Don Kosaken Chor Serge Jaroff

The legendary conductor and choirmaster Serge Jaroff (1896–1985) studied church music at the Synodal Academy. In 1919, while fleeing Bolshevik rule as a Cossack lieutenant, he ended up near Istanbul, where he founded the Don Cossack Choir in 1920. In 1923, the ensemble made its debut at Vienna’s Hofburg, after which the choir began to receive worldwide recognition. Over the decades, the choir achieved great popularity in Europe and the United States thanks to its unique sound, high level of performance, and distinctly individual tonal character. Jaroff’s work was continued by Wanja Hlibka (born 1948), the youngest soloist of the original choir, who performed with it until the ensemble ceased its activities. In the 1980s and 1990s, he revived the choir, updated its repertoire, preserved the singing traditions of the original choir, and added contemporary tonal colours. Today, Don Kosaken is an established German brand and a German company that enjoys great popularity in Germany and Austria. In addition to Jaroff’s traditional songs, the repertoire has been expanded to include many Ukrainian folk songs, Christmas songs and new sacred repertoire, as well as world hits and cover versions. The ensemble consists almost entirely of Ukrainian singers, including prominent performers from earlier years. Since 2023, under the direction of Pyotr Morozov, who previously worked on the world’s opera stages for more than twenty years and was the founder and conductor of several projects, the ensemble has experienced a new rise and flourishing: new colours and nuances have appeared in its sound, and a new, younger audience from contemporary generations has begun attending its concerts. Wanja Hlibka personally entrusted him with the artistic direction.