Sofi Jeannin (born 6 September 1976) is a Swedish choral conductor and mezzo-soprano.

Biography

Born in Stockholm to a Swedish mother and a French father, Jeannin grew up in

Lindesberg Lindesberg () is a locality and the seat of Lindesberg Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 9,672 inhabitants in 2017. History Lindesberg has centuries old history, being the center of an old mining district. The earliest known traces ...

, following her parents' divorce when she was age 8. In her youth, Jeannin studied piano and singing. She continued her musical education at the

Conservatoire de Nice The Conservatoire Pierre Cochereau à rayonnement régional de Nice (C.R.R. de Nice) is a state-run regional music and dance conservatoire which serves the French city of Nice ( Alpes-Maritimes). It was founded by Adeline Ballet, a pianist, in 1916 ...

, where her instructors included Bertrand Dutour de Salvert. Jeannin additionally studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, where she also sang with the institution's vocal ensemble. In the UK, Jeannin continued studies in choral conducting at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

(London), where her teachers included Paul Spicer. As a mezzo-soprano, she began to sing with

London Voices London Voices is a London-based choral ensemble founded by Terry Edwards (1939-2022) in 1973. In its early years, it also incorporated the London Opera Chorus and London Sinfonietta Voices and Chorus. In 2004, Ben Parry, became co-director of the ...

in 2005. In 2005, Jeannin joined the faculty of the Royal College of Music Junior Department, teaching singing and choral singing, and has also taught at Imperial College. At the RCM, in November 2006, Jeannin conducted the UK premiere of ''Consolation I'' by

Helmut Lachenmann Helmut Friedrich Lachenmann (born 27 November 1935) is a German composer of contemporary classical music. His work has been associated with "instrumental musique concrète". Life and works Lachenmann was born in Stuttgart and after the end of ...

. From 2006 to 2008, Jeannin taught choral conducting at the Conservatoire d'Évry. Since March 2008, she has directed the

Maîtrise de Radio France Maîtrise de Radio France (known as Maîtrise de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française prior to 1975) is the choir school of Radio France. The school and its choir were founded in 1946 by the composer Henry Barraud and the pedagogue Maurice D ...

, with responsibility for amateur choir training, free choral instruction for young people, and work with the neighbourhood children of Bondy. In July 2015, she became music director of the Choeur de Radio France, the first woman to hold the title. Her tenure with the Choeur de Radio France was through the 2017-2018 season. In January 2017, Jeannin first guest-conducted the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers are a British chamber choir, and the professional chamber choir of the BBC. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time professional British c ...

in a concert at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champion ...

. In May 2017, the BBC announced her appointment as the next chief conductor of the BBC Singers, effective July 2018. She is the first female conductor to be named to the post, and the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of a BBC classical music ensemble. Jeannin made her debut at

The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

in August 2017. with the BBC Singers and the

City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English chamber orchestra based in London. CLS performs regularly across the city of London in venues from East London clubs to traditional Central London concert halls. CLS is orchestra-in-residence at Opera ...

Awards and honours

Jeannin received the medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians of London in 2005. Her other honours include: * ''

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

'' (2009) * '' Chevalier des Palmes Académiques'' (2018) * ''

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

'' (2021)

References

External links

French-language page on Sofi Jeannin, Music Director of the Maitrise de Radio France

Hear and Now, playlist for 25 November 2006 programme on BBC Radio 3

Richard Whitehouse, Feature Review: Transcendent – The Music of Helmut Lachenmann. Classical Source, November 2006

BBC Singers programme page, 'Music for Epiphany', 7 January 2017, St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeannin, Sofi 1976 births Living people Royal College of Music, Stockholm alumni Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Swedish choral conductors Women conductors (music) Musicians from Stockholm 21st-century conductors (music)