The Collegium Vocale Köln was founded in 1966 by five pupils of the Rheinische Musikschule Köln and directed by the tenor Wolfgang Fromme. Prompted by an encounter with Alfred Deller, the ensemble early on combined work on early music with contemporary vocal repertoire. In 1968 Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote his vocal work “Stimmung” for the Collegium Vocale Köln; the ensemble performed it internationally and took part in Stockhausen’s Osaka projects in 1970. The ensemble is also documented in the history of vocal new music through works by Giacinto Scelsi and Georg Kröll.
collegium vocale Köln
Vocal ensemble
