| MINNEAPOLIS, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Choral Festival, a public outreach program of the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music, has finalized its concert schedule. The nine-day festival will feature some of the world's most acclaimed choirs performing throughout the Twin Cities area from August 2 - 10. Over 40 public concerts plus performances for Symposium delegates and corporate audiences will be featured. Performance venues will range from free concerts in local parks, community centers, offices and places of worship to spectacular performances at the Cathedral of St. Paul and Orchestra Hall. (A complete schedule of public concerts is available at www.worldchoralsymposium6.org .) International Choirs Central to the International Choral Festival will be performances by over 20 auditioned choirs, hailing from six continents. The choirs were chosen to participate based on the diversity of their talent, sound, repertoire and stylistic performance. Together, the variety of classical, ethnic and folk traditions will build a world perspective of the choral experience. The choirs include: -- Armenia -- Little Singers of Armenia -- Forty gifted kids perform folk,
classical and more.
-- Australia -- Adelaide Chamber Singers -- A champion of the music from
"down under."
-- Austria -- Vienna Chamber Choir -- Classic style at its best.
-- Belgium -- Chamber Choir of Namur -- A premier interpreter of music
from an earlier age.
-- Brazil -- Garganta Profunda -- Part Beatles, part Swingle Singers,
wholly Latin.
-- Canada -- Elmer Iseler Singers -- Exquisite singing, eh?
-- China -- Red Leaf Children's Choir -- From the world's largest nation,
the number one children's choir.
-- Croatia -- National Folkdance Ensemble of Croatia "LADO" -- Amazing sound and warmth that thrills audiences. -- Cuba -- Entrevoces -- A consistent award winner. Among the world's finest. -- Japan -- Okubo Mixed Choir -- A national treasure from the Land of the Rising Sun. -- Japan -- Gifu High School Choir -- Japan's number one high school choir. -- Latvia -- Riga Dom Boys Choir -- One of the world's outstanding boy choirs -- a tradition since 1240! -- Namibia -- Namibia National Youth Choir -- A celebration of both past and present in vibrant song. -- Norway -- The Norwegian Soloists Choir -- In its Symposium debut, representing Norway at its musical zenith. -- Russia -- Chamber Choir of the Moscow State Conservatory -- Building on a centuries-old tradition -- in spectacular fashion. -- South Africa -- University of Pretoria Choir -- Tribal and traditional songs by South Africa's top college choir. -- South Korea -- Ansan City Choir -- One of South Korea's best, with a rich repertoire. -- Sweden -- St. Jacob's Chamber Choir -- Always a capella, this church choir gets global praise. -- Taiwan -- Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir -- Magnificent sound with enthusiasm to match. -- U.S.A. -- The Boys Choir of Harlem -- The first World Symposium invite for this American institution. -- U.S.A. -- Chanticleer -- Intimate, inventive, intriguing and incredibly popular. -- U.S.A. -- Michigan State University Children's Choir -- A very special children's choir with a superb sound. -- Venezuela -- Cantoria de Merida -- From the top tier of South American choirs. Target Family Concert -- The Boys Choir Of Harlem A highlight of the festival's free public performances will be the Target Family Concert -- The Boys Choir of Harlem on Sunday, August 4 , at noon at the Target Stage on Harriet Island in St. Paul. Also performing will be internationally acclaimed choirs Entrevoces from Cuba and the National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia "LADO" noted for its authentic folk song, dance and native costumes. The concert, sponsored by Target, will feature free beach balls to the first 1,000 attendees. Concertgoers are encouraged to call 612-871-7284 for parking information. Performances At Orchestra Hall And The Cathedral Of St. Paul International Choral Festival performances for larger audiences will offer concertgoers a great deal of variety. I Hear America Singing with Chanticleer, the Boys Choir of Harlem and the Minnesota Orchestra, Richard Westenburg conducting, will be presented to the public on August 2 and 3 at 8:00 p.m. , as part of Orchestra Hall's MusicFest. Also performing at Orchestra Hall will be Grammy Award-winning Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra on August 7 at 8:00 p.m. , as well as Helmuth Rilling in Concert with the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, Minnesota Chorale and San Francisco Girls Chorus with the Symposium Orchestra on August 8 at 8:30 p.m. The World Youth Choir, a group of over 80 young singers from throughout the world, will sing at the Cathedral of St. Paul in a free performance on August 8 at 8:00 p.m. The final concert, Minnesota Sings Farewell, will feature the St. Olaf Choir, Dale Warland Singers, Moore By Four and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on August 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. Minnesota Public Radio Broadcasts And Live Web Streaming Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) will offer audiences around the world an opportunity to hear the Symposium concerts through its radio and web broadcasts. MPR will broadcast several concerts live, including public concerts, as well as some concerts presented exclusively for Symposium delegates. Broadcasts on MPR's classical music stations including KSJN 99.5 in the Twin Cities include: -- Saturday, August 3 , 7:30 p.m. -- I Hear America Singing with the Boys
Choir of Harlem, Chanticleer and the Minnesota Orchestra
--
Sunday, August 4
,
8:00 p.m.
-- Chamber Choir Moscow State University
(Russia) and the University of Pretoria Choir (South Africa)
--
Tuesday, August 6
,
8:00 p.m.
-- Chamber Choir of Namur (Belgium) and
Entrevoces (Cuba)
--
Wednesday, August 7
,
8:00 p.m.
-- Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra
--
Friday, August 9
,
8:00 p.m.
-- World Youth Choir
--
Saturday, August 10
,
7:30 p.m.
-- Minnesota Sings Farewell with the St.
Olaf Choir, Dale Warland Singers, VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and
Moore By Four. MPR also will present 12 concerts streamed live on www.mpr.org . Select performances from concerts will be heard throughout the Festival and Symposium on MPR's The Morning Show and throughout its classical music programming. For a schedule of broadcasts and archive of performances, visit www.mpr.org . International Choral Festival and the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music Never before held in the United States, the Symposium and International Choral Festival will bring together over 3,000 prominent choral specialists, composers, scholars and choirs from around the globe to study, perform and share in the latest industry developments. The International Choral Festival is a new component of the Symposium, brought to life through the 2002 organizing committee as they seek to expand the event's traditional role of serving delegates to also reach out to the public. "We knew that the Symposium presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring the voices of the world directly to the people of Minnesota," said Philip Brunelle, president of the Symposium's board of directors and director of VocalEssence (founded as the Plymouth Music Series). "The Twin Cities community has rallied to make the International Choral Festival a reality with spectacular results. The festival boasts a stellar line-up of choirs you won't find anywhere else in the world." The Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music is presented by Marshall Field's Project Imagine(SM) and Target, with support from the Target Foundation. Every time guests shop at Marshall Field's and Target, they're making a difference by supporting social service and arts organizations that enrich our lives. Five percent of every purchase made at Marshall Field's and Target contributes to the more than two million dollars a week that Target Corporation gives back to the communities in which it does business. Symposium sponsors include Minnesota Public Radio, 3M, Pepper of Minneapolis, Ecolab, City of Minneapolis, McKnight Foundation, Medtronic, Northwest Airlines, NEA, Star Tribune, Wenger and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The Symposium is a triennial global event of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) and is hosted by the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota (ACDA of MN). IFCM, celebrating its 20th anniversary, was founded in 1982 by seven prominent international choral organizations representing five continents. Its mission is to facilitate communication and exchange between choral musicians throughout the world. Tickets for the Rilling, I Hear America Singing and Minnesota Sings Farewell concerts are available at Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, 612-371-5656 or 1-800-292-4141 or at www.minnesotaorchestra.org . The Bobby McFerrin concert is sold out. Choral performances scheduled for local parks, community centers, corporate offices and places of worship are free of charge to the public. Donations will be accepted to help with the cost of the programming. Information on the Symposium and the International Choral Festival may be found at www.worldchoralsymposium6.org .
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http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X83525407 SOURCE International Choral Festival/Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music Copyright 2000, PR Newswire |
