Corfu: Colorful program at the island festival
Green island welcomes choirs and friends at the 1st Corfu International Festival and Choir Competition
On the occasion of the 1st Corfu International Festival and Choir Competition 24 choirs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Romania, Turkey and the host nation Greece will bring the green island in the Mediterranean Sea to sound from tomorrow until Sunday.
At today's press conference at 12 noon in Corfu Town Hall, the Mayor of Corfu, Costas Nikolouzos, looked forward to the upcoming festival days. He also praised the good cooperation between the organizers of the festival, the Municipality of Corfu, the Ionian University and INTERKULTUR, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Choral Association of Corfu and the Region of Ionian Islands.
The festival follows the vision to unite people in peaceful singing. During the four-day festival numerous of Friendship Concerts offer the best chances for intercultural encounters on Greek soil. First concerts can be heard already on Wednesday.
Before the festival officially begins on Thursday and the choirs will be welcomed by the organizers, the Municipality of Corfu and INTERKULTUR, the big Parade will start at 5 p.m. With national flags, colorful costumes and lots of singing, choirs from near and far will be marching through the historic old town of Corfu. All islanders are cordially invited to welcome the international guests.
In the evening at 8:30 p.m. the Opening Concert at the Municipal Theater completes the opening day. Four festival choirs from the Greek cities Corfu, Larissa, Thessaloniki and from Bosnia and Herzegovina and – as a special guest – the Greek Radio Choir will delight the audience with Greek folklore and officially open the festival.
According to the INTERKULTUR motto "Singing together brings nations together" the Artistic Directors of the festival Miranda Caldi and Fred Sjöberg invite to so-called "Singing together" sessions at both the Opening and the Closing Concert.
The competitions in the categories "Children's and Youth Choirs", "Orthodox Music Tradition", "Mixed, Male and Female Choirs" and "Folklore" will take place on Friday and Saturday all-day at the Municipal Theater. The best choirs will be announced at the Award Ceremony on October 15 at 8 p. at the Municipal Theater.
Two workshops complete the colorful choir festival. Together with US American juror and jazz vocalist Jay Clayton, the workshop participants will be introduced to the rhythmic and tonal characteristics of jazz and encouraged to discover the jazz in their own voice through various vocal exercises.
Further concerts that take place during the festival, including a jazz evening with Jay Clayton and a concert of the Greek Radio Choir and offer the opportunity to festival visitors to experience a variety of vocal music live. All concerts are free of charge.
INTERKULTUR is looking forward to 24 ensembles and four days full of choral music! The latest news and impressions from Corfu will be published here in the NEWSROOM as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Stay tuned!
