"The event was wonderful and we felt so impressed for it. We have had an amazing moment with new friends around the world."
4th Canta al mar – Festival Coral Internacional
Spanish way of life at the „Festival Coral Internacional“
The festival „Canta al mar“ has become an essential activity in INTERKULTUR’s event calendar. Since 2012 choirs from all over the world meet in the city of Calella in Catalonia/Spain and celebrate the international choral festival with plenty of singing and traditional Paella.
Each year Calella attracts new choirs through its Catalan charm. Long sandy beaches, sunny weather, the Mediterranean Sea and the proximity to the Spanish metropolis of Barcelona are included in the participation. According to the choirs’ wishes Barcelona can be included in their individual schedule in the context of the competition, as a venue for Friendship Concerts or simply as a destination for excursions.
All concert and competition venues in Calella are within walking distance and can therefore be combined ideally with a placid stroll through the historic center. That way choirs meet, sing together in Friendship Concerts and get to know other nations and their individual traditions. Enjoy with your choir a happy and relaxed choir event at the Spanish Mediterranean Coast – this festival joins holiday and passion!
Participation Opportunities
This INTERKULTUR event provides you the opportunity to choose from the following options of participation:
Non-competitive participation | Competitive Participation |
---|---|
Participation in the festival** | Competition categories* |
Evaluation Performance* | Evaluation Performance* |
Includes at least one performance at a Friendship Concert.
* Participation in several Friendship Concerts.
- Category A – Level of difficulty I
- A1 – Mixed Choirs
- A2 – Male Choirs
- A3 – Female Choirs
- Category B – Level of difficulty II
- B1 – Mixed Choirs
- B2 – Male Choirs
- B3 – Female Choirs
- Category C – Chamber Choirs / Vocal Ensembles
- C1 – Chamber Choirs of equal voices
- C2 – Chamber Choirs of mixed voices
- C3 – Vocal ensembles (equal voices or mixed voices)
- Category G – Children’s and Youth Choirs
- G1 – Children’s Choirs
- G2 – Youth Choirs of equal voices
- G3 – Youth Choirs of mixed voices
- Category S – Sacred Choral Music
- Category F – Folklore
- Category P – Pop
- Category J – Jazz
A detailed description of the competition categories can also be found in the booklet available for download:
Participant Information(1.1 MB)
For non-competing choirs
- three (3) pieces of the choir’s own choice
- performed before a panel of qualified international jurors who provide immediate positive artistic and pedagogical advice for improvement
- certificates of participation will be awarded, as well as evaluation ratings and recommendation letters for future INTERKULTUR competitions upon request
Number of singers: unlimited
Singing time: maximum 15 minutes
Accompaniment: possible
Duration: 45 minutes
Participating choirs may register to perform in local concert settings together with other international choirs, such as churches, open air markets, libraries, parks, museums, etc. Choirs must prepare approximately 20 minutes of their own music pre-approved by the artistic committee. The concert should be preferably a cappella or with own instruments (Piano or E-Piano can be provided upon request).
In addition to the open air stages in the city centre, Calella offers other possibilities for performing downtown and on the seafront which is also available for friendship concerts. Selected choirs can also sing at the famous monastery Montserrat close to Barcelona and at the impressive Cathedral of Barcelona as well as the church Santa Maria del Pi, where some parts of the competition will be held. Interested choirs also have the possibility to perform during a mass on Sunday noon in Calella.
Please be aware that several friendship concerts are planned open air. In the event that weather conditions do not allow this, some concerts may be cancelled due to the weather. The organizers will try to manage alternatives but choirs do not have any legal claim to this.
Choirs can also take part in Friendship Concerts ONLY (Non-competitive Festival Participation).
"I can tell you that for all members in the choir this festival was something special and a new experience. This was the first time our choir went abroad and we are all sure that this wasn´t the last one."
"[...] a very big thank you for all that you did to make CANTA Al MAR such a thoroughly enjoyable experience, not only for the hundreds of participants, but also for the adjudicators."
Registration Information
This event lies in the past!
You are interested in participating in this event series? Then have a look right now at our overview, which provides information about when the event will be held the next time. There you can also find further dates and destinations of our events taking place worldwide.
Event Details
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
- Arrival
- Stage rehearsals and rehearsals
- 02:30 p.m. Evaluation Performances
- 04:00 p.m. Choir Parade through the streets of Calella
- Afterwards: Official Welcoming in Parc Dalmau, Pati de l'Ós
- 09:00 p.m. Opening Concert of “Canta al mar 2015” at Església de Santa Maria i Sant Nicolaus
- Sightseeing and excursions*
Thursday, October 22, 2015
- Stage rehearsals and rehearsals
- Evaluation Performances
- 10:00 a.m. Competition in category G, Children’s and Youth Choirs at Sala Mozart
- 11:00 a.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça de l’Ajuntament
- 03:00 p.m. Competition in the categories J & P, Jazz and Pop at Sala Mozart
- 05:00 p.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça di Iglesia
- 05:15 p.m. Friendship Concert at the Cathedral in Barcelona
- 07:00 p.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça de l’Ajuntament
- 07:00 p.m. Competition in category S, Sacred Choir Music in the church Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona
- 10:00 p.m. Gala Concert “Music & Light” at Església de Santa Maria i Sant Nicolau
- Sightseeing and excursions*
Friday, October 23, 2015
- Stage rehearsals and rehearsals
- 10:00 a.m. Competition in category F, Folklore at Sala Mozart
- 11:00 a.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça de l’Ajuntament
- 11:30 a.m. Competition in the categories B3 & A3, Female Choirs, difficulty level II & I at Església de Santa Maria i Sant Nicolau
- 03:30 p.m. Evaluation Performances
- 05:00 p.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça di Iglesia
- 05:15 p.m. Friendship Concert at the Cathedral in Barcelona
- 07:00 p.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça de l’Ajuntament
- 07:00 p.m. Competition in category S, Sacred Choir Music in the church Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona
- 08:00 p.m. Competition in category C, Chamber Choirs and Vocalensembles at Palau de la Música in Barcelona
- 09:00 p.m. Gala Concert “Pop & Sound” at Sala Mozart in Calell
- Sightseeing and excursions*
Saturday, October 24, 2015
- Stage rehearsals and rehearsals
- 11:00 a.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça de l’Ajuntament
- 11:30 a.m. Competition in category B, Mixed Choirs, difficulty level II at Sala Mozart
- 01:00 p.m. Friendship Concert at Plaça di Iglesia
- 03:00 p.m. Award Ceremony for the competition categories F, G, J, P at Fabrica Llobet
- 05:00 p.m. Award Ceremony for the competition categories A, B, C, S and Festivalchoirs at Fabrica Llobet
- 07:00 p.m. “Canta al mar – Calella sings” in the inner city of Calella
- 08:00 p.m. “Fiesta de la Amistad” at Platja Gran (beach promenade)
- Sightseeing and excursions*
Sunday, October 25, 2015
- Departure
- 12:00 p.m. Service at Església de Santa Maria i Sant Nicolau in Calella
- Sightseeing and excursions*
depending on individual schedule
Subject to change!
The official events are an inherent part of the festival and a social meeting point for all international participating choirs. The big choir parade through Calella on Wednesday, October 21, will open the „Canta al mar“ festival. The parade will end with the opening event which will take place either in the beautiful park „Pati de l’ Ós“ located above the city with a stunning view onto the beach or alternatively in the city center.
On Saturday October 24, „Canta al mar – Calella sings“ will take place in the inner city of Calella and on this occasion all participating choirs will sing in the streets and on the squares of Calella at the same time. The festival continues in a festival pavilion at the beach with the „Fiesta de la amistad“ and the culinary highlight „Paella y Sangría“. Here the festivities will come to an end with a big choir party.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß
Ralf Eisenbeiß was born in 1952 in Zeulenroda. After his secondary school examination he studied pedagogy, German philology and musical education. He received his PhD in 1979 at the Pedagogical University of Zwickau. From 1978 to 1981, he studied choir and orchestra conducting at the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Weimar.
Ralf Eisenbeiß was working as the director of the choral department at the Pedagogical University in Zwickau and appointed professor for choir conducting and choral singing in 1987. He was conductor of the renowned Pedagogical University Zwickau Choir. With his choir he performed a wide repertoire of compositions for a cappella choirs and with orchestra, too. Under his direction the choir won numerous prizes at national and international choir competitions.
Ralf Eisenbeiß was lecturer at the central seminar for choral conductors in Berlin and organized numerous workshops himself. He often appears as guest conductor at home and abroad. Since almost 30 years he works as artistic director of INTERKULTUR. Ralf Eisenbeiß is founder of the Int. Robert Schumann Choir Competition in Zwickau and one of the founders of the World Choir Games. Since 1992 he was responsible for more than 150 international competitions of INTERKULTUR in Germany, Italy, Korea, Indonesia, China, Austria, Spain, USA and other countries. Ralf Eisenbeiß is very often invited as a juror in national and other international choir competitions all over the world.
Albert Deprius (Spain)
He was born in Pineda de Mar (Barcelona) and he began his singing studies at the Conservatori del Liceu with Cecilia Fontdevila and Enriqueta Tarrés, where he graduated with top grades and received an honourable mention. He has been awarded in several singing competitions, like the International Competition XVI for singers Francesco Cilea of Reggio di Calabria and the Young Musicians Festival VI in Catalonia. He has been awarded by the Jaume Aragall Foundation with a scholarship. He has also attended to master classes given by Montserrat Caballé and other opera singers. His repertoire includes operas like La Bohème, La Traviata, Tosca and many others; lieder and zarzuela, as well as oratorios and cantatas. He has performed in theatres around Europe and Central America, including the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
He is a pupil of maestro Salvador Brotons at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. In 1998 he started giving singing lessons at the music academy Centre Musical Can Salom, where he became director in 2002. He is the director of Cor i Orquestra Simfònica Harmonia and the artistic director of the Temporada Lírica Ciutat de Calella.
Òscar Boada (Spain)
conductor, pianist, adjudicator
- licenciate of the Royal Schools of Music in Choral Conducting
- pianist and pedagogue
- founder and director of the children's choir "Cor Vivaldi of Barcelona"
- national and international adjudicator in Tours, Cantonigròs, Linz, Calella, Torrevieja and others
- has commissioned and premiered several new works dedicated to him and his choir
Javier Busto (Spain)
Javier Busto was born in Hondarribia (Basque Country - Spain) in 1949 and graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Valladolid. He gained his musical knowledge through self-teaching with inspiration by the maestro, Erwin List.
Javier Busto was conductor of Ederki Choir in Valladolid (1971-1976) and was founder and conductor of the Eskifaia Choir in Hondarribia from 1978 to 1994 as well as founder and leader of Kanta Cantemus Korua (1995-2007) and Aquam Lauda Korua (2014).
Javier Bustos's choral works are published in the Basque Country, France, Germany, Japan, the USA, the United Kingdom and Sweden and is regularly invited as conductor and jury member to different choral festivals and competitions in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Panamá, Poland, Shout Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the USA and Venezuela.
Albert Deprius (Spain)
He was born in Pineda de Mar (Barcelona) and he began his singing studies at the Conservatori del Liceu with Cecilia Fontdevila and Enriqueta Tarrés, where he graduated with top grades and received an honourable mention. He has been awarded in several singing competitions, like the International Competition XVI for singers Francesco Cilea of Reggio di Calabria and the Young Musicians Festival VI in Catalonia. He has been awarded by the Jaume Aragall Foundation with a scholarship. He has also attended to master classes given by Montserrat Caballé and other opera singers. His repertoire includes operas like La Bohème, La Traviata, Tosca and many others; lieder and zarzuela, as well as oratorios and cantatas. He has performed in theatres around Europe and Central America, including the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
He is a pupil of maestro Salvador Brotons at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. In 1998 he started giving singing lessons at the music academy Centre Musical Can Salom, where he became director in 2002. He is the director of Cor i Orquestra Simfònica Harmonia and the artistic director of the Temporada Lírica Ciutat de Calella.
Rosalind Hall (USA)
As Director of Choirs at Brigham Young University, Utah, Rosalind Hall oversees the largest university choral program in the USA, in which 1,000 students participate each semester. Here, in addition to teaching classes in choral music, she conducts the BYU Concert Choir, a mixed choir of 100 advanced-level singers and the BYU Men’s Chorus, an entry-level choir of 180 singers. In both 2013 and 2014, the Princeton Review named her as one of the top 10 professors in the USA.
Before coming to the US to pursue a post-graduate degree in choral music, Professor Hall’s British training in vocal performance was at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Edinburgh and London Universities. Although she has now lived and worked in the US for 25 years, the strong choral traditions of her homeland, Wales, still paly a large role in her work. Renowned for her innovative and vivacious approach to vocal and rehearsal technique, she is a busy clinician on both sides of the Atlantic.
Christoph Mac-Carty (Netherlands)
Christoph Mac-Carty was born in 1969 in southern Germany. He studied music at conservatories in Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland.
For more than 20 years Christoph Mac-Carty has been living and working in the Netherlands both as a pianist and as a choir conductor.
His choir "Dekoor Close Harmony" won first prizes at the "World Choir Games" in the categories Pop (2012 & 2014) Jazz (2010, 2012 & 2014). In 2014, "Dekoor" was invited by the "Rolling Stones" to sing with them at the "Pinkpop" (Netherlands) and "Werchter Classic" (Belgium) Festivals. In 2016 & 2018, "Dekoor" performed at the well known "Sziget Festival" in Hungary.
Christoph Mac-Carty gives masterclasses and workshops for choirs, has been a jury member at choir festivals around Europe and teaches vocal ensembles at the Conservatorium Enschede (Netherlands).
Besides being a conductor he is an in demand jazz pianist in the Netherlands. With his trio "Robinson, Freitag and Caruso" he won the "Dutch Jazz Competition" in 2005 at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Another part of his artistic work is composing for and performing in music theater productions.
Alexander Vatsek (Ukraine)
Alexander Vatsek, born in 1955, is choirmaster, conductor, vocal teacher, adjudicator and is also acting as workshop leader and arranger. In 1986 he founded the choir “OREYA” Zhytomyr Municipal Folk Choir Cappella and ten years later, the “GAUDEAMUS” University Brno choir. Within the years, these choirs took part in several national and international competitions as 1993 in Meinhausen, 1995 in Tours, 1996 in Lindenholzhausen, 1998 in Montreux, 1999 in Wernigerode, 2007 in Kyiv, 2008 in Maribor, 2011 in Tolosa and 2014 in Arezzo. They achieved many first prizes under the conduction of Alexander Vatsek.
Alexander Vatsek has led workshops and was artistic director of various symphonic projects throughout Europe. He was invited as jury member to the second, third and fourth World Choir Games, which were held in Pusan (South Korea, 2002), Bremen (Germany, 2004), Xiamen (China, 2006), and also on other international choral competitions in Tolosa (Spain), and Marktoberdorf and Wernigerode (Germany), Riva del Garda (Italy), Artek (Ukraine), Bergen (Norway) and Tallinn (Estonia).
From 2006 to 2009, Alexander Vatsek was member of the Music commission in Europa Cantat as well as Choir Council member of INTERKULTUR and IFCM.
Alexander Vatsek is honorary member of art in the Ukraine.
Aleksander Ryzhinskiy (Russia)
Dr Aleksander Ryzhinskiy was born in 1981 in West Siberia. He received his first musical education as a member of Choir of boys and young men "Nightingales" (Omsk). During his training in Omsk musical college (1996-2000) he was a choirmaster of this choir. From 2000 to 2005 he studied choir conducting at the Gnesins’ Russian Academy of Music in Moscow. In 2008 he defended the dissertation devoted to studying of Schoenberg’s choral music. Since 2009 he has been teaching at Gnesins’ Russian Academy of Music in Moscow. Here he based The Gnesins’ Ensemble of contemporary music «Altro coro» for the promotion of unknown western and domestic composer's compositions of the XX-XXI centuries. During his history the choir executed works by A. Schoenberg, S. Gubaidulina, A. Pärt, J. Tavener, H. Holliger, L. Dallapiccola and other composers in various concerts. This choir is a winner of different international choral competitions. «Altro coro» is owner of a Franz-Schubert-choral-prize 2014. Besides pedagogical and choirmaster's work A. Ryzhinskiy writes articles devoted to studying of choral music of the West European vanguard.
Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng (Philippines)
Dr. Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng is the President of the Philippine Choral Directors Association, Associate Professor of Music at the University of the Philippines, Artistic Director of the Las Piñas International Bamboo Organ Festival, and Music Director of the New Millennium Evangelical Church.
She is a First Prize Winner at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Graduate Conducting Competition.
Highlights of the 2023 Season include serving as one of the artistic directors for the World Symposium on Choral Music, being a featured presenter at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, and serving as guest conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Performance and adjudication engagements have brought her to South Africa, Germany, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Spain, Vietnam, Portugal, and Singapore. She also regularly leads workshops in different parts of the Philippines.
Dr. Shangkuan-Cheng received a Bachelor of Music (summa cum laude) from the University of the Philippines, a Master of Music from the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan.
Tony Margeta (Sweden)
Tony Margeta (b. 1972) received a Music exam and Master of Choir conducting from Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg with renowned teachers such as Jan Yngwe and Gunnar Ericsson. He has extensive experience of choral music while working with several choirs in Sweden. In October 2008 he was awarded a scholarship from the Madeleine Uggla foundation for considerable efforts in his work with Swedish choirs. From 2010-2012 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the National Swedish Choral Association.
During 2004-2015 he was the conductor and artistic leader of the mixed choir, Falu Kammarkör, with whom he won several choir competitions such as Grieg Grand Prix in Norway and Grand Prix in Bad Krozingen.
Tony Margeta is the conductor and artistic leader of the female choir La Cappella since May 2014. He also works as choral instructor and music teacher at the renowned Adolf Fredrik´s Music School in Stockholm.INTERKULTUR
in cooperation with the
Ajuntament de Calella
Viajes Tauro s.l.
Schäfer’s Aktivreisen
President INTERKULTUR
Günter Titsch (Germany)
Artistic Committee
Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany), Senior Artistic Director
Albert Deprius (Spain)
Fred Sjöberg (Sweden)
Christian Ljunggren (Sweden)
Organizing Committee
Montserrat Candini i Puig, Mayor of Calella
Marcos Moreno Wolter, Project Manager Spain – Viajes Tauro
Stefanie Schreiber, Project Management INTERKULTUR
INTERKULTUR Board
Günter Titsch (Germany)
Wang Qin (China)
Stefan Bohländer (Germany)
Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany)
Organized is the INTERKULTUR Management GmbH.
This event was supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture in preparation for the 9th World Choir Games, which will take place from July 6 – 16, 2016 in Sochi.
Participating groups
What is music for you? - Canta al mar 2012
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AceptarCompetition Results
We congratulate all singers to their great results! All in all 32 golden, 29 silver and 9 bronze diplomas were awarded. Many thanks to all choirs and ensembles for participating!
Results(651 KB)