Noted for his wide repertoire, German choral conductor Ralf Otto is well versed in both historically informed performance and contemporary vocal music. He studied at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts and the Goethe University Frankfurt, and after graduation he worked as a church musician at the Thomaskirche in Hofheim. In 1981 he founded Vokalensemble Frankfurt, a chamber choir that has performed internationally in competitions and concerts, concentrating on rarely performed works from all periods. Otto was named the artistic director of the Bach Choir Mainz in 1986, and he has also directed Ensemble Modern and the London Sinfonietta Voices. Between 1990 and 2006, he was professor of choral conducting at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, and then taught at the University of Music in Mainz. He has performed as a guest conductor of choirs and orchestras across Europe, and he has been a director of music festivals in Frankfurt, Paris, Toulouse, Lourdes, Maastricht, Porto Torres, and Santiago de Compostela. ~ Blair Sanderson