Ep. 147 - Challenging the Choir with a Playful Spirit - Jonas Rasmussen

“What most people want to get out of choir is to feel a progression, that they slowly master the craft of choral music. For every warm-up, I boil it down to make it simple but also find the sweet spot where I can challenge the singers to get out of their comfort zone or dare to fail. The bravery to fail is crucial to the music making we’ll be doing after the warm-up. Exercises that are on the brink of what is doable will have them on the edge of their seat in a playful spirit. It’s always with a smile, always fun. If you make a mistake, no one will judge you. We can’t grow if we don’t make mistakes.”Jonas Rasmussen (b. 1992) is a Danish conductor, composer, content creator and educator who has quickly established himself as one of the most distinctive choral voices of his generation. Known for his ability to combine artistic ambition with playfulness and accessibility, he is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Novum, Academic Choir Aarhus and Youth Choir Aarhus U, and teaches classical choral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus.Jonas’ ensembles have won some of the most prestigious international choral prizes, including the World Choral Championship in Tokyo (2019), the Grand Prix at the Rimini International Choral Competition (2018), the European Broadcasting Union’s competition Let the Peoples Sing in Barcelona (2019), and the World Choral Cup in Barcelona (2022). In 2023 and again in 2025, he brought home multiple gold medals at the European Choir Games, Europe’s biggest choral competition. Both his ensembles choirs are now ranked in the top 10 on INTERKULTUR’s official top 1000 list of choirs from all around the world – with Youth Choir Aarhus U as #2 and Academic Choir Aarhus as #8.Education and mentorship are central to Jonas’ work. In 2025, he started to post content online for a wider international audience and the response has been remarkable. In the first 10 months, Jonas has achieved just short of 350.000 followers across platforms and that number is quickly growing. He is frequently invited as a workshop leader for choral organizations in Denmark and abroad where his engaging style and ability to connect with singers of all levels are widely appreciated. Jonas’ vision is to position choral music as a living, evolving art form – not a museum piece, but something that constantly redefines itself through collaboration, innovation, and community. Whether on the concert stage, in a classroom, or online, his work is driven by the belief that choir singing is one of the most powerful ways to create meaning and connection between people.To get in touch with Jonas, you can find him on Instagram (@choirconductor).Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace HudsonLOTL: Queer ConversationWe all crave Queer Conversations. Follow the link to listen.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify