Frauenchor Grenzland from Germany performs in a Friendship Concert in zwickau 2010

One canon, two choirs, a lot of music

INTERKULTUR is looking for captive stories about how your choir got started, raised funds for its concert trips, stories about an individual member, your director and choirs` friends. We received some fascinating stories already, which we’d like to share with the public and with you. This is a story of the Frauenchor Grenzland from Germany, which brought some goose bumps while reading. We don’t want to hold back their choral experience.

World of Voices

The Frauenchor Grenzland was one of 324 choirs from 60 nations at the 1st World Choir Games (former Choir Olympics), which picked the Olympic idea and connected with Choral Music.

So think back to the year 2000…

On Friday, July 14, 2000, the choir’s singers, which is located in Mönchengladbach-Wickrath (Germany), had a concert performance at the Hall of the Ursulinenhof in Linz. Together with choirs from Russia, Indonesia and Israel, hereinafter last one will  play a special part; the rehearsed concert program was supposed to be performed right now.

„In the course of the evening we had heard many beautiful songs of the first two choirs, after then we stood up and went on stage. Our audience and tourist guides sat full of expectations in the Hall of the Ursulinenhof and were waiting for what would come. We were singing  our planned program, but just before the end of our performance a Spanish advisor in front of the stage said to me: ’Keep on singing! The Israeli singers had a car breakdown on the way and will be here in half an hour or maybe later…’,” tells Magret Esser, chairwoman of the Frauenchor Grenzland.

The choir had a wide choral repertoire, so it was no problem to extend the concert program. Till the choral singers were informed about the arrival of the Israeli choir ready to perform now at the venue, they were singing as long as they could.

„The door was opened – so we began to sing the canon Shalom, chaverim”
, an Israeli folk song. „At once everybody was catched by the spark – the Israeli group joined in  the canon with several voices after our first two tones.”  

While the Frauenchor Grenzland said good-bye to their audience and stage in a choral way, the Israeli choir Galil – Bat Yam slowly took its part on stage. The music went on, only the choirs switched.

„The singing by several voices ‚Shalom chaverim – peace, friends, and Good-bye‘  filled the room.”

To give a little acoustic impression about the folk song they sung; we found a video for you here   

„After our concert, many members of the Israeli choir stood there with documents and invited us for travelling to Israel. – Now 15 years have passed, we didn’t visit Israel till this day. But this choral meeting in Linz did still remain in good memory to many.”

A nice story of the year 2000…

Maybe you experienced this feeling of singing together once a time, too. Our team of INTERKULTUR thinks that the Frauenchor Grenzland described the feeling in a really good way showing how to make an cultural exchange, singing together and join the feeling of happiness while a concert with international choirs.

By the way the Frauenchor Grenzland will be there at the 2nd European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations in Magdeburg 2015  and also perform in a Friendship Concert once again. We’re curious about what is going to happen then….

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