About us

The Academy of Music’s Girls Choir, Esbjerg, Denmark

The Academy of Music’s Girls Choir, Esbjerg was founded in 1983 and is run by Lone Gislinge, teacher at the Academy. The Choir numbers 52 girls aged 12 to 19 from in and around Esbjerg. The girls start in a preparatory choir used as a training choir for studens at the Academy in the subject children's choir. Once a week the girls meet at the Academy to practise, and for a short time they become a part of the environment. Over the years this has had a motivating and dynamic effect on the way the Choir has developed, resulting in all sorts of exciting work in collaboration with students and teachers alike.

The everyday life of the Choir is characterised by the girls coming together and working at the weekly practice sessions. The main purpose is to stimulate the girls’ curiosity about the many different forms of musical expression, so that they develop their love of singing, their musicality and their sense of working together. It has always been a matter of importance to preserve the Danish song and music traditions, and, using this as a foundation, explore the many different music genres

Twice a year the girls are performing with the international known Esbjerg Ensemble. Here the girls get the opportunity to meet professional music life and to share and extend their interest and love for music. Singing an all-round repertoire representing many genres and eras, reflecting their own music tradition, is an important goal. 

The Choir has travelled to, and given concerts in, many countries in Europe, the USA, Canada, South Korea, China, Uruguay, Gambia and South Africa. On these trips a number of contacts have been made with choirs from abroad, and often the Choir receives return visits in Esbjerg. The large number of trips and exchanges has given the Choir a chance to present Danish musictradition and youth culture, and it has also served to give the girls a great insight into foreign culture and ways of living, one that would have been difficult to obtain otherwise.

Visits to and from other girls’ choirs in Denmark have led to many meetings where the choirs have enjoyed musical gatherings and got inspiration for the daily work in the choir.

In the National Children’s Choir Competition the choir has won First Prize three times and has always finished with a high place in the Finals. In “World Choir Games” in China 2006, the choir achieved a silver medal. 2 gold diplomas at Bratislava international choir festival in 2010. Silver diploma X in European Choir Games in Magdeburg 2015. 2 gold diplomas and winner of the category in the Open Competition for Youth Choirs of Equal Voices in the World Choir Games in Tshwane 2018. The Choir did also take part in 10 transmissions of the TV-program “Before Sunday”, 2 portrait programs and 7 documentary-programs of the choirs travel to China.

The Girls’ Choir of the Academy of Music has released the albums, “Tit er jeg glad” (1994), “Plys” (1998); “Let the sunshine in” (2001), Salmer og Sange” (2001), “Lysvår” (2005), “Dejlig er Jorden” (2005), "Midsommer i Danmark" (2010) and "Kimer i klokker" (2016).

Lone Gislinge is lecturer at Academy of Music in Esbjerg since 1980. She teaches the subjects ear-training and choir-conducting and has been the conductor of The Academy of Music’s Girls Choir since its start in 1983. She is also conducting Trinity Boy´s and Men’s Choir in Esbjerg. Lone Gislinge is a frequent guest teacher and conductor at choir conventions and courses for conductors throughout the country.