Meeting of choirs

Meeting of the stars

Just nine days left until the choral scene is meeting on Cincinnati’s stages. From July 4 through 14, 2012 the 7th World Choir Games will be held there.

Gospel star Kirk Franklin composed “I Can”, the Official Song of the 2012 World Choir Games and will perform it at the Opening Ceremony on July 4, 2012. Drew Lachey, singer and former member of the boy group 98 Degrees emcees two Celebration Concerts, July 8 (Aronoff Center) and July 14 (Music Hall).

Also Broadway star Idina Menzel will be there. She’s going to perform with Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and May Festival Chorus at the Closing Ceremony on July 14 in U.S. Bank Arena. Grammy winner and gospel star Marvin Winans join us as well singing “Oh Happy Day”.

Menzel is delighted about her guest role: ““I just love the idea that people from all over the world, from all different cultures, will be bringing their beautiful voices and harmonies to Cincinnati for this wonderful event. It is an honor to be a guest of Horseshoe Cincinnati and play a role in this unique global choir event.” Menzel is acclaimed for her roles as Elphaba in “Wicked” and Maureen in “Rent”, and also for her role on the U.S. television hit Glee. Her PBS concert special Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony premiered nationally in March and was released on CD and DVD.

The 7th World Choir Games will be held from July 4 to 14, 2012 in Cincinnati USA. 15 000 participants, among them 362 choirs from 64 nations have registered and travel to the United States to compete in a total of 23 musical categories. Singing time of all categories during the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati will total about 7,530 minutes -- or 5+ days of uninterrupted singing. This year the World Choir Games will be held on the American continent for the first time ever.

The 8th World Choir Games will be held in Riga, Latvia in 2014.