Applications are now open for 2014 City of Derry International Choral Festival, taking place from 23rd – 26th October.
Similarly to 2013, the festival will take place across four days, from 23rd – 26th October, opening with primary and post-primary school competitions and workshops. National choirs from the UK and Ireland are invited to take part in a range of competitions on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October including Mixed Voice, Female Voice and Male Voice sections as well as Sacred, Youth, Barbershop and Gospel categories.
The International Competition, to be held on Saturday 25th October, will present a lineup of choirs of the highest international standing, who will compete for the bespoke “Oak Tree of Derry” Trophy, designed by acclaimed sculptor Maurice Harron, as well as a cash prize of £2,000.
In addition to the competitive activities, the festival will present three evening concerts showcasing local choirs and artists as well as a number of outstanding professional ensembles of the highest calibre. The expansion of the festival’s Choral and Sacred trails will also ensure that the exciting sounds of choral singing reach every community in every part of the city.
The Artistic Director of the Festival, Dónal Doherty, said, “In an outstanding year of cultural activity in the city during 2013, the inaugural choral festival marked yet another significant first, attracting more than 2,000 participants and attended by an audience of over 3,500. This year we plan to make it even bigger and better, with many local, national and international choirs already indicating their intention to attend. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Music City 2014 in October for what will undoubtedly be one of the musical highlights of the year. In the words of one of last year’s choirs – ‘This has been a world class event, we can’t wait to return’.”
The provisional timetable for the 2014 festival is as follows:
Thursday 23rd October
Primary school competitions and workshops
Opening Gala Concert
Friday 24th October
Post-primary school competitions and workshops
Evening concert
Saturday 25th October
National competitions for Female Voice, Male Voice, Mixed Voice, Gospel and Barbershop Music (morning and afternoon)
International Competition (evening)
Sunday 26th October
Sacred Trail (morning)
National competitions for Youth choirs and Sacred Music (afternoon)
Closing Gala Concert with awards ceremony (evening)
The Choral Trail will run throughout the weekend in city centre and wider community locations.
Go to: http://www.codichoral.com for more details