Press

To mark the "Year of the Voice," Tina von Löhneysen from the Tagesthemen news program visited a rehearsal of the youth choir. In an interview, the young people told her what they believe singing has to do with society and democracy. The segment is available to watch in the ARD media library.

In October, rbb visited a choir rehearsal of the Hellersdorf Vocal Heroes with choir director Victor Sepúlveda Rodgriguez and piano accompanist Artschi Loyan at the KOMPASS House in the district of FiPP e. V. You can hear and see what makes the Vocal Heroes so special in the live report by Uri Zahari.

"The highlight of the evening, however, was the Vokalhelden Children's Choir. Founded by the Philharmonic Orchestra over ten years ago, this ensemble carried the performance. It was not only musically flawless but also full of beautiful sound, featuring several impressively executed solo parts. And: they were on stage the entire time, singing from memory and brimming with joy. It has been a long time since we've heard and experienced a children's choir at such a magnificent level." Andreas Göbel on Radio3, June 7, 2024. Photo: Bettina Stöss

"Christian Gonon was very much the showman, even conjurer, as Narrator, in a neat conception bringing to life the tale from a book he read to the splendid, colourfully arrayed children’s choir, Vokalhelden, called upon to act as well as sing." Mark Berry, Seen and Heard - International, 12.06.2024

"The confidence in a future fulfilling both humanly and musically was conveyed, sounding just like the projected image, above all by the 'Vocal Heroes' youth choir, rehearsed by Johannes David Wolff – precise, passionate, and highly committed; if one wants to read and hear Hearne's piece not only as an anti-violence appeal but also as an attempt at hope, it had particularly good advocates in these young singers." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, February 14, 2024

Judith Kamphues – Concert Singer & Choir Director. A graduate concert and opera singer and vocal coach, she is a sought-after specialist in vocal training. Fascinated by every individual human voice, she collaborates with doctors and scientists on research into the changes in boys' voices during puberty.

The festivities begin at the Westhafen (West Harbor), where its 100th anniversary is being celebrated. A jetty in the middle of the harbor provides a stage for the children's choir, the "Vokalhelden" (Vocal Heroes). From a song about lemon ice cream to a Turkish song and even a Beatles tune, the young singers have a wide repertoire. The surrounding audience—many of them the same age as the singing children—are swept away by the rhythms. (Berliner Morgenpost, September 3, 2023)

"The music that Kirill Petrenko conjures with the Karajan Academy students and guests is simply beautiful. The very first notes of gentle bell music are captivating, the melodic crescendos and climaxes, which can also emerge from the reduced orchestral arrangement, are magnificent, and the soaring quality sung by the vocal heroes is enchanting." Berliner Zeitung, February 3, 2020

"It's not every day that the Philharmonie is so lively. Around 2,000 children from all over Berlin quickly spread across all the seating sections to sing together with choirs from three districts at the "Vocal Heroes" school class concert in early March." Corina Kolbe, Opera & Dance, Issue 2/2017

"Still so small, but what voices! The vocal heroes at the Philharmonie meet every week under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. Great fun, full of sparkling enthusiasm." Lisa Röhling, Tagesspiegel, June 20, 2016

"And then there's the brilliant children's choir [...]. At the end, they all play and sing together in united power, so that the final 'O fortuna' now feels completely different than at the beginning: gripping, robust, seamless." Tomasz Kurianowicz, Tagesspiegel, June 17, 2014