MDR Rundfunkchor
Whenever major orchestras in Germany or abroad plan to perform a choral work it is invariably the MDR LEIPZIG RADIO CHOIR, regarded as one of the best in the world, that comes at the top of their wish list. The ensemble lives up to this reputation not only as an excellent partner for major orchestras in choral symphonic works, but also with its highly acclaimed and unusual a cappella performances. A wide-ranging repertoire encompasses practically a thousand years of musical history and has included numerous world premieres. Whether via the European Broadcasting Union, through touring, in guest performances worldwide or with its nearly 200 LPs and CDs – many of them award-winning – , the MDR LEIPZIG RADIO CHOIR, which received the European Cultural Prize in 2013, acts as a supreme musical ambassador for central Germany. From the season 2015/2016 Risto Joost succeeds Howard Arman as artistic director of the MDR LEIPZIG RADIO CHOIR, while Philipp Ahmann remains principal guest conductor.

Risto Joost
born in Estonia in 1980, is ranked among the most promising conductors of his generation – in the opera pit as well as on the concert stage. Initially chief conductor and artistic director of the Tallinn Sinfonietta (2008–2011), Risto Joost has since 2009 held a post as conductor with the Estonian National Opera und was appointed chief conductor of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in 2013. At the beginning of the 2015/16 season Risto Joost assumed the position of Artistic Director of the MDR LEIPZIG RADIO CHOIR. He has worked with renowned orchestras and vocal ensembles such as Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Danish National Symphony, Netherlands Philharmonic, RIAS Kammerchor, Rundfunkchor Berlin, SWR Vokalensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir and Swedish Radio Choir. His operatic repertoire extends from Donizetti and Verdi to Tüür and MacMillan. He has premiered more than 50 works by Estonian composers and his discography includes recordings from Palestrina to Pärt.

Risto Joost studied singing, orchestral and choral conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn as well as at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In 2008 he completed his studies with Jorma Panula at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.