13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World
Intro
English composer John Rutter once claimed that “choral music is not one of life’s frills. It’s something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls.” If you’re on the same wavelength – and you know there’s nothing like hearing the music of a harmonious choir in person – then browse our list of amazing choir festivals, and pick one that will be music to your ears!

By Giorgia Capozzi

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
yule
Yule Duel in Vancouver, Canada – On 6 December 2018, the streets of Vancouver’s historic downtown, Gastown, will be swarming with festive crowds enticed by the sounds of a unique musical experience: the Yule Duel. This street-carolling competition brings together choirs from across the Lower Mainland and offers them an urban stage along Water Street, where they’ll regale onlookers with Christmas songs and compete in a series of sing-offs in a variety of languages and choral styles. But there’s more: all proceeds for the event go towards May’s Place Hospice, which has provided shelter for disadvantaged people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside over 25 years. Cheer on your favourite singers, hum along and donate to a good cause.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Choir games
World Choir Games in Gothenburg, Sweden – Merging vocal music with an Olympic Games format and spirit, the Grand Prix of Nations & 4th European Choir Games is a happy combination between a choir contest and a non-competitive choral festival. Having been hosted in Austria, Germany and Latvia in the past four editions, for 2019 singers from all over the world are invited to compete and celebrate a grand festival of choral music in Sweden – a proud nation of choristers. Come for the festival stage choirs, parade of nations, 10 competition categories and friendship concerts – and feel the music of Europe!

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
pusteria
Alta Pusteria in Val Pusteria, South Tyrol, Italy and Austria – From 19-23 June 2019, the alpine beauty of Puster Valley in South Tyrol will provide a stunning backdrop for The Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival. Now in its 21st iteration, this non-competitive event gives participating vocal ensembles (comprising 65,000 singers from 5 continents) the unique chance to bring the hills to life with the sound of music – any music, without restrictions in terms of periods or musical genres. Along with performances and friendly meetups, visitors are spoiled for choice between indoor and outdoor concerts: on lake shores, in medieval castles and in the churches of the valley’s main towns.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Tutti
Tutti Choirs in South Australia – “Tutti” is Italian for “everyone”, and literally everyone is more than welcome in this special ensemble, where inclusion is more than just a talking point. Open to disabled and non-disabled singers of any age, Tutti Choir regularly performs in Adelaide and around South Australia, where it’s famous for its uplifting productions such as Beastly, Say No More and Impersonal Space, which describes the universe of autism through the words and gestures of actors on the spectrum. Tutti Choir also gave rise to The Sisters of Invention, the world’s first disabled all-girl pop group made up of five young women singers who starred in the award-winning series Pop-Ability.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Grant
Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, IL, USA – In the 80 years since its founding in 1935, the Grant Park Music Festival has come a long way. As a creative response to the Great Depression of the 1930s, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak joined forces with James C. Petrillo, the then-president of the musicians’ union, to launch what would become a cherished summertime tradition. Led today by Artistic Director Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell, the orchestra and chorus gather against the sweeping background of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for a 10-week series of performances that earned them a Grammy nomination in 2004, as well as the 2006 Margaret Hillis Award for artistic excellence.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
munich
Various Choral Events in Munich, Germany – When it comes to proper singing, the Bavarian capital offers more than the bawdy warblings of beer lovers at Oktoberfest. In fact, there’s a variety of choral hubs around Munich, best narrowed down to three groups and events that flood the city with their vocal stylings throughout the year: ESME e.V., a non-profit organisation featuring three core ensembles (an orchestra, choir and big band) of more than 130 members representing over 20 nationalities; VAS (Vocal Art Society) directed by American baritone Robert Gardner, which brings together amateurs and professional singers from all over the world; and the Barbershop Music Festival, a bi-annual vocal showdown featuring performances by top international barbershop groups under the motto “Pure A Cappella – Pure Power!”

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Peace
World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna, Austria – The name says it all: the World Peace Choral Festival wants to raise its voice(s) and wield music as a powerful instrument for achieving world harmony. Under the motto “coming together to sing, singing for a better future”, this festival offers a unique platform for children and young singers from different countries to perform classical, contemporary and folk music – and engage in intercultural dialogue. The opening ceremony at St. Stephan’s Cathedral, together with choir performances at the United Nations Headquarters and a gala concert within the elegant framework of Vienna Musikverein’s Concert Hall, infuse the festival with a touch of grandeur.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Healdsburg
Healdsburg Jazz Festival Freedom Jazz Choir in Healdsburg, CA, USA – The only thing more fun than listening to a choir? Actually being part of one! The Healdsburg Jazz Festival hosts public performances by acclaimed musicians in beautiful venues all over town, but it also marks the occasion when the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Freedom Jazz Choir presents a special “Lift Every Voice and Sing” concert series. Led by bassist and composer Marcus Shelby, the choir opens its ranks to aspiring singers of all ages and musical experiences, who’re only required to commit to four rehearsals before taking part in the final performance.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
UK Choirs
UK Choir Festivals across the United Kingdom – For anyone who’s already applying their talents as part of a singing ensemble, and would like to tune their instrument, the 2019 UK Choir Festival features great workshops and unparalleled learning from some of the best choir leaders in the UK. The festival is designed for choir groups of all abilities and ages – from school choirs to church choirs and local community ensembles – and aims to help them learn and share singing techniques in a supportive, fun environment.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Serenade
Serenade! Choral Festival in Washington DC, USA – From 3-9 July 2019, premier concert tour company Classical Movements will kick off the 9th edition of Serenade! Choral Festival, inviting vocal ensembles of all kinds to gather in Washington D.C. for a celebration of choral music, this year revolving around the theme “The Human Journey: Music, Migration & Identity”. Free to the public (donations for local non-profits are welcome), Serenade! has so far showcased more than 83 choirs from 32 countries at prestigious venues throughout the US capital.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Polifonico
Polifonico “Guido D’Arezzo” in Arezzo, Italy – The “Guido d’Arezzo” International Choral Competition has numbered among the world’s most important choral events since 1952, showcasing a range of repertoires and styles, as well as an annual International Composition Competition. Named after the inventor of modern musical notation, Guido of Arezzo, this choral event takes place in August in a beautiful town about an hour south of Florence. An absolute must for fans of choral music.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Gospel Rising
The Gospel Rising Music Festival in Dublin, Ireland – One of the most epic events revolving around an epic singing style, this gospel festival will launch its 10th edition in Dublin in 2019, ready to rock various venues of the Irish capital with soul-stirring jazz and blues combined with Christian praise music – think Sister Act on steroids. Get ready for an incredible range of activities and events, from workshops to drum circles and New Age sound baths.

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Events
13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World.
Pub Choir
Pub Choir in Australia and New Zealand – Want to sing your heart out, but perhaps not ready for the big leagues? Try Pub Choir, a recurring series of events organised at various pubs and music festivals, with the goal of letting anyone and everyone take part in a choral masterpiece. All you do is show up to the pub hosting the event, and along with hundreds of other strangers, you learn a song in 3-part harmony in 90 minutes. You all perform it twice, and have it captured on video for progeny. As the organisers promise: no auditions, no solos, no commitments, no sheet music, NO WORRIES. Just great fun.

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13 Awe-Inspiring Choral Festivals Around The World

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