... is for many people intimately linked with the beautiful Cathedral in the diocese- and county town of Västerås. The Cathedral is the natural abode of the Maria Choir and the choir is a traditional feature at services and religious festivals, such as the Vespers on Christmas Day. The choir was founded in 1957 by Bror Samuelson, and was led by him until 1991 when Agneta Sköld, the present choir leader, took over.

The basic repertoire of the Maria Choir is formed by the classical sacred composers, including Palestrina, di Lasso and Vittoria. The Maria Choir, however, aims at stretching the limits and going beyond the repertoire normally performed by a church choir. The choir has shown that it dares to accept secular challenges, including a performance of Mikis Theodorakis´ powerful "Canto General". The choir has co-operated with several orchestras, such as the Västerås Sinfonietta and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. On several occasions the Maria Choir has also appeared on Swedish radio and television.

The choristers' willingness to meet challenges has resulted in the choir successfully participating in several choral competitions around Europe. The vocal quality and structure of the Maria Choir is constantly changing, due to the fact that a large part of the choristers is made up of students from senior high schools and the university in Västerås. It is therefore natural for the Maria Choir to safeguard and maintain its classical basis, but it is equally natural to gain a hearing for new captivating sounds.

The Maria Choir went to Germany on a concert tour in the fall of 2010 and received standing ovations after the concerts in Essen, Duisburg and Osnabrück. Follow the link below to read what was published (in German) after the concert in Osnabrück:

http://www.noz.de/lokales/48194781/zarter-sanctus-klang-aus-schweden

The English part of this home page is currently not covering as much as the Swedish part, e.g history and past performances are missing.