News:
March 2008 

4,600 voices     85 Performances       from 22 countries…      for 5 days in Cork.   

Will your choir be a part of one of Europe’s premier choral festivals?

Join us at the 54th Cork International Choral Festival in Cork, Ireland from April 30th to May 4th 2008. 

Experience the very best of vocal music from across the world with a jam-packed programme including gala concerts, public performances, fringe events and a seminar on contemporary choral music, or simply soak up the atmosphere and mingle at the festival club.

Special choir discounts available.

This year’s programme highlights include:

WEDNESDAY 30TH APRIL 8pm Cork City Hall –TOUCHÉ. This year’s Cork International Choral Festival opens in style with the big band-like arrangements, awesome swing, vocal percussion and smoky voices of this Danish a capella jazz ensemble.

THURSDAY  1ST MAY 8pm Cork City Hall -MUSICA INTIMA. Internationally renowned for performances and recordings that sparkle with fresh insight and vibrant musicality, musica intima has become one of Canada’s most exciting vocal ensembles.

FRIDAY 2ND MAY 7.30pm St Fin Barre’s Cathedral NATIONAL CHAMBER CHOIR OF IRELAND. The country’s most distinguished choral ensemble peform from their Baltic Blues series, conductor Bo Holten. Also world premieres of pieces by composers Tarik O’Regan and Rhona Clarke, specially commissioned for the Seminar on Contemporary Choral Music.

10.30pm North Cathedral AMARCORD. This young German sextet perform a wide-ranging repertoire spanning all facets of vocal music, from Medieval and Renaissance compositions and madrigals to collaborations with contemporary composers and a capella arrangements of famous songs in this ever-popular late evening cathedral concert with an ambience all of its own.

SATURDAY 3RD MAY 3pm and 8pm FLEISCHMANN INTERNATIONAL TROPHY COMPETITION. The Fleischmann International Trophy Competition yet again sees top choirs from all over the world compete for this prestigious award. Be ready as 2008 will see no less than 15 choirs make the trip to Cork, representing Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S.A..  Cork City Hall

SUNDAY 4TH MAY 7.30pm CLOSING GALA CONCERT. International choirs are in full voice for this high energy concert of celebratory music & farewell performances. Cork City Hall

..AND MUCH  MORE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK...

•Seminar on Contemporary Choral Music: 2008 sees the reintroduction of workshops and master classes on modern composition, together with the National Chamber Choir.

•Public Performances: Choirs bring the festival atmosphere to the streets! Expect to see choirs pop up in a range of unexpected venues across the city & county throughout the week…

•School Concerts: International choirs bring their talents to Cork schools for exclusive performances.

•Festival Club: Note Perfect are once again set to welcome you to the festival club in 2008! The fun kicks off from 11 ‘til late on Saturday and Sunday night in the Clarion Hotel.

•Afternoons in the Atrium: Drop in, sit back, relax and enjoy a taster of the festival in the comfort of the Clarion Hotel. Festival choirs present short performances back to back from 3pm to 6pm on festival weekend, in a laid back and informal atmosphere.

•Festival Food Fair: Soak up some of the colour at the festival while browsing the stalls of local produce at the Festival Food Fair!


General Information
Founded in 1954 to be a dynamic force in developing choral music in Ireland, the Cork International Choral Festival is held annually over the five days preceding the first Monday in May. Cork welcomes choirs from across the world for a programme of gala concerts, schools concerts, national and international competition, and world-class performances as thousands of participants bring the city to life for a celebration of choral music in all its many forms.

One of Europe's premier international choral festivals, Cork is noted for its high standards, eclectic and wide-ranging programme, and the friendliness of its welcome. Festival events and performances centre around Cork's City Hall, capacity 1,000; one of the most attractive and acoustically superb venues in Ireland.

Each year some of the finest amateur international choirs are selected to compete for the prestigious Fleischmann International Trophy. The selected choirs also participate in a wide range of festival events, which include fringe concerts, taking part in our church interchange programme across Cork city and county, and informal public performances which see choirs popping up throughout Cork in new and unexpected locations throughout the duration of the festival! The presence of these choirs from throughout the world gives audiences and Irish choirs alike the unique opportunity of hearing a diverse range of concerts and repertoire performed.