What Munich Philharmonic Choir does

The Philharmonischer Chor München is a German non-profit registered association (e.V.) founded in 1895 and headquartered in Munich, operating as the official partner choir (Partnerchor) of the Münchner Philharmoniker. The ensemble comprises approximately 130 auditioned singers and performs choral-symphonic repertoire ranging from Baroque oratorios and Romantic choral works (Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi, Mahler, Bruckner) to contemporary compositions (Philip Glass, John Adams, Frank Martin, Carl Orff), under Chordirektor Prof. Andreas Herrmann. Performances take place at Munich's flagship venues — Isarphilharmonie, Philharmonie im Gasteig, Prinzregententheater, and Olympiastadion — and at international festivals including the Internationale Wolfegger Konzerte and Ebracher Musiksommer, with recurring collaborations under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Valery Gergiev, Christian Thielemann, Lahav Shani, Manfred Honeck, Jakub Hruša, Brad Lubman, and Alain Altinoglu. The choir has participated in large-scale arena productions (2006 FIFA World Cup opening, Arena Aida at Olympiahalle Munich and SAP Arena Mannheim) and maintains a chamber sub-brand, the Philharmonischer Kammerchor München.

Revenue is generated through four streams: tiered Fördermitgliedschaft memberships (Förderer €50/year, Freund €200/year, Golden Circle €4,000/year), concert ticket revenue via the Münchner Philharmoniker box office and festivals, physical and digital recordings on the MPHIL label, Warner Classics, and Profil Edition Hänssler (vinyl singles €5, CDs €10–€15 plus shipping), plus tax-deductible donations and sponsorship accepted via SEPA direct debit and bank transfer. Recordings have earned an Echo Klassik award (Goldmark's Merlin, 2010), Gramophone Editors' Choice (Bruckner, 2016), Forbes Top 10 Classical Recording (Herbeck, 2015), and ICMA nomination (2016), with a New York Times review of the 2025 Philip Glass Itaipu release. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its core capability is artistic — a rehearsed 130-voice ensemble integrated with one of Germany's leading orchestras for 130 years.

Name

Munich Philharmonic Choir

Legal name

Philharmonischer Chor München e. V.

Website

https://philchor.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Philharmonischer Chor München is a 130-singer, Munich-based non-profit choral ensemble founded in 1895 that serves as the official Partnerchor of the Münchner Philharmoniker, performing symphonic-choral repertoire, releasing recordings on the MPHIL and Warner Classics labels, and operating a tiered patron membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Choral Music Performance

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Record Production and Distribution (512250)

SIC

Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)

akta.pro primary industry

Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Choral music performances
• Classical concert choir
• Choral symphonic works
• Classical music recordings
• Choir membership program

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership / Fördermitgliedschaft: Annual membership program with tiered contributions: Förderer from €50/year, Freund from €200/year, and Golden Circle from €4,000/year. Benefits include personalized choir ID, discounts at Ludwig Beck classical music department, reduced-price concert tickets, invitations to rehearsals and general rehearsals, and named recognition.
2. Concert ticket revenue: Revenue generated from public concert performances. The choir performs regularly at the Isarphilharmonie, Philharmonie im Gasteig, and at festivals. Some concerts are noted as sold out (e.g., Mozart-Requiem in Lustenau, Beethoven's Ninth Silvesterkonzerte).
3. CD and vinyl record sales: Physical recordings sold directly via email order and through digital platforms. Releases on the MPHIL label (orchestra's own label), Warner Classics, and Profil Edition Hänssler. Vinyl single of Christmas carols sold for €5 plus €3 shipping.
4. Donations and sponsorship: The choir accepts donations and has a sponsorship program. SEPA direct debit and bank transfer accepted. All membership fees and donations are tax-deductible; donation certificates (Spendenbescheinigung) issued on request.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Philharmonischer Chor München is a professional choral ensemble of approximately 130 singers that performs choral-symphonic concerts as the official partner choir of the Münchner Philharmoniker. The choir delivers live concert performances spanning Baroque oratorios, Romantic choral-symphonic literature, a cappella works, contemporary compositions, and concertante operas at major Munich venues and international festivals, and complements performances with CD, vinyl, and digital recordings distributed via its own label and major classical labels.

Product overview

The Philharmonischer Chor München is a professional choral ensemble serving as the official choir of the Münchner Philharmoniker. The organization offers live concert performances featuring major choral works (oratorios, requiems, operas, symphonies), CD and digital recordings released under the MPHIL label and Warner Classics, audio samples, and a sponsorship/membership program. The choir collaborates regularly with the Münchner Philharmoniker orchestra and guest conductors on performances spanning Baroque to contemporary repertoire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Philharmonischer Kammerchor München: Chamber choir ensemble of the Philharmonischer Chor München for smaller-scale performances

Products and services

• Concert Performances

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple sold-out performances; sell-out concerts at major venues including Mozart-Requiem in Lustenau and Beethoven's Ninth Silvesterkonzerte
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• FKP Scorpio / Event production companiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2006Concert promotion company that organized the 2006 FIFA World Cup opening mega-event '3 Orchester und Stars' at the Munich Olympiastadion (28,000 attendees), featuring the Munich Philharmonic, BR Symphony Orchestra, and Bavarian State Orchestra, with Placido Domingo, Diana Damrau, and Lang Lang. The choir participated alongside multiple other choral ensembles.
• Companions Opera Amsterdam / FKP Scorpio (Arena Aida productions)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2006The choir participated in large-scale Arena productions of Verdi's Aida at the Olympiahalle Munich and SAP Arena Mannheim in 2006, collaborating with Rundfunkorchester München, Companions Opera Amsterdam, and production company FKP Scorpio under conductor Patrick Fournillier.
• Münchner PhilharmonikercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Philharmonischer Chor München is the official partner choir (Partnerchor) of the Münchner Philharmoniker. This is the choir's most important strategic relationship, dating to the choir's founding in 1895. The partnership encompasses joint concert productions throughout each season, recording projects on the orchestra's own label (MPHIL), and shared marketing and venue access. The choir performs at the Isarphilharmonie and Philharmonie im Gasteig as part of the orchestra's subscription series.
• Manfred HoneckmajorOthersConductor with whom the choir has a recurring collaboration. Conducted Bruckner programs with the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken/Kaiserslautern at the Internationalen Wolfegger Konzerten 2026, and Mozart's Requiem with Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg in Lustenau (sold out). Honeck is a regular collaborator across multiple seasons.
• Lahav ShanimajorOthersIncoming Chief Conductor of the Münchner Philharmoniker (from 2026/2027 season). First collaboration with the choir in December 2025 for Strawinsky's Psalmensymphonie and Gardiner's Evening Hymn. The 2026/2027 season includes multiple projects with Shani including Bernstein's Chichester Psalms at the season opening.
• Jakub HrušamajorOthersConductor who made his debut with the choir in June 2026 for performances of Martinů's Field Mass and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances at the Isarphilharmonie. Praised in press for collaborative quality.
• Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken/KaiserslauternmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman radio symphony orchestra with whom the choir collaborated on a Bruckner program at the Internationalen Wolfegger Konzerten 2026, conducted by Manfred Honeck.
• Symphonieorchester VorarlbergmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian symphony orchestra that collaborated with the choir on Mozart's Requiem under Manfred Honeck in Lustenau (sold-out performance).
• MPHIL (Münchner Philharmoniker Label)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Munich Philharmonic's own record label (MPHIL) releases recordings featuring the Philharmonischer Chor, including Philip Glass's Itaipu (2025), Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (2025), Joseph Haydn's Die Schöpfung under Zubin Mehta (2021), Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 under Valery Gergiev (2020), and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 under Valery Gergiev (2016).
• Warner ClassicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor classical music label that released the choir's recording of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana under Alain Altinoglu in June 2025.
• Profil Edition HänsslermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClassical music label that has released multiple recordings with the choir, including Johann von Herbeck's Große Messe in e-moll (2015, nominated for ICMA 2016 and featured in Forbes Magazine's top 10 of 2015), Franz von Suppé's Requiem (2013), and Anton Bruckner's Große Messe Nr. 3 in f-moll (2016, GRAMOPHONE Editors' Choice).
• Philharmonie FestivaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman orchestra with which the choir has recorded multiple albums under conductor Gerd Schaller, including Carl Goldmark's Merlin (Echo Klassik 2010), Bruckner's Große Messe Nr. 3 (GRAMOPHONE Editors' Choice 2016), and Herbeck's Große Messe in e-moll. Recordings produced in collaboration with BR Klassik.
• Internationale Wolfegger KonzertemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual international summer music festival held at Schlosskirche Wolfegg. The choir has appeared multiple times, including 2026 (Bruckner program with Deutsche Radiophilharmonie under Manfred Honeck), 2025 (Rachmaninoff and Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 with Staatsorchester Stuttgart under Honeck), and 2005 (Haydn, Poulenc, Fauré program).
• Ebracher MusiksommerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual summer music festival held at Ebrach Abbey. The choir performed Haydn's Die Schöpfung in September 2025 for the festival's 35th anniversary, with Philharmonie Festiva under Gerd Schaller. This marked the opening piece of the festival's very first concert in 1990.
• Brad LubmanmajorOthersAmerican conductor and specialist in contemporary American music who conducted the choir in Philip Glass's Itaipu (recorded January 2025, released September 2025) and John Adams's Harmonium (2026). Both works received highly favorable press and a New York Times review.
• Alain AltinoglumajorOthersFrench conductor who conducted the choir in Frank Martin's In terra pax (recorded April 2025, digital release January 2026), Poulenc's Figure humaine (April 2025), and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (recorded June/July 2023, released June 2025).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wiener Singverein: Vienna's premier concert choir and official choir of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Directly comparable: same size (concert-choir scale), same institutional role (anchor partner of a flagship German-speaking orchestra), same repertoire (Bruckner, Beethoven, Mahler, Verdi).
• Collegium Vocale Gent: Belgian professional vocal ensemble founded by Philippe Herreweghe, comparable in size, award-winning pedigree, and orchestral partnership model. International touring and label presence parallel the Munich choir's profile.
• RIAS Kammerchor Berlin: Berlin-based professional chamber choir with international touring, label recordings, and award-winning pedigree. Comparable in artistic ambition, recording profile, and German radio context.
• Nederlands Kamerkoor: Dutch professional chamber choir with international touring, label recordings, and contemporary-classical focus. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and concert-choral specialization.
• MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig: Leipzig-based professional radio choir associated with MDR. Comparable as a German radio-affiliated ensemble with similar classical-contemporary repertoire and major-orchestra concert partnerships.
• Swedish Radio Choir (Sveriges Radios Kör): Swedish public-service professional choir comparable in size, label-recording activity, contemporary-classical repertoire, and orchestra-partnership model. Award-winning international touring choir.
• BBC Singers: BBC's professional chamber choir in London, comparable in size, broadcasting-rooted funding model, broad repertoire from Renaissance to contemporary, and recording/broadcast distribution.
• Monteverdi Choir: John Eliot Gardiner's professional choir for historically-informed and Romantic/choral-symphonic performance. Comparable in size, international label output, and demand for top-tier conductors and orchestral partners.
• SWR Vokalensemble: Professional chamber/vocal ensemble of SWR (Stuttgart) radio, comparable in German radio-affiliated choral tradition, recording output, and contemporary-plus-classical repertoire.

Regional players

• Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper: Munich-based opera chorus of the Bavarian State Opera. Comparable in size, civic profile, and Munich cultural ecosystem, but focused on staged opera rather than choral-symphonic concert repertoire.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Munich Philharmonic Choir