Cor Madrigal

The choir was founded by Manuel Cabero in 1951, and Mireia Barrera served as its principal conductor from 1993 to 2019. Since September 2019, Pere Lluís Biosca has taken over the direction.

The choir shows a strong affinity for 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, with a particular interest in promoting Catalan composers. At the same time, it maintains an important symphonic activity, mainly in collaboration with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, having been the resident choir of L’Auditori and the OBC.

It has been conducted by renowned maestros such as Alessandrini, Celibidache, Cambreling, Currentzis, Decker, Foster, Frühbeck de Burgos, Gardolinska, Gergiev, González, Haenchen, Hager, King, Mas, Mena, Ono, Oue, Pablo Pérez, Pinnock, Pons, Ros Marbà, Rostropovich, Sagripanti and Soustrot. During Manuel Cabero’s tenure, the choir took part in the world premiere of Falla’s Atlàntida.

In the recording field, highlights include the recording of Joaquim Homs’ choral music for Fundación Autor, as well as its most recent CD, Madrigal, featuring works by various Catalan composers. More recently, it collaborated with the OBC and Pablo González on a project dedicated to Enric Granados for the NAXOS label.

At the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the choir has performed in operas such as Kàtia Kabanova, Enescu’s Oedipe, Le portrait de Manon, Les mamelles de Tirésias and La Cenerentola, as well as in Gerhard’s cantata La Pesta. It has also collaborated with the artist Perejaume, and in recent seasons has toured and worked with ensembles such as the Mariinsky Orchestra, MusicAeterna, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Prague Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Hungarian Radio Orchestra and the Hungarian National Orchestra.

From 2011 to 2014, the choir held an artistic residency at the Vilafranca Municipal Auditorium. The choir is supported by the Department of Culture and the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Education.