Opening Event "Canta al mar 2019" © INTERKULTUR

Canta al mar! Sing in Calella!

8th edition of popular choral festival in Calella has opened

Canta al mar - Festival Coral Internacional

he weather god did not mean well with 34 choirs from 18 nations on yesterday's opening day of Canta al mar 2019. For the first time in 8 years since the first edition, the parade of choirs had to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions and the Official Welcome moved from the open air stage at Pati de l’Ós to the inside of Fabrica Llobet in Calella.

However, the mood among the choirs was not affected by such unfortunate circumstances and they celebrated the welcome of the participating nations in a cheerful atmosphere and were part of a world premiere: For the first time ever the official Festival hymn “Canta al mar!”, written by the Artistic Director Òscar Boada, was performed by all choirs together with the popular Sardana orchestra “Cobla Sant Jordi”, and conducted by the composer himself:

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Choir performances from Costa Rica, Indonesia and Spain added an international and welcoming atmosphere to the Opening Event. As a final highlight all participants joined in a traditional Sardana dance together with the Cobla Sant Jordi and professional dancers in traditional costumes.

The Opening Day concluded in the evening with a festive Opening Concert in the church Església de Santa Maria i Sant Nicolau in Calella. The Cor Vivaldi from Spain under the direction of Òscar Boada as well as Scandinavian choral sounds by participants from Norway and Sweden impressed the audience which enjoyed the special acoustics in the church.

Today the first choirs will compete in front of the jury at different venues in Calella, before more competitions will take place in the church Santa Maria del Pi in Barcelona tomorrow. More information about the event schedule can be found here.

Keep following the event on Facebook for more updates, photos and videos.

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