Winners of the Eric Ericson Award
Alexander Lüken - winner 2024
Alexander Lüken is assistant to the Cologne Radio Choir, artistic director of the Kantorei Barmen-Gemarke and the award-winning Junger Kammerchor Köln, which he founded. He works regularly with ChorWerk Ruhr and conductors such as Kent Nagano, Àdàm Fischer, Iván Fischer and George Benjamin. He has also worked with the RIAS Kammerchor, Det Norske Solistkor, the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra and the AUDI Youth Choir Academy, among others. He has appeared as a guest singer with various independent and radio ensembles.
In the broad spectrum of Lüken's work, his focus is on complex new and rarely performed music. He is currently conducting the first recording of the "Christ Trilogy" by Mendelssohn's contemporary Friedrich Schneider, which was rediscovered after more than 150 years without performance and the first part of which was nominated in two categories for the Opus Klassik.
Alexander Lüken studied choral and orchestral conducting with Marcus Creed, Jürgen Puschbeck and Ekhart Wycik at the Cologne and Weimar Universities of Music, as well as Latin at the University of Cologne. His training was supplemented by courses with Florian Helgath, Grete Pedersen, Volker Hempfling and others. He is an alumnus of the Cusanuswerk.
Krista Audere - winner 2021
Krista Audere is a conductor of Latvian origin, now based in the Netherlands. She is currently the conductor of the VU-Kamerkoor, Kamerkoor Venus, and is regularly engaged as a guest conductor of the Dutch Chamber Choir, the Dutch Radio Choir and Cappella Amsterdam. As from 2024 Krista is appointed as main subject teacher Choral Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. Starting in 2025 she is named as first ever Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir. In 2028 Krista Audere will be following Daniel Reuss as the artistic leader and chief conductor of Cappella Amsterdam.
Krista Audere is the winner of the Eric Ericson award 2021.
In the 2025/26 season she has engagements with the State Choir Latvia, the Swedish Radio Choir, the Bavarian Radio Choir, the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, the Berlin Radio Choir, RIAS Kammerchor, NDR Vokalensemble and Coro Casa da Musica.
Krista Audere (1989) graduated from Riga Dom choir school where she gained qualifications as a choir master and choral singer. She then attained the Bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music while enriching her musical experience at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. In 2016 Krista obtained the Masters diploma and graduated cum laude at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. As a singer she has collaborated with the Latvian Radio Choir and Cappella Amsterdam.
Krista Audere is a frequent jury member in conducting and choir competitions, as well as giving masterclasses on choral conducting.
Kjetil Almenning – winner 2009
Kjetil Almenning is the cathedral cantor at Bergen Cathedral and the chief conductor of the Bergen Cathedral Choir. With this choir, he recorded the album Credo, featuring works by Trond Kverno, and a Grammy-nominated album with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra featuring works by Leoš Janáček. He is also the artistic director of the vocal ensemble Vocal Art in Bodø.
As a singer and choral conductor, Almenning has worked with ensembles such as the Norwegian Soloists' Choir, Barents Chamber Choir, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and the Swedish Radio Choir. He has previously been the conductor and artistic director of the vocal ensemble Ginnungagap, Vestoppland Chamber Choir, and the Norwegian Youth Choir. While conducting the chamber choir Ensemble 96, they recorded the Grammy-nominated album Kind.
Kjetil Almenning holds a bachelor's degree in church music from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and a diploma in choral conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Martina Batič – winner 2006
Martina Batič is a leading choral conductor of her generation. She won the prestigious Eric Ericson Award in 2006 and is praised for her versatility in conducting a wide choral repertoire.
Batič was the chief conductor of the Chœur de Radio France from 2018 to 2022 and previously served as the artistic director of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. From 2004 to 2009, she was the artistic director of the Slovenian National Opera Choir in Ljubljana. In the 2023/2024 season, she will become the chief conductor of the Danish Vocal Ensemble in Copenhagen.
She is a sought-after guest conductor and has led ensembles such as the RIAS Chamber Choir, MDR Radio Choir, SWR Vocal Ensemble, Flemish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Swedish Radio Choir, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Norwegian Soloists' Choir, Suomen Laulu Choir, Finnish Baroque Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, and Gulbenkian Choir.
Future highlights include engagements with the Netherlands Chamber Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, Gulbenkian Orchestra & Choir, French Radio Choir, SWR Vocal Ensemble, Coro Casa da Musica Porto, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Finnish Chamber Choir, and Bachchor Salzburg.
Batič has conducted a cappella concerts at festivals such as the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm, Ultima Oslo, Choregies d’Orange, Montpellier, and Présences Paris. In 2018, she conducted the Swedish Radio Choir and Eric Ericson Chamber Choir in a gala concert celebrating Eric Ericson's 100th birthday.
Martina Batič earned her bachelor's degree in music from the University of Ljubljana in 2002 and her master's degree in choral conducting from the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich in 2004. She has attended masterclasses across Europe and worked with renowned choral conductors like Eric Ericson. In 2019, she received the Slovenian national award "Prešeren Fund Awards" for her artistic achievements in choral conducting.
Peter Dijkstra – winner 2003
Peter Dijkstra is the chief conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Choir and the principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir. He was the artistic director of the Bavarian Radio Choir in Munich and the chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir from 2007 to 2018, making him the longest-serving conductor after Eric Ericson. In 2019, he was named honorary conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir.
He is a sought-after guest conductor for leading European choirs such as the RIAS Chamber Choir, DR Concert Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and BBC Singers. He has also conducted orchestras like the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as early music ensembles like Concerto Köln and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Dijkstra is a professor of choral conducting at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He received the prestigious Golden Violin award in 2013 and the Eugen Jochum Prize in 2014. He studied solo singing and conducting at the Royal Conservatory in Hague, graduating summa cum laude, and at the music academies in Cologne and Stockholm.