Biography
With the founding of the Theater der Stadt Leipzig (Leipzig City Theatre) in the early nineteenth century, a professional opera company in Leipzig was created for the first time. When the Neues Opernhaus (New Opera House) opened in 1960, the opera chorus attained its present structure with a complement of 69 members. From this point on, the ensemble worked with conductors such as Franz Konwitschny, Paul Schmitz, Vaclav Neumann and Kurt Masur. They, and former choral director Andreas Pieske, who led the chorus for 30 years, laid the foundation for its present quality.