2 - 6 May 2013
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LATEST NEWS about the 2013 Festival
Chorale des Mineurs Polonais de Douai
It is with enormous regret that the Festival has to announce the withdrawal of the choir from the 2013 Festival. Within the last three weeks the choir's Director, Henri Kikos, has been diagnosed with a very serious illness. Treatment, which will be on-going, has left him too weak to contemplate directing the choir for its very full itinerary during the Festival. Despite several offers of help and support from the Festival and associated choir directors, the choir felt that it had no option but to withdraw from the Festival. We are all tremendously sad at this occurence and, of course, send every best wish for Henri's speedy recoevery to full health.
More or Less All Plans Gonig Ahead!
With eight choirs from outside the UK (two from Germany, one each from Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Australia), 18 choirs from England Scotland and Wales, along with well over 30 from Cornwall we are set for a superb Festival this year. Our largest visiting choir will be 77 strong HARMONIE Lindenholzhausen from Germany (pictured right). The smallest will be 19 strong Euga from Finland (pictured below right).
Despite Viola and Mineurs Polonais withdrawals, all concerts will go ahead as planned. Some choirs will sing longer sets to compensate for absent friends while other concerts have been slightly rearranged.
New Music
The Festival commissions a Composers' Competition specifically to provide new music to be sung during the Festival and to add to male voice choir repertoires thereafter. The Festival Commission was undertaken by Cornish Composer, Paul Drayton. The Reaper will be premiered in the International Gala Concert in Truro Cathedral on Friday 3rd May. The winner of the 2012 competition was Patrick J. Lee. In Flanders Fields will be sung during the 2013 Festival during the Hall for Cornwall International Gala Concert on Saturday 4th May.
The Festival is delighted to announce the appointment of Gwyn Arch, MBE as Chairman of the adjudication panel for the 40 Voices and Under singing competition (4th May 2013). Such has been the popularity of the competitions, that two panels have been appointed (see Dr. Alwyn Humphreys below).
Gwyn studied at both Cambridge and Oxford University (playing for both University jazz bands!) He was appointed Director of Music at a new teacher-training college in Reading and worked there for 20 years. He founded the highly successful Bulmershe Girls' Choir who represented the UK seven times in the international rounds of the BBC’s ‘Let the People Sing’ competition. In 1971 he founded the 75-voice Reading Male Choir which he still directs, and he has published well over a hundred TTBB arrangements.
Gwyn Arch has arranged everything from jazz standards and spirituals to musicals for the Faber Young Voices series, and shared most of the well-known Faber Carol Book with Ben Parry. His publications are also widely available through the Roberton, Banks, Helbling and Grove Music catalogues. He has wide, international adjudication experience and in 2006 was awarded the MBE for services to music in Berkshire..
Other Participating Non-UK Choirs (as at 11/03/2013)
MGV Liederblüte Ob 1908
Coming from only eight miles from where Harmonie Lindenholzhausen emanates, it is very encouraging to have a second fine German choir participating this year. An exciting choir to listen to and with a wide-ranging repertopire in both English and German (amongst other languages) MGVL will add a significant contribution in both concerts and the competition. Sadly, they will not be with us very long so you will have to make the most of the time they have here!They will be singing in Penzance, Truro Cathedral, Liskeard and competing in The Hall for Cornwall
The Czech Boys Choir from Hradec Králové
The Czech Boys Choir from the city of Hradec Králové in East Bohemia, maintains the famous traditions of boy choir singing in the Czech Republic from its origins in the 13th century with the first boys' choir at the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Led by artistic director and conductor, Jakub Martinec, this choir provides artistic training for boys from the age of three to adult. The choir regularly records for TV and radio and performs concerts in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Dagilelis
Dagilelis is a Boys/Youth Choir from Lithuania. With the adjacent photograph taken outside the White House in Washington, some idea of the choir's credentials, abilities and touring experience can be guessed at! It is very exciting for the Festival to be able to welcome the choir. It was founded in 1990 and has been directed ever since by Musical Director Remigijus Adomaitis. In 2006 he was awarded the title of "Teacher of the Year" and in 2010 he was given the Golden Star Award of Lithuanian Copyright Protection Association Agency for cultural activity, cherishing choral art and for spreading the works of Lithuanian composers.
St. Petersburg Boys Choir
It is wonderful that the Festival will be able to welcome this highly talented choir, along with their director Vadim Pcholkin. Mr. Pcholkin studied at the Music Higher School at N. A. Rimski-Korsakov Music Conservatory of St Petersburg. He supports the traditions of the St. Petersburg choir schools, established at the beginning of the 20th century by Mikhail Klimov. Vadim Pcholkin was distinguished with an award by the Governor of Saint-Petersburg and received a Diploma from the Patriarch of Russia Aleksij II.
Sydney Male Voice Choir
Coming 12000 miles to be with us in the Festival, SMVC will certainly have travelled the furthest! I will lbe a joy to welcome them in their centenary year and hear them sing in concerts across Cornwall. The choir will be competing during the morning on Saturday 4th May. The choir will come to the Festival having sung in concerts in France and London, as well as at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux, France. They have had a continuous association with the Sydney Dawn Service for eighty-two years.
Deurnes Mannenkoor (Netherlands)
It will be wonderful to welcome this choir back to the Festival. They sang and competed in the very first Festival in 2003. They are very excited about coming back to Cornwall and are looking forward to singing in concerts across the County. They will also be singing at several tourist attractions during the day time.
Dr. Alwyn Humphreys MBE Chairman of the Adjudication Panel for the 41 Voices and Over category 2013 singing competitions) is Conductor Emeritus of internationally acclaimed Morriston Orpheus Choir which he conducted for 25 years appearing with them in concerts across the world. He has recorded many albums and made countless TV appearances with the choir.
Born in Bodffordd on Anglesey, Alwyn was Principal Violinist of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales before graduating with honours in music at the University of Hull and Trinity College London. In January 2006, the University conferred the degree of Doctor of Music upon him. He was created an MBE in the Queen’s 2001 New Year’s Honours List for services to music in Wales.
Following a career in education and for BBC Wales, he moved to HTV before becoming a free-lance television presenter.
Alwyn’s musical arrangements for male choir, are performed world-wide. Listed in the ‘International Who’s Who in Music’, he is in demand as a guest conductor and adjudicator at home and abroad. He is Principal Guest Conductor of the National Chamber Orchestra of Wales.
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Click to download map of 2013 concert venues (535kb)
UK choirs registered:
Basingstoke MVC, Bristol MVC, Builth MVC (Wales), Buccas Four, Burraton MVC, Carlton MVC, City of Truro Male Choir*, Colne Valley MVC*, Cornwall Cambiata, Cornwall Boys Choir, Eight in a Bar, Epsom MVC*, Falmouth Glee Singers, Four Lanes Male Choir*, Gledholt MVC*, Honley MVC, Holman-Climax MVC, Imerys Mid Cornwall MVC Launceston MVC, Leigh Orpheus MVC*, Liskerret MVC, Loveny MVC, Marazion Apollo MVC, Mevagissey Male Choir, Mousehole MVC, Nankersey Male Choir, Newlyn MVC, New Mill MVC*, Newquay MVC*, Pelynt MVC, Peterborough MVC*, Praze Hayle MVC, Rame Peninsula MVC, South Wales Gay Men's Chorus*, St Buryan MVC, St Keverne MVC, St Stythians MVC, Synergy* (Wales), Tamar Valley MVC, Taunton Deane MVC, The Men of Good Fortune, Tideswell MVC, Tintagel Orpheus MVC, Treverva MVC, Truro Cathedral Choir, Wadebridge MVC, Warwickshire County Male Voices*, Westerton MVC (Scotland) & Weybridge MVC.
Non-UK choirs registered to date:
Czech Boys Choir, Dagilelis (Lithuania), St Petersburg Boys Choir, Sydney Male Coice Choir* (Australia), Deurnes Mannenkoor* (Netherlands), Chorale des Mineurs Polonais de Douai* (France), Co. Mayo Male Voice Choir (Ireland), MGV Liederbluete* (Germany), HARMONIE Lindenholzhausen* (Germany), Euga Male Voice Choir* (Finland), Viola Mens Chorus* (South Africa)
* choir competing
This page last updated 31/10/2012
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