Winners of the Eric Ericson Award
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.
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.
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.
Krista Audere - winner 2021
Krista Audere is a Latvian conductor based in the Netherlands. She currently conducts the VU Chamber Choir and Kamerkoor Venus and is regularly engaged as a guest conductor for the Dutch Chamber Choir, Dutch Radio Choir, and Cappella Amsterdam.
Since winning the Eric Ericson Award in 2021, she has worked with professional choirs across Europe. In the 2023/2024 season, she has engagements with the Latvian State Choir, Hungarian Radio Choir, Bavarian Radio Choir, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, WDR Radio Choir Cologne, SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart, and BBC Singers.
Audere graduated from Riga with qualifications as a choir master and singer. She earned a bachelor's degree in choral conducting from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and enriched her musical experience at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart.
In 2016, Audere earned her master's degree, graduating "cum laude" from the Amsterdam University of the Arts. As a singer, she has collaborated with the Latvian Radio Choir and Cappella Amsterdam.
From the 2025/2026 season Krista Audere is the first guest conductor for the Swedish Radio Choir.
Alexander Lüken - winner 2024
Alexander Lüken earned a bachelor's degree in music in 2010 from the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and later obtained a master's degree in conducting from the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar. He frequently works with ensembles such as ChorWerk Ruhr, the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, and the Cologne Radio Choir, where he holds the role of assistant conductor.
Lüken competed in the finals against Heide Müller from Germany and Marcel Ortega in Martí, Spain.