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The Austrian choral conductor, Holger Kristen, sang at the age of 9 in his father's choir, where he later gained his first conducting experience. He also received trumpet and piano lessons at the music
Musikschule Retz. After a year of singing lessons at the Diözesankonservatorium in Vienna, he began studying singing pedagogy with a focus on conducting with Professors Thunhart and Glassner at the
Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna in 2002. In March 2007, he completed his Bachelor's degree with distinction. From autumn 2006 he also studied orchestral conducting in the class of Professor Georg Mark at the
Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität. As part of his diploma concert, he made his debut conducting the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra with the overture Johann Strauss Jr.'s operetta Die Fledermaus by and the first movement from
Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto with Alexandra Soumm as the soloist. He gained valuable experience as a singer in ensembles such as the
Arnold Schönberg Chor, Wiener Kammerchor,
Chorus sine nomine and Neuen Oper Wien. Alongside his studies, he attended numerous choral conducting courses (e.g. with Johannes Prinz and
Erwin Ortner), as well as master-classes for choral conducting with
Frieder Bernius and Daniel Reuss.
In 2004 the coro.con.brio was founded, which Holger Kristen formed into an excellent amateur choir within a few years. Numerous concert invitations, e.g. B. to the renowned
Orgelfest Zwettl, testify to the high level of the ensemble. Since 2007, he has also been Artistic Director of the Collegium Vocale Wien, with whom he made his debut in 2009 with Joseph Haydn's
Te Deum für Kaiserin Maria Therese in the Mozartsaal des Wiener Konzerthaus. He has repeatedly worked as a rehearsal assistant for the
Salzburger Bachchor, the Wiener Kammerchor (choir rehearsal for a concert with Anna Netrebko,
Plácido Domingo and Rolando Villazón in front of
Schloss Schönbrunn) and the Akademischen Orchesterverein Wien. Since the spring of 2012 he has been the deputy choir director and head of incidental music at the
Volksoper Wien. |
