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 From British Choirs on the net

these festivals encourage and welcome international choir participation

 2008  
17 – 20 January Choral Festival Paris  Organized since 1995 with friendship concerts and a gala evening in the UNESCO congress hall. An exiting place to show the power and tolerance of music and the opportunity to meet many choirs at the cocktail bar after the concert. ..more
6 – 10 February 1st International Forum – Voice, Youth and Arts Management. The forum will take place in Caen (France), February 6-10, 2008. Please find more information on the following website:
http://www.ifcm.net/youthforum The number of seats is limited, candidates will have to apply very soon. So far, 37 candidates have applied. The application form is provided on the above mentioned website.
14 – 17 February Cantate Amsterdam  The city of windmills, canals, and tulips is the centre of choral music in February/March every year. Friendship concerts in churches and concert halls and a final concert in the Westerkerk, the largest church in Amsterdam are the musical highlights – the social highlight is a festive farewell dinner with music. ..more
7 – 8 March Coleraine International Choral Festival, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Ladies, Male, Mixed, Youth, Barbershop Chorus and Quartet. Category prizes (Overall winner £1000). Free Irish Welcome Night. Assistance with travel for participating choirs. See the What’s On section at www.northcoastni.com
28 – 31 March Cantate Bavaria  The Bavarian capital during the springtime with friendship concerts and a final concert in the glorious St-Michael’s Church, followed by a Bavarian dinner with beer and music. ..more
15 – 19 April 1st International Choral Competition for Children’s Choirs “Il Garda in Coro”, will take place in Malcesine, Lake Garda, Verona, Italy Date of the competition: 15th – 16th – 17th – 18th – 19th April, 2008. In order to increase activities for children’s choirs, the Association “Il Garda in Coro” will organize in April 2008, the 1st Edition of the “International Competition for Children’s Choirs” open to children younger than 16 years, to promote choral music and cultural exchange between different people, respecting and increasing value of different national peculiarities. The competition is opened to all the children’s choirs coming from all the world (children must be born after 1st January, 1992). Two are the admitted categories: secular programme (Cat. A) and sacred programme (Cat. B). Deadline for applications: 31st December, 2007. Total prize: Euro 4.500,00 Registration fee per choir per category: Euro 75,00. For more information email info@ilgardaincoro.it or visit website www.ilgardaincoro.it  
24 – 27 April Slovakia Cantat 2008, International Choir and Folksong Choir Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia  Competition, workshop, concerts in the Bratislava churches. Contact: Bratislava Choral Agency, Záhumenská 3, 84106 Bratislava, Slovak republic. E-mail: info@choral-music.sk, Website: http://www.choral-music.sk/web.php/en/slovakia-cantat
17 May 2008 WEST LONDON SANGERSTEVNE – All choirs are invited to take part in this non-competitive international choral festival, the fourth of its kind to be organised in Ealing, West London. Choirs who took part in past Sangerstevner include Chantage (BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year 2006), Spillum Damekor (Norway), Les Polysons (France), Colla Voce (Worcester),  The Knights of Harmony (Chesham) and Cantorion Pontyclun (Wales).  To find out more, visit www.sangerstevne.org.uk
21 – 25 May The 3rd International Sacred Music Festival Bratislava, Slovakia  Competition, workshop, concerts in the Bratislava churches. Contact: Bratislava Choral Agency, Záhumenská 3, 84106 Bratislava, Slovak republic. E-mail: info@choral-music.sk, Website: http://www.choral-music.sk/web.php/en/musica-sacra-bratislava
2 – 14 July Melodia! South American Music Festival is open to treble and mixed voice choirs from all over the world; guest conductor Doreen Rao conducts combined choir performances with orchestra; festival also includes individual choir concerts, a South American music workshop, outreach and cultural exchanges, outstanding venues, enthusiastic audiences. Festival Locations:  Petropolis (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina, and La Plata (Argentina). Festival conductor for 2008 is Francisco J. Núñez. …more
5 – 8 July The 22nd International Choir Festival of Nis – Serbia with take place from 5th to 8th July 2008
8 – 13 July Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 28 competitions including 10 for choirs and another nine for vocal and instrumental solos; concluding with ‘Choir of the World’ final competition of the winners of the Mixed, Male, Female, Barbershop and Chamber Choir classes.  Evening Concerts including competitor groups and professional artists.  Children’s and Youth Days.  Full Details on Website: www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk Phone: 01978 862000.
9 – 19 July The 5th World Choir Games will take place in Graz, Austria. For more info visit www.worldchoirgames.com
10 – 22 July Rhapsody! Prague Children’s Music Festival with guest conductor Joan Gregoryk.  Masses, individual concert & joint concerts at outstanding venues with professional orchestra and local choir in Vienna, Salzburg & Prague. Workshop, musical exchanges, tours, festival certificate & T shirt. Festival conductor for 2008 is Francisco J. Núñez.   …more
12 – 18 July 2nd International Male Choir Festival, Catalonia  The “Federació de Cors de Clavé” (Federation of Clavé’s choirs) is a non-profit organization declared of public interest by Spanish government that gathers together about 150 choirs, whose some of them are male choirs. It is the oldest federation in Catalonia –its origins date back to 1862- and it works in the geographic area where Catalan language is present. On 2005 we have organized the 1st Male Choirs International Festival www.menschoirs.net, in which 6 choirs around the globe took part: Basque Country, USA, Wales, Serbia, Czech Republic and Yugoslavia. It was an international and successful event for culture and choir music. A committee of musical experts will be in charge of selecting the choirs. The result of the selection will be published on November, 2007. Interested choirs should send, before 30th September 2007, the application along with a Brief history of the choir, experience and relevant facts, interpretation style, recordings and all what they consider relevant to: Federació de Cors de Clavé, Pl. de Víctor Balaguer 5, 4art E-08003 Barcelona (Spain)
info@menschoirs.net www.menschoirs.net
15 – 23 July The Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival takes place in Hawaii  ..more
19 – 26 July The 8th World Symposium on Choral Music – WSCM8- will be jointly hosted by the International Federation for Choral Music and the organisation Choral Denmark  ...more
21 – 25 July Calling all Youth Choirs who wish to be part of an exciting festival at Disneyland Paris! This is a new choral festival taking place at Disneyland. Choirs can perform (subject to audition) in their own concerts as well as the massed piece which will be a fantastic Disney medley, stay in the resort and get to enjoy the most popular theme park in Europe! The package includes 4 nights at the Disney Hotel Cheyenne, a 2 day hopper ticket for both the main park and the Disney Studios- ALL FOR ONLY £495 (with a minimum of 40 paying singers. 5 adult places are included free of charge!) Choirs who wish to perform in central Paris can extend the tour by a day. This festival is run by Club Europe, a specialist in youth concert tours so all health and safety issues are taken care of. This festival is a great alternative to the competitive and sometimes highly pressured choral events. All young singers are guaranteed to have fun! For more information please email info@club-europe.co.uk or phone 020 8291 8252.
30 July – 3 August Béla Bartók International Choir Competition in Debrecen, Hungary. Our aim is to serve the international contemporary choral music and to familiarize the folklore roots of several invited folk groups and the participants – to embody Bartók’s and Kodály’s will: creating a synthesis of East and West. As member of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singin Association Béla Bartók International Choir Competition is among the most prestigious contests of Europe. We desire to be a home of choral singing, and to host choirs from all around the world to be able to make known the manifoldness of the contemporary choir music of all continents. The choirs may compete in six cathegories: Children’s, youth (equal voices and mixed choirs), female, male, chamber and mixed choirs. The winner of each category can take part in the Grand Prize Competition.           Prizes of the Competition: 1000 EUR – 2000 EUR + special prizes. For any other details please read the attached competition announcement or visit www.bbcc.hu or contact us at bartokcomp@bbcc.hu. Application deadline is 31th  October 2007.
1 – 6 August 2008 VI International Choral Festival and IV International choral competition “THE SINGING WORLD” in St. Petersburg (Russia) will take place from the 1st to the 6th of August, 2008. We suggest to choirs and vocal ensembles of various styles, levels and origins from all over the world to participate in this event. The Festival will offer to participants the welcoming atmosphere for professional dialogue to share experiences and repertoire, the possibility of promoting long-term contacts among the choirs. If you should require further information please contact us directly at the following email addresses: ansolyan@mail.ru or visit our web site www.interfestplus.spb.ru www.singingworld.spb.ru
2 – 9 August Three Choirs Festival For nearly three hundred years the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester have taken it in turn to host an annual music meeting. The 2007 Three Choirs Festival takes place in Worcester …more
1 – 4 October The “Friends of Choral Music” Foundation organise the 5th International Choral Festival, which will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria  ...more
1 – 4 October The First International Festival “INTERFOLK IN RUSSIA” will take place from the 1st to the 4th October 2008. We would like to suggest to the folk groups, vocal and instrumental ensembles, the choirs and dance groups of various styles, levels and origins from all over the world to participate in this event. During the festival will be the First International folk competition in three categories: vocal, instrumental and dances.  If you should require further information please contact us directly at the following email addresses: ansolyan@mail.ru or visit our web site www.interfestplus.spb.ru www.singingworld.spb.ru
10 – 12 October Rimini International Choir Competition (Italy) that will take place from 10 to 12 October 2008. Competition for mixed, male, female, young, chamber choirs. Prize “Choir of Choirs” too. For any information visit the website www.riminichoral.it or contact competition@riminichoral.it  tel. +39 347 2573878
16 – 19 October Lago di Garda Music Festival  – the most Mediterranean lake of all Italian Alpine lakes.
To the alert eye the lake offers a spectacle of natural brightness and colours which makes this place a unique holiday destination for all seasons. Visitors are impressed by places and villages with historic buildings and ancient traces of old Roman settlements as well as by imposing palaces and patrician villas that create a fascinating surrounding area for the Lago di Garda Music Festival. This is a wonderful opportunity for choirs and orchestras to introduce yourself abroad and make new friends…more
8 November The North Wales Choral Festival .. more details to follow
4 – 7 December 3rd International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music Bratislava, Slovakia. Competition, workshop, concerts in the Bratislava churches. Contact: Bratislava Choral Agency, Záhumenská 3, 84106 Bratislava, Slovak republic. E-mail: info@choral-music.sk, Website: www.choral-music.sk