Simon Robinson © Neda Navee, Iwona Sobotka © iwonasobotka.com, Ilker Arcayürek © andante.com.tr

Three archangels for Riga

400 singers and three vocalists are preparing for Haydn's THE CREATION

World Festival Singers

Anyone who has already taken part in an international Sing Along Concert knows about the magic of this kind of experience. The project World Festival Singers started in 2015 and unites about 1.400 singers from all continents in spectacular performances on the world’s stages. In July 2017 the World Festival Singers will launch a new project in Riga: The Creation by Joseph Haydn.

The Creation is a three-part oratorio for three vocalists, a four-voice choir and orchestra, that deals with the creation of the earth. The archangels who narrate and comment on the six days of creation are represented by three soloists: Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor) and Raphael (bass). In Riga they are sung by three internationally acclaimed soloists: Iwona Sobotka (soprano), Ilker Arcayürek (tenor) and Simon Robinson (bass).

As Grand Prix winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition Belgium, Iwona Sobotka is an excellent choice for the soprano solo. Sobotka has sung in prestigious locations throughout Europe like the Berliner Philharmonie, the Konzerthaus Wien, the Salle Pleyel in Paris and the Royal Albert Hall in London. In addition, she has already worked with many renowned orchestras, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the NDR Symphony Orchestra.

Ilker Arcayürek, who already in his early years has gained first international stage experience at the Vienna Mozart Boys Choir, will take over the tenor part. To this day he worked at the State Opera House in Nuremberg as well as at the Opernstudio of the Opera House Zürich, among others. In 2016 he won the first prize at the International Competition for Song Art at the International Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart.

The third of them is Simon Robinson, a versatile bass-baritone, whose wide-ranging operatic and concert repertoire extends from baroque, classical and romantic to contemporary music. He has meanwhile performed with leading conductors, directors and soloists across Europe.

In Riga, from July 19-21, 2017, the three archangels will bring "The Creation" together with around 400 singers onstage of the Riga Cathedral. The Sing Along Concert is affiliated to the Grand Prix of Nations & 3rd European Choir Games Riga 2017. It is an honor for us working with such well-known singers in Riga.

Registration for everybody interested in this Sing Along is already possible. More information about the Sing Along Concert in Riga can be found on the official website.

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