Artistic director of Voix de Stras’ and of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Choir, Catherine Bolzinger acts beyond any diktat and leads an atypical career. Her creativity combined with her untiring curiosity for the life of her contemporaries leads her to approach various artistic expressions which are variations of the same topic: encounter and sharing.
At the head of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Choir since 2003
Artistic director of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Choir since its creation, Catherine Bolzinger has prepared great works of the repertoire for such renowned conductors as Amin Jordan, Kyrill Karabits and John Nelson.
She was invited as a guest conductor to Poland, Latvia, Russia, Senegal, Liechtenstein, and by the prestigious Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano.
Voix de Stras’, the contemporary path
With Voix de Stras’, which she created in 1997, Catherine Bolzinger seeks the agility of the voices of a small group with a more contemporary and popular orientation. She has directed the creation of works by Thierry Escaich, Ramon Lazkano and Lionel Ginoux, commissioned emerging composers and collaborated with renowned artists such as Vincent Warnier, Daniel Roth, Pablo Marquez and the Percussions de Strasbourg.
Since 2014, Voix de Stras’ has given several concerts in Chicago, Vienna and Norway. In 2015, Voix de Stras’ was invited to the Compositors de Hoje Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Open to all artistic forms, Catherine Bolzinger allows herself utmost freedom
In 2017, she initiated Vokaléidoscope, a radio programme combining interviews about voices and vocal music from all horizons. The 10 Vokaléidoscope episodes are the starting point for a show by Voix de Stras’, “Derrière la luette”.
In 2017, she created a new musical format which questions the world of today. She called it “Ponctuation“.
The first Ponctuation was launched between the two presidential rounds and was an immediate success. Other Ponctuations followed, notably the one at the Colloquium for the fight against violence against women or during the Architecture Days.
Her awards
Graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon in choral conducting, Catherine Bolzinger won three awards at the International Choral Competition in Tours and received the Musical Prize of the Académie des Marches de l’Est. Catherine Bolzinger is a Knight of the Legion of Honour and an Officer of the National Order of Merit.