.
Concert tours have taken the Zürcher Sing-Akademie to Germany, Italy, Israel, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Taiwan, China, and as well as many European cities. In addition to its long association with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the choir regularly performs with acclaimed ensembles;
such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Kammerorchester Basel, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Hofkapelle München, and the baroque orchestra La Scintilla. In joint projects with the Freiburger Barockorchester, the choir is performing in major concert halls in Europe, such as the Philharmonie de Paris, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie Berlin and Konzerthaus Freiburg.
Many of the ensembles CD recordings have won acclaim in the form of prestigious awards. The most recent additions to its discography are Weber’s opera “Der Freischütz” with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra for Harmonia Mundi and Haydn’s “Stabat Mater” with Kammerorchetser Basel for the label Pentatone, both conducted by René Jacobs. In autumn 2023, a portrait of the Swiss composer Fritz Stüssi has been released by the Zürcher Sing- Akademie at Claves Records.