The “Chorale universitaire de Louvain” was created in September 2004 by Charlotte Messiaen, and supported by the academic authorities, to accompany events of University life and to give students the opportunity to sing in a quality Choir with a varied repertoire. The choir represents UCLouvain in Belgium and abroad.
Made up of about forty young members, the choir is associated with liturgical celebrations marking the start of the academic year, University celebrations, or for retiring of professors. It has contributed to the inauguration of the Ferme du Biéreau, sang multiple Christmas concerts in the Brabant Wallon, sang in the Cathedral of Brussels, and the Aula Magna, as well as at the “Nuit de Beloeil”.
Among the choir’s partners can be found the “Chorale de l’Alma“, the “Orchestre Symphonique des Etudiants de Louvain-la-neuve”, the “Quatuor Lamina“, the “Orchestre Jean-Noël Hamal“, the “Orchestre symphonique des Jeunes de Bruxelles“ and the soloists of the “Chapelle musicale Reine Elisabeth”.
On several occasions, the Choir has collaborated with other university choirs, such as: in 2017, the Choir was invited to Cluj, Romania, to sing with Visszhang kórusin, in 2018 to Dublin to sing with the Trinity College Singers, in 2019 tu Edinburgh with the Stirling University Choir or lately in Lyon (April 2022) to sing with the UCLy choirs.
The choir has recorded four CDs, one of which records the folkloric songs of regional student groups present around the campus of Louvain-la-Neuve, while the most recent one showcases our favourite Christmas Carols from around the world.
The choir is open to students, PhD students, postdocs, assistants, young professors and researchers from the UCLouvain and the high schools of Louvain-La-Neuve.