More than 5,000 singers for this year's Cork International Choral Festival
FOR 60 years, the Cork International Choral Festival has heralded the coming of May as surely as the lengthening evenings and the blooming of the hawthorn.
Whatever the weather chooses to do, one thing is certain — on Leeside, music and song, creative competition and colourful costumes, will fill not only theatres, but also streets, shops, hotels, restaurants, to overflowing. Choirs will arrive by plane, by ferry, by the busload, accompanied by friends, relatives, supporters.
The event is not only one of the premier events on the international choral calendar, it is also a major boost for tourism. Between April 30 and May 4, more than 5,000 singers will ensure that every street corner brings a different flavour and a different tune. They will reach out further afield too, in a kaleidoscope of competitions, concerts, and fringe events. And following them will come treble that number of visitors who, while enjoying the best that the choral festival has to offer, will also incidentally fill our hotels and guest houses, pack our restaurants and cafes, buy freely in our shops. Couldn’t be a better way to kick-start the season.
Founded in 1954 under the innovative An Tóstal concept which was aimed at pulling Ireland out of the old world into a bright new cultural future, the Choral Festival, brainchild of Aloys Fleischmann, is the only one of its peers still to exist today. “Choral music spans all nations, cultures, religions, age groups,” says festival director John Fitzpatrick, celebrating his own 21st anniversary in the post.
The main focal points of the Festival each year are the Gala Concerts which are eagerly awaited and almost always sold out well in advance. This year’s opener at Cork City Hall on April 30 is likely to prove a sensation: a stunning performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, featuring not only the star qualities of Cara O’Sullivan, Owen Gilhooly and Peter Kerr, with the East Cork Choral Society and Tallaght Choral Society, but also the Band of 1 Brigade, under the baton of Lt Colonel Mark Armstrong.
Voces 8, one of Europe’s finest vocal ensembles, are not only giving a gala at the City Hall on May 1, but also travelling to Waterford’s Christ Church Cathedral on May 2 for a fringe concert. The back to back Friday night concerts this year, featuring both cathedrals, will see the Chamber Choir at St Fin Barre’s and, later on, Madrigal ’75 with Evocations at the North Cathedral.
Let's get excited for the 2014 Festival! We've created a marvellous playlist to get us in the mood! https://t.co/Xv0lVtT4CM
— Cork International Choral Festival (@corkchoralfest) April 17, 2014
The Fleischmann International Trophy Competition will take pride of place on Saturday, May 3, with both an afternoon and an evening session at the City Hall, in which world-class amateur choirs will compete for one of the most prestigious prizes on the international circuit. And, as always, the closing Gala Concert on the Sunday will mark the end of festival week with international choirs presenting pieces which represent their musical and ethnic backgrounds.
An event which really excites Fitzpatrick is Teampall Fuaime (Sound Temple), the world premiere of a site-specific concert at Triskel Christchurch on Sat May 3. This, the result of an eight-month project between composer Ian Wilson and Cork Chamber Choir, was directly inspired by the unique surrounds of the 18th century Christchurch. At different times during the performance, the choir will sing in different parts of Christchurch, thus fully exploiting this impressive space.
Those are the major events, towering highest on the programme, but all around them, are clustered a delightful medley of fringe events, from a Choral Trail to the Festival Club, free concerts to an extensive education programme. All this, plus exhibitions, world premieres, academic seminars, workshops (there is one for conductors entitled Voodoo For Choirs), and more.
Shandon Sunrise on Mayday is another top event. as is the Big Sing at the City Hall on the Saturday morning when John O’Brien turns you into a professional in just 45 minutes, showing that you that you too can conquer Carmina Burana.
Or the Sacred Trail when parish choirs from 15 city and county churches will interchange and sing at Mass on the Sunday before the festival begins. It’s always been about involving the people, says John Fitzpatrick, making the festival part of everyday and everyone’s experience.
“Our challenge and ambition as a festival is to bring Cork to life with song,” explains Fitzpatrick. “To achieve this we present a range of concerts which are totally different in terms of performers, music, periods, styles, venues; are designed to attract a wider audience base (both from an age and societal point of view); and have something for everyone without lessening in any way the artistic validity of what we present.”
He is constantly amazed, he says, at how hard international choirs are prepared to work to come over here and compete. “The amount of funding they have to find, the length of the journeys they make to get here — they are so committed.”
Fitzpatrick says he is particularly pleased with the inclusion of the Hong Kong choir this year, and hopes to see more from China in the future. “Their choirs are simply incredible, a real experience to hear.”
An aspect of the event very close to the director’s heart is the commissioning of unique works of art as prizes. For the past 20 festivals these have been created by local artists and are highly valued by those who win.
This year, an exquisite series of bronze awards for national competitions are the work of sculptor Don Cronin, while for the first time a bespoke perpetual Fleischmann International Trophy has been created by Liam Lavery and Eithne Ring, inspired by a handwritten score by Aloys Fleischmann merging with the iconic golden salmon atop Shandon.
“These art works are so special. I always try to purchase one myself each year, as a special memory of that particular event,” says Fitzpatrick, handling the Fleischmann trophy gently before placing it back in its protective layers. Next time it is brought out, it will be to give one fortunate international choir its supreme moment.
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