The artistic direction in the Aarhus Student Singers has, since 2000, been maintained by Dorthe Gårdbo who, among others, was taught by Jørgen Fuglebæk at the Musicscientific Institute at Aarhus University. Jørgen Fuglebæk is the conductor of the Student Singer Organisation in Copenhagen and with him as her mentor, Dorthe has acquired a firm sense of the unique musical expression that signifies male voice choir singing and in particular the tradition of student singing. Dorthe also trained under Niels Nørgaard (known from Basix) and has also furthered her conducting studies with Alice Granum og Helle Høyer.
Dorthe is young and dynamic and at times demanding with regards to herself and her singers. This, combined this with her infectious humour, often results in the choir managing to rehearse and perform demanding and difficult works. As an example, we have with Dorthe rehearsed “Mass for the New Millennium” which was performed with an orchestra, soloists and a line of choirs from the city for the 2000 Aarhus Festival. Apart from conducting the Aarhus Student Singers, Dorthe has also conducted other choirs and ensembles e.g. Kolding Chamber Choir and in addition she teaches at various music schools, is a music facilitator and conducts workshops.