Founded in 2000 by Lluís Vilamajó, the Orfeó Català Girls’ Choir comprises forty-two young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, most of whom started out in the Orfeó Català’s children’s choirs. Montserrat Meneses is its conductor, and Maria Mauri is its pianist. The freshness, flexibility and tenderness of their voices lend an attractive and unique sound to their concerts. However, the work of the Girl’s Choir goes beyond the vocal sphere, with successful ventures into new experiences that explore other areas, such as the incorporation of theatrical components.
The choir has performed in various towns and cities in Spain, Germany, France, Slovenia, Canada, Ireland and Austria. In 2005, it received an award at the Cantonigròs Festival. In the 2016-17 season, it participated in the Heimat Project with the Mädchenchor Hannover under the direction of Simon Halsey. In July 2018, it appeared for the first time at the Festival Grec, performing the opera The Monster in the Maze by J. Dove alongside the choirs of the Orfeó Català and the National Youth Orchestra of Catalonia (JONC). In 2019, the choir made its debut at the Berlin Philharmonie, invited to join the Berliner Philharmoniker Vocal Heroes choral project conducted by Simon Halsey; it was also a finalist in the Let the Peoples Sing amateur choir competition. It has premièred Les trompetes de la mort by M. Timón with the Vallès Symphony Orchestra (OSV), the show La vie en rose, La victòria de la dona lluna by F. Cruixent and the show centred on Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, alongside Vespres d’Arnadí and with stage direction by Marc Rosich. In 2023, highlights included the inauguration of the Grec, with the show The Pulse alongside the Australian contemporary circus company Gravity and Other Myths, and the subsequent international tour to Montreal (Canada), Galway (Ireland) and Graz (Austria).
Highlights of this 2024-25 season include a performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets with the OBC in L’Auditori, conducted by Gemma New, and an exchange with the Danish choir Nordlys in Copenhagen (May 2025). Also of note is the choir’s concert to perform the Primfila programme, conducted by Montserrat Meneses, and its participation in John Taverner’s The Veil of the Temple, together with the Orfeó Català and the choirs of the Orfeó Català Choir School.
