Founded in 1886, the Bilbao Choral Society has been led by a series of renowned conductors, including Cleto Zabala, Jesús Guridi and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Gorka Sierra has been at the helm since 1984. The Society has given the Spanish premières of such works as Brahms’s German Requiem, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Orff’s Carmina Burana. It has also given the world première of Arambarri’s Castilla, Escudero’s Illeta and Gorka Sierra’s Gernika. The Bilbao Choral Society has appeared with some of the world’s best orchestras, garnering national and international acclaim.