Gotthilf Fischer invites choirs to participate

INTERKULTUR and Graz Mayor welcomed guests

On Sunday the 1st World Choir Championships for Youth and Young Adults and the 2nd Grand Prix of Choral Music will close in Graz.

As a surprise the attendees of a press conference in the media center of the town hall Graz could listen to a Chinese folk song, sung by Chen Chunsheng after his speech. Chunsheng, deputy general director of culture and media of the city of Guangzhou, had come to Graz with a delegation.

At the press conference with representatives from Guangzhou, ambassador Shi Mingde, Mayor Siegfried Nagl and choral legend Gotthilf Fischer, a new INTERKULTUR competition had been introduced. “In November 2012 we are looking forward to choirs at the Xinghai Prize International Choir Championships. More than 100 choirs are expected to come”, said Chunsheng. Gotthilf Fischer took the opportunity to thank INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch for his work as organizer of many choir competitions.

In his name Fischer invited choirs to the event in China and wished the organizers success with the preparations. Gotthilf Fischer is well-known in Graz, at the latest since the 5th World Choir Games 2008. At that time he celebrated the mass for peace and conducted the public singing on the main square.

Graz and the city of Guangzhou intend to strengthen their relationship. “We are planning an exchange of students and we want to have an exchange on economic level as well” Nagl explained and hopes that also choirs from Austria will travel to China.

The guests from China, who are here not for the first time, would like to take “many nice memories” from Graz and, of course, enjoy choral music.

You find more information about the World Choir Championships for Youth and Young Adults and the Grand Prix of Choral Music on the INTERKULTUR website. Tonight (July 16) the closing concert takes place in Stefaniensaal, 7:30 p.m., congress|graz.

Gotthilf Fischer will attend the concert as a guest of honour. Today he took the opportunity to congratulate choirs on their diplomas and medals.

The 1st World Choir Championships for Youth and Young Adults and the 2nd Grand Prix of Choral Music are held in the Styrian capital from July 10 to 17, 2011.