The Basel Boys Choir (Knabenkantorei Basel [KKB]) is a boys' choir based in Basel, Switzerland; it grew out of the boys' choir of the Protestant Church of Basel-City, founded by Hermann Ulbrich in 1927. Today the choir is non-denominational. They sing both sacred and secular works. The choir has been under the leadership of Oliver Rudin since 2017.
In addition, the choir has been invited to participate in important music festivals, including the Lucerne Festival under James Conlon, Mario Venzago, Riccardo Chailly and Mariss Jansons, the European Music Festival in Berlin under Roland Bader, the International Festival of Boys Choirs in Poznań (Poland), as well as festivals in Nancy, Maastricht, Venice, Basel, and the Schubert Choir Festival in Vienna in 1997. The Basel Boys Choir is also the host choir of the well-known and highly successful European Festival of Youth Choirs (Europäisches Jugendchorfestival, EJCF).
Structure
The choir consists of approximately 45 unchanged and 35 changed voices. The changed voices are, as a rule, former trebles and altos who have been in the choir for at least a year. The singers dedicate a considerable amount of their free time to the choir: in addition to rehearsals, there are church services, concerts, concert tours, radio and television appearances as well as CD recordings. A choir camp takes place each year for the purpose of learning repertoire.
Awards
- CIMCF 2022 (Men's Choir of the KKB): 1. Place, 93/100 Points, Youth Choral Competition
- CIMCF 2022 (Men's Choir of the KKB): Winner "Most Entertaining Performance"
- Aug. 2022: Weissagung und Erfüllung (Hans Huber), with Sinfonieorchester Basel, Basler Madrigalisten, and Basler Gesangsverein
- Jan. 2023: Messe in C-Dur (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), with Kammerorchester Basel
- Jan. 2023: Requiem, Gabriel Fauré, with Kammerorchester Basel