Johannebergskyrkan Choir Concert: From darkness to light

Katie Thomas is British (Welsh) choral conductor. She directs and coaches professional choirs and non-professional choruses throughout the UK and Europe. In 2023 Katie Thomas was appointed Chorus Director of Gothenburg Symphony Choir and Conductor of the professional-voice Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble. Dividing time between Sweden and her London base, she maintains her longstanding position as Vocal Coach and Assistant Chorus Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus in addition to freelance work in the UK. Previous engagements include Guest Conductor BBC Singers, Guest Chorus Master MDR Rundfunkchor (Leipzig) and Associate Conductor of 250-voice Barts Choir of London, whilst forthcoming highlights involve collaborations with Vocalconsort Berlin and Le Foyer des Artistes. Katie Thomas is a visiting conductor to the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the choirs of the Royal College of Music. She is a tutor in choral conducting technique for the Association of British Choral Directors and adjudicates at choral festivals worldwide for INTERKULTUR. As a soprano, Katie Thomas was a member of professional choirs including The Monteverdi Choir, Polyphony and the Academy of Ancient Music, touring major international concert venues including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein Vienna and Carnegie Hall New York. With London Voices, she has recorded numerous film and video-game soundtracks, chiefly at Abbey Road Studios, as well as broadcasting extensively on tv and national radio. In 2020, Katie Thomas was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for distinguished service to the music profession, and for significant contribution in the field of conducting and choral music.

The Gothenburg Symphony Vocal Ensemble (GSVE) was formed in 2016 and consists of 12 professional singers. The ensemble works both as part of the Gothenburg Symphony Choir in major symphonic works performed together with the Gothenburg Symphony, and as an independent ensemble under the direction of Katie Thomas. GSVE is a group of experienced and versatile singers, who perform varied programs and explore a wide repertoire, from medieval music to newly commissioned works. The ensemble has previously collaborated with, among others, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Barockakademin Göteborgs Symfoniker and performs regular vocal programs both in Gothenburg's Concert Hall and around the Västra Götaland region.

The choir was founded in 1917 by cousins Elsa and Wilhelm Stenhammar. Elsa Stenhammar was one of the driving forces in turn-of-the-century choir life in Gothenburg and became the choir's first rehearser. On December 8, 1917, the choir debuted in Beethoven's Choir Fantasy with Wilhelm Stenhammar as soloist at the grand piano. As the country's oldest symphonic choir, they were able to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017 with a big celebratory concert where Mozart and Brahms as well as Stenhammar, Elfrida Andrée and Björn & Benny were on the program. The Gothenburg Symphony Choir is a non-profit association that is linked to the Gothenburg Symphony. The choir participates in concerts and performances under both the orchestra's and its own auspices. The music is mixed and the repertoire extensive. The Gothenburg Symphony Choir has participated in concerts in, among other places, the Royal Albert Hall and Canterbury Cathedral in England, as well as participated with the Gothenburg Symphony in the annual music festival in the Canary Islands and on a tour to China.