The Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) Choir was founded in 1941 for the needs of the radio programme at the time. Working first as a chamber ensemble, with time, it grew into the first large professional choir in Croatia. From its very beginnings, the HRT Choir (which has carried this name since 1991) has performed both independently and alongside the HRT Symphony Orchestra. The choir’s first independent public concert was held on 30 January 1943 at the Croatian Music Institute, where it was often joined by an orchestra in the cycle of public concerts. In its first years of work, the repertoire of the choir was shaped by conductors Mladen Pozajić, Dragan Gürtl, and Boris Papandopulo, and their path was continued by chief conductors Sergije Rainis, Vladimir Kranjčević, and Igor Kuljerić – whose creativity and years of leadership left a powerful mark and whose compositions have become a permanent part of the choir’s repertoire – as well as Tonči Bilić.
It was at Tonči Bilić’s urgings that the independent subscription cycle Sfumato was initiated, which included premieres of numerous compositions by Croatian authors and an anthological choir opus of world heritage. In 2016., the HRT Choir was granted membership in Tenso, Europe’s most noted chamber choir organisation. The discography of the HRT Choir includes many praised and award-winning releases, including more recent albums such as Igor Kuljerić: Kanconijer and Boris Papandopulo: Slavoslovije released by HRT, as well as Osluškivanja, Srećko Bradić – Author’s Album, Frano Parać: Carmina Krležiana and Missa Maruliana, and Berislav Šipuš: Pasija in the Ligatura edition (HRT and HDS/Cantus).
After the concert performance and CD release (cpo, BR-Klassik) of opera Ero the Joker by Jakov Gotovac in Munich in 2019, and a joint performance at the Herkulessaal in 2022, the HRT Choir achieved its third collaboration with the Munich Radio Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Ivan Repušić in December 2024: a concert performance of the opera Judita by Frano Parać at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. Since the 2017/2018 season, the choir has been led by Maestro Tomislav Fačini as the chief conductor.