World premiere in Berlin

In the spring 2017 the Berlin Radio Choir and INTERKULTUR will present for the first time the "Fest der ChorKulturen". A total of 30 international choirs from 15 nations can be heard in a first-class choral competition, the Grand Prix of Nations Berlin 2017, to be held from February 1-5, 2017, and will enchant the Berlin audience with choral music from all over the world four days long.

Among others, the international choirs Patara Georgika (Georgia), The Skyline Choir of Shenzhen Meilin High School (China), the Chamber Choir of the Collegium Musicum Berlin (Germany) and Concentus (Norway) will perform in the Opening Concert on February 1 at 8 pm in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berliner Philharmonie and give a first taste to the upcoming festival days. Both participants and guests can look forward to a colorful concert program featuring traditional pieces from China, Turkey and Norway as well as compositions by Edvard Grieg, Knut Nystedt and John Tavener.

The singers of the famous Berlin Radio Choir and their conductor Nicolas Fink will also welcome the international guests in their home halls of the Berliner Philharmonie. The program includes the "Im Abendrot" for choir a cappella based on Gustav Mahler's "Adagietto from the Symphony No. 5" in a transcription by Clytus Gottwald.

As the highlight of the evening, the participants will present a world premiere together with the Berlin Radio Choir, the official anthem for the “Fest der ChorKulturen”: Ēriks Ešenvald's anthem "Proclamation". The work is a setting of a poem by Kim Stafford (2005) that stands for world peace and international understanding. The musical direction of the premiere is taken over by Nicolas Fink.

Tickets for the Opening Concert are available on the website of the Berlin Radio Choir as a single ticket or as a festival pass.

More information about the "Fest der ChorKulturen" and the affiliated Grand Prix of Nations Berlin 2017 can be found on the official INTERKULTUR event website as well as on Facebook.