Uppsala Cathedral Choir was founded in 1867 under the direction of Jacob Axel Josephson and is one of the oldest church choirs in Sweden. It is a mixed choir consisting of about 35 choristers. At the heart of the choir’s very being is the singing of services in the cathedral. In addition, the choir frequently gives concerts and tours abroad. In recent years the choir has travelled to England, Spain, the USA, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, France and Italy. In 1991 the choir was invited to sing at the Vatican’s ecumenical celebration of the sixth centenary of St Bridget’s canonization in the presence of Pope John Paul II. More recently the choir gave a Christmas concert in the Cathedral of Nice in France, which was greeted enthusiastically by the audience. In May 2007 the choristers joined the Swedish Baroque Orchestra for a performance of Haydn’s The Creation in Uppsala Cathedral, as part of the tercentenary celebration of the birth of Carolus Linneaus.
Through recordings and broadcasts the choir has reached many people with high-quality singing. The choir’s latest disc Swedish Folk Tunes from Dalecarlia is a recording of a commissioned work by the composer and soloists from Sweden and abroad, such as the Swedish jazz singer Alice Babs and the composer Sven-David Sandström.
Although the choir’s primary commitment is to the services in the cathedral, it is always looking to extend its range in musical activities and broaden the repertoire. Apart from performing sacred works – such as Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Verdi’s Requiem – the choir also performs secular music at different venues. Contemporary music is also an important part of the choir’s repertoire, and the choir has performed works for the first time by composers such as Daniel Börtz, Knut Nystedt and Sven-Erik Bäck.
Recently, as the first choir in Sweden, the Cathedral Choir also has performed music by the French composer Michel-Richard de Lalande (1657–1726) in cooperation with prof. Lionel Sawkins, London.
In 2006 Uppsala Cathedral Choir sang several works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in remembrance of the composer’s 250th birthday.