Listeners all over the country flock to DR PigeKoret when it opens up the Danish song catalogue. Often the audience is invited to sing along. Danish songs can bind people together across cultures, generations and times, and since DR PigeKoret was formed in 1938, the song treasure has been an essential part of the choir's DNA. The choir
communicates the songs both live and via radio, TV and digital platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. The audience's interest in experiencing the young elite ensemble with the strong charisma is enormous and tickets are being snapped up for all their concerts, both in DR Koncerthuset and abroad. In fact, DR PigeKoret has almost doubled the number of concerts at DR Koncerthuset over the past few years.
The singers in DR PigeKoret and Korskolen are used to adapting to changing settings as they perform over 100 annual concerts in churches, concert halls, colleges and even hospices across the country. It has always been a trademark of the choirs that the singers get out and get close to the audience - both in large concert halls and on small, intimate stages. The choirs rarely perform in a distant church balcony, but rather down in the room where listeners can reach out and experience the intense singing up close.
In these tumultuous times, Anne Karine Prip, Artistic Director of DR PigeKoret and Korskolen, realises that people feel embraced by the close and vibrant beauty of singing. “When the world is changing as dramatically as it is at the moment, people need to be part of a community. This is where choirs can do something unique with the communication of Danish songs that remind us of who we are and where we come from.” She is delighted with how committed the choir members are to including all kinds of listeners in the singing community. DR PigeKoret demonstrated this in 2016, when the choir's talented conductor Phillip Faber composed a choir potpourri of the 12 Super League clubs' fight songs. The choir recorded the sporting song collage on video, posted it on social media - and got football fans from all over the country cheering.
Your Danish Song is DR PigeKoret's new sing-along concert, where famous guest soloists such as Pernille Rosendahl and Carpark North lead singer Lau Højen perform the Danish songs that mean something special to them. “We have selected artists who can put words to their personal memories of the songs. And it takes courage to reinterpret the Danish songs we all have a close relationship with,” says the artistic director. The audience can prior to the Your Danish Song-At the concerts, people vote for the songs they want in the repertoire. “There's a quiet contemplation when people sing along with the choir. The Danish songs are like an anchor - a redemptive contrast to our complex everyday lives.”
At other concerts, DR PigeKoret joins forces with prominent musicians who add new colours to the song palette. “We have had an enriching collaboration with, among others, the Danish String Quartet. And other talented ensembles, soloists and arrangers also contribute a new musical breath to what we bring,” describes Anne Karine Prip and reveals the overall vision: “We are driven by the fact that we want to be among the world's best girls” choirs and choir schools. This vision enables us to prioritise what we want to participate in among the many offers we receive." She recognises that it requires an extremely high level of discipline for the singers to achieve this ambitious goal. Many of them start in DR SpireKoret when they are five years old. With many hours of practice every week, weekly choir rehearsals and frequent concerts, they are determined to progress to DR BørneKoret and DR JuniorKoret. Each step up DR's ambitious choir food chain requires passing an entrance exam. It takes desire and talent to compete all the way up in DR PigeKoret and maintain the high level. To motivate the young singers, the choir management has hired a sports psychologist. This has boosted the choir on the inside, as the singers learn how to perform optimally under pressure.
Since 1938, when DR PigeKoret was founded, more than 1000 singers have been through the choir. The singers in DR PigeKoret, which consists of around 50 singers aged 16-22 years. Many of the girls go on to sing as adults in good amateur choirs and some train to become professional singers.
