Between June and September this year, there are so many choral festivals, competitions, and conferences taking place, that there’s no chance of having a quiet summer off. So take your pick from the list below, then pack your bags, your scores and your pencils, and get ready for a summer of singing! Here is a short overview of what’s on offer over the next few months.
Chorus America conference, Los Angeles, California, USA (21-24 June)
This major event in the US choral music calendar is attended by over 500 conductors, singers and suppliers to the choral industry and offers a great opportunity for personal development and networking through seminars, workshops, talks, reading sessions, and performances. OUP’s Choral Promotion Manager, Joel Rinsema, will be taking part in a session on ‘Making a Major Artistic Leadership Transition’.
Grand Prix of Nations and the European Choir Games, Riga, Latvia (16-23 July)
This July, over 25,000 singers from over 400 choirs will descend upon Riga (nicknamed the ‘Paris of the North’) for the Grand Prix of Nations and European Choir Games. The event will also be combined with the inaugural Eurovision Choir of the Year competition, for which John Rutter, as an Honourary Artistic President for Interkultur, is a jury panel member.
During the week of the Games, choirs from around the world can take part in coaching sessions, (including a 90 minute workshop with John Rutter), as well as giving non-competitive performances in front of an international panel of choral experts. Singers will also be able to join in with concerts all around the city, and the Closing Concert for the Festival that involves tens of thousands of singers.
The Grand Prix of Nations offers choirs of any level and type (from children’s choir to folklore) an opportunity to take part in one of three different choir competitions, depending on their experience and skill.
Three Choirs Festival 2017, Worcester, England (22-29 July)
The Three Choirs Festival is an internationally renowned event that celebrated its three-hundred-year-anniversary in 2015, attracting singers, audiences and composers from around the world. The Festival includes choral and orchestral performances, recitals, masterclasses and talks, exhibitions, walks and theatre performances.
This short documentary gives an fascinating insight into the Festival’s history:
The Festival programme is available online.
11th World Symposium on Choral Music, Barcelona, Spain (22-29 July)
This is a major choral event that takes place once every three years, and brings together over 3000 professional and amateur singers and conductors as well as publishers, those who organise choral festival and competitions, and composers from around all around the world.
The week-long programme includes concerts, lectures, masterclasses and an exhibition showcasing a huge range of suppliers to the choral industry, including Oxford University Press. We’re excited that during the event, a new work by Bob Chilcott, God of the Open Air, will be premiered.
Association of British Choral Directors Conference, Glasgow, Scotland (27-29 August)
This year, ABCD goes to Glasgow, a UNESCO Creative City. This vibrant and inspirational event really is the highlight of the choral conductor’s calendar in the UK. Composers, conductors and choirs spend a weekend taking part in gala concerts, workshops, singing sessions, conducting masterclasses, plenary discussions and much more.
This year don’t miss the dinner and jazz session with OUP composer Bob Chilcott, or the various workshops with Will Todd exploring his approach to composition.
And if none of these events appeal to you, there are even more options to fill your choral summer:
- Crescent City Choral Festival, New Orleans (20-29 June), which Bob Chilcott will be attending as guest artist/conductor.
- One of the many regional meetings of the American Choral Director’s Association that take place over the summer. These include: Ohio (19-21 June); Oregon (25-26 June); Montana (29-30 June); Colorado (17-18 July) where you can meet Mack Wilberg; Arkansas (17-19 July); Washington State (19-21 July).
- The Coralua Trondheim International Choir Festival, Norway (8-11 July) where Bob Chilcott will be running a series of workshops.
We hope to see you at one of these fantastic events this summer.
Featured image credit: Glasgow the Cathedral church, by Kamyq. CC0 Public Domain via Pixabay.
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