Since 2007 Nils Schweckendiek has been Artistic Director of the Helsinki Chamber Choir, which he has taken on tours to the United States, Scandinavia, Belgium, Russia and Estonia. In 2014 he was appointed Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of the Arts (Sibelius Academy) in Helsinki and from 2017 he will be Artistic Director of the Choir of the Helsinki Music Centre. He has also worked with the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Danish Radio National Concert Choir, Mannheim Opera Choir, Netherlands Radio Choir, and Croatian Radio and TV Choir. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the International Einojuhani Rautavaara Composition Competition, which was first held in 2012 and again in 2016.
Nils Schweckendiek is committed to performing the music of our time and has conducted around ninety first performances, including music theatre, orchestral, choral and ensemble works. In 2013 his performance of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s monumental Vigilia with the Helsinki Chamber Choir was televised on ARTE. His CD of music by Beat Furrer with the Uusinta Ensemble and the Helsinki Chamber Choir featured on numerous lists of the best recordings of 2016, including Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Germany), the Sunday Times (UK), Hufvudstadsbladet (Finland) and YLE (Finland).
