Kaspars Putniņš, cheif conductor

Kaspars Putniņš has been the chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir since 2020, and the newly appointed chief conductor of the Latvian Radio Choir, with which he has worked closely for over 30 years. He was previously the chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir from 2014 to 2021.

reviously the chief conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir from 2014 to 2021. As a guest conductor, Putniņš regularly performs with, among others, the RIAS Chamber Choir, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Collegium Vocale Gent, DR Vokalensemblet, Groot Omroepkoor (Dutch Radio Choir), NDR Vokalensemble Hamburg, and Chorwerk Ruhr.

Putniņš is an experienced interpreter of both Renaissance polyphony and Romantic choral works, but throughout his career, his main focus has been on contemporary choral music. He has cultivated close contacts with Baltic and Nordic composers and has long worked closely with young choral singers and conductors, for example, as the artistic director of the Tenso Europe Chamber Choir from 2013 to 2017.

In the fall of 2023, Putniņš released his first album with the Swedish Radio Choir: Schumann's Missa sacra and Four Songs for Double Choir, recorded together with organist Johan Hammarström. In 2018, Putniņš and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir were awarded both the Gramophone Award and the Diapason d’Or for an album featuring music by Schnittke and Pärt.

Kaspars Putniņš has been awarded two of Latvia's highest honors for his musicianship: the Great Music Award (Lielā mūzikas balva) and the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers Award for Culture and Science. Putniņš was born in Riga, Latvia, and was only 26 years old when he first became the chief conductor of the Latvian Radio Choir.

The meeting with maestro Eric Ericson at a concert with the Swedish Radio Choir in the Great Hall of the University of Latvia in the early 1990s made a deep impression on me. The energy in the performance, the beautiful, powerful yet wonderfully balanced ensemble – I remember wanting to be part of ‘something like this’ in my life, and it goes without saying how grateful and honored I am to work with this fantastic choir now. – Kaspars Putniņš