„Schöne Töne“ Live
with the RSB

Ralf Sochaczewsky received conducting lessons under Christian Grube and Marc Piollet at the Berlin University of the Arts. Later he studied choir conducting under Jörg-Peter Weigle and orchestral conducting under Prof. Reuter at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler”.

He directs the Berlin choir Cantus Domus, with which he won a 1st prize at the Berlin Choir Competition in 2017 and a 3rd prize at the 8th Choir Competition of the Deutscher Musikrat in Dortmund . From 1998 to 2012, he conducted the Ensemberlino Vocale choir and successfully participated in choir competitions (1st prize at Chorfest Bremen (Bremen Choir Festival) 2008).

He regularly works with choirs like the Berlin Vocalconsort, the Cappella Amsterdam, the RIAS Kammerchor, and the Berliner Rundfunkchor.

In 2016, he conducted the European premiere of the oratorio “Anthracite Fields” by Julia Wolfe, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2015, with the DR Vocalensemble and Bang on a Can-All Stars.

Ralf Sochaczewsky has performed with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the National Radio Orchestra Bucharest, and the Chamber Orchestra of the Minsk Philharmonic. He conducted operas at the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Opera National du Rhin, and the Lithuanian National Opera.

Ralf Sochaczewsky collaborated with various pop groups and artists such as Stargaze and André de Ridder, Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan, and Tocotronic. With Cantus Domus, he is a regular guest at festivals such as HaldernPop and KalternPop.

He teaches choral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler”. For his great service to the Berlin choir scene, the Chorverband Berlin awarded him the Geschwister Mendelssohn Medal in 2017.

Sven fell in love with music as a kid through his selfbuild radios, some parents’ vinyls and the local brass bands in his small East German home town. Electronic bricolage was his first passion and remained a creative element in Sven’s later orchestra and choral music. He started making music on the guitar, later learned clarinet and moved on to drums and piano. The self-taught composer’s acclaimed debut album Pocket Symphonies has been released on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.

Sven’s works have been staged by renowned artist like BBC Singers, Fauré Quartett, cellist Jan Vogler and conductor Kristjan Järvi. On stage, Sven performs live-electronics and percussion alongside the ensembles.

Sven is a long time collaborator of Industrial-Metal band Rammstein and british Pop icons Pet Shop Boys. He orchestrated their ballet “The Most Incredible Thing”, premiered at Sadler’s Wells/London, as well as “A Man from the Future”, premiered at Royal Albert Hall/London.

He hosts his weekly radio show Schöne Töne on Berlin’s Radio 1, celebrating music history and contemporary artists.