Choir Parade 2017 © INTERKULTUR

All good things come in threes!

Kalamata hosts international choir event for the third time

Int. Choir Competition & Festival Kalamata

Cultural diversity, a wide musical range and outstanding hospitality - these are some of the ingredients for the recipe for success of the 3rd Kalamata International Choir Competition and Festival, which will take place from October 9 - 13, 2019 in Kalamata, Greece. 38 choirs with roughly 1200 singers from 15 nations will not only meet for choral competition in nine categories, but above all for mutual exchange, getting to know each other and further training in the picturesque setting of the Peloponnese.

The opening concert on October 9 at 20:00 h in the Tenta Sports Hall heralds the beginning of the international choir competition with sounds from Greece, Sweden, Indonesia and Slovenia. On October 10, choral music fans will start directly at 11:00 h at the Kalamata Music School "Maria Callas" into a musical morning with the first and international Friendship Concert with groups from Greece, South Africa, Denmark and Slovenia.  At 14:00 h the most popular competition category in the Kalamata Dance Megaron is presented on stage: Folklore shows the rich variety of choral styles and traditions with performances by seven different choral nations - a fantastic opportunity to get to know choral music around the globe and perhaps discover new musical favorites. The highlight of the day will be the Gala Concert at 21:00 h in the Kalamata Dance Megaron - Great Hall with German, Lithuanian, Indonesian and Russian choral sounds.

October 11 starts straightaway with a competition: At 11:00 h young singers will perform in the Kalamata Dance Megaron - Great Hall in the categories Children's Choirs, Youth Choirs with Equal Voices and Youth Choirs with Mixed Voices. The afternoon continues with a quieter contrasting program: in the Holy Taxiarchs Church at 15:00h, fans of sacred choral music can enjoy seven ensembles with different choral traditions ranging from Indonesia to Russia. And if you want to conclude the evening musically, you can stop by at 19:30h  in the Kalamata Dance Megaron - Great Hall and listen to Mixed and Equal Choirs I, which bring choirs from several continents on stage. Friendship Concerts will take place at Theo Angelopoulos Amphitheatre at 16:00 h and at Central Square at 17:30 h and 19:00 h.

On October 12, another much-loved category will start at 10:00 h in the Kalamata Dance Megaron: singers from Lithuania, Greece, Sweden, Norway and Germany will perform in the categories Mixed and Equal Choirs II (male and female). The respective winners will be seen at this day's highlight: The Grand Prize Competition at 14:30 h in the Kalamata Dance Megaron - Great Hall shows all category winners and thus the most outstanding choirs of the event who sing for the Grand Prize as the best choir of the event.

Folkloristic costumes, singing from all parts of the world and expect curious people, locals and at the cheerful choir parade through the city center. It starts at 18:00 at Ypapanti Square - interested people are cordially invited! The subsequent Award Ceremony at 21:00 h in the Tenta Sports Hall will be the meeting point for all participating choirs, who eagerly await the results of the individual competitions and the Grand Prize Competition. The last Friendship Concert at the Theo Angelopoulos Amphitheatre on October 13 at 10:00 h with groups from Greece, Germany and Slovenia concludes the third edition of the 3rd Kalamata International Choir Competition and Festival.  

Further information about the event can be found here. For more news, photos and updates from Kalamata, please follow the event on Facebook!

RELATED NEWS