From 2005 until 2016 Peter Dijkstra was artistic director of the Bavarian Radio Chorus; he resumed this position at the start of the 2022/23 season. Born in the Netherlands, he is one of the most sought-after choral directors working today. He studied choral and orchestral conducting and singing in The Hague, Cologne and Stockholm. In 2003 he received the Eric Ericson Award from the competition of the same name for the promotion of young conductors, which launched his international career. From 2007 to 2018 Peter Dijkstra was chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir, and in 2015 he took up the same position with the Netherlands Chamber Choir. He also works regularly with renowned vocal ensembles such as the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the SWR Stuttgart Vocal Ensemble and the BBC Singers.
As a choral conductor, Peter Dijkstra has developed a broad repertory that ranges from early to modern music, and from a cappella works to opera. Collaborations with specialized early music ensembles such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Academy of Ancient Music are as close to his heart as engagements involving new choral music, including numerous world premieres. He has also appeared as an orchestral conductor, and has worked with, among others, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and both orchestras of Bavarian Radio.
Peter Dijkstra’s CD recordings have been awarded numerous prizes. His recordings of Fauré’s Requiem and Schnittke’s Concerto for Choir each won an ECHO Klassik, and his recording of Bach’s St John Passion with the Bavarian Radio Chorus was listed in the Quarterly Critics’ Choice of the German Record Critics in 2017.
Peter Dijkstra regularly gives masterclasses and directs projects on choral singing and conducting. From 2016 to 2020 he held a professorship in choral conducting at the Cologne University of Music, and was a visiting professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.
