The Munich Motet Choir was founded in 1960 by Hans Rudolf Zöbeley as part of a series of musicology lectures at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. The first concert took place at St Matthew’s Church. To this day, there remains a close connection between the choir and the church of the Protestant regional bishop: St Matthew’s Church serves as a rehearsal venue and event space, and the Munich Motet Choir regularly provides musical accompaniment for services on feast days.

The choir’s repertoire spans almost the entire spectrum of choral literature from more than four centuries – from a cappella music to large-scale symphonic choral works. Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” holds a special place in the choir’s repertoire; the Munich Motet Choir first performed it in 1972 in the presence of the composer at the ceremony to award him an honorary doctorate. Since then, the choir has performed the work nearly 50 times across three continents.

In addition to international performances in Europe, as well as in Brazil, the USA, Mexico, China, Israel, Argentina and other countries, the Munich Motet Choir is regularly booked for concerts and projects throughout Germany. In 2024, it performed alongside the Japanese film music composer Joe Hisaishi during his only tour of Germany to date, appearing on stage at both the sold-out Olympia Hall in Munich and the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, and in 2025 it was a guest at the Leipzig Bach Festival and the Munich Bach Festival, amongst others.

Since 2013, Benedikt Haag has been the artistic director of the Munich Motet Choir, which ensures a consistently high standard at every performance thanks to its particular attention to tonal detail and clarity of text. In addition to traditional works, he regularly includes contemporary pieces and world premieres in the programme.
With its enormous musical range and high quality, the Munich Motet Choir ranks among the most significant choirs in the Bavarian capital.

The Munich Motet Choir will perform at the concert on 1 August 2026