City on song for choral festival

Nearly 5,000 singers from 20 countries will participate in this year’s Cork International Choral Festival, which gets under way on May 1.

Details of the events were announced last night. Some of the choirs will be coming from as far away as Russia and Belarus for the five-day event, which is one of Europe’s premier choral festivals.

The opening gala concert takes place on May 1, in City Hall. It will feature Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time by the Fleischmann Choir, members of the Cologne Philharmonic Choir and Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr Geoffrey Spratt, who will be marking his final appearance as conductor of the prestigious group.