Available Dates:
14-18 April 2010
13-17 April 2011
13-17 April 2011
Verona Choir Competition, Italy
Days of International Choir Music In Verona
14-18 April 2010
13-17 April 2011
- • Discover the beauty of Verona
- • Perform for an international jury
- • Meet choirs fromaround the world
- • Participate in a friendship concert with an Italian Choir
"The musical history of the city of Verona provides the ideal background for our events, which will be held at one of our famous Theatres.We look forward to welcoming your choir. "
With kind regards
Associazione Gruppi Corali
Days of International Choir Music in Verona
The competition ceremony begins with an opening celebration of the “Days of International Choir Music in Verona” highlighted by a welcome from the hosts , the Associazione Gruppi Corali Verona, after which you will enjoy a concert performed by a well-known local choir or symphony.The Verona Choir Competition is held in the Mozart Hall of the Teatro Nuovo, where choirs have a maximum of fifteen minutes to performtheir chosen pieces, judged by a panel of seven internationally acclaimed adjudicators. After your choir performs, you can enjoy listening to some of the other participating choirs perform and get a taste of the varied choral traditions from around the world. As part of your festival package, choirs will enjoy a Verona sightseeing tour exploring the breathtaking Roman Arena and visit Juliet’s house where the famous scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is reputed to have played out in 1302 and have the opportunity to wander along the open Piazzas lined with 14th century buildings and open-air markets displaying fresh produce and local handicrafts.
During your stay in Italy, choirs will travel east for a day excursion to Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world,made up of 118 islands, over 450 bridges andmore than 180 canals. During the competition closing ceremony, trophies will be distributed to all placed choirs, followed by performances by choirs who have received gold medals. Following the performances, participating choir members, judges and guests are invited to attend a colourful reception. The Closing Ceremony ends with a grand procession from the reception through the city of Verona to the Roman Arena, where all guest choirs will join together to perform three songs: Va pensiero by G.Verdi, Inno Alla Gioia by L. van Beethoven and Amazing Grace by J.Newton.
CATEGORIES OF COMPETITION
- • Church and/or Secular Music without Compulsory Composition
- • Church and/or Secular Music with Compulsory Composition
- • Folk songs
- • Jazz, Pop, Swing, Blues etc.
- • Youth & Young Adult Choirs (Aged 18-24 years)
- • 4 nights in a 3* hotel situated south of Lake Garda (twin room
with private bathroom, buffet breakfast and evening meal) - • Participation in the competition including all charges
- • Participation in the opening concert
- • Half day sightseeing in Verona
(excludes any entrance fees payable locally) - • Day trip to Venice including a boat ride
- • Reception with an Italian Choir
- • Monetary Prize in Category 2
- • Closing ceremony with snacks and wine, presentation of certificates
for all choirs and a cup for every placed choir - • Translation service throughout the stay
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Below is the most popular itinerary of the CCI Family of Choirs who have attended the Verona Choir Competition. This is for information purposes only. All final itineraries are tailored to individual choirs requirements.
DAY 1
- • Arrive in Verona
- • Free time in the afternoon to explore Lake Garda on your own.
- • Group dinner at your hotel
- • In the evening, transfer by coach with your guide to the Teatro Filarmonico in the city of Verona for the opening ceremony of the Verona International Choral Competition with welcome by representatives of the city and province of Verona.
- • Coach transfer back to your hotel following the ceremony
- • Breakfast at your hotel in the morning.
- • Coach transfer with your guide to Verona to performance in the competition at the Teatro Nuovo
- • Free time for optional lunch in Verona following performance
- • Enjoy a city-walking tour in the afternoon
- • Coach transfer back to Lake Garda in the late afternoon.
- • Group dinner at the hotel.
- • Breakfast at your hotel in the morning.
- • Full day tour to Venice. During the tour, enjoy a boat ride on the Canale Grande to the San Marco Square and enjoy a short walking tour of the city of Venice “The city of canals”.
- • Free time in the afternoon to visit other points of interest in Venice
- • Group dinner at your hotel.
- • Breakfast at your hotel in the morning.
- • Coach transfer with your guide to Verona
- • Reception for all choir directors takes place before closing ceremony
- • Official closing ceremony at the Teatro Filarmonico for all choirs.
- • All choirs gather for a reception with snacks and beverages
- • Following the reception, all choirs will join together and proceed to the Arena di Verona where all choirs sing Va pensiero, Inno Alla Gioia and Amazing Grace together
- • Coach transfer back to your hotel in the late afternoon.
- • Group dinner at the hotel.
- • Coach transfer after dinner to a friendship concert with an Italian choir
- • Coach transfer to hotel after friendship
- • Breakfast at the hotel in the morning
- • Check-out by 11:00 am
- • Coach transfer to airport
“Thank you for helping me to organise a great trip (to Verona). Everyone really enjoyed it, the accommodation was very good and the staff in the hotel were very friendly and helpful. Being awarded silver in the competition was, of course, an added bonus. Our courier for the trip was Miruska Dressel-Bujnicky and she was absolutely fantastic. She did everything she could to make the visit enjoyable for everyone; was very flexible regarding arrangements and yet ensured that we were always in the right place at the right time. When Miruska realised that many people were already very familiar with Verona, she arranged to substitute the walking tour with a trip to Lake Garda. Miruska was also very supportive of us during the competition, during the closing ceremony and for our visit to the Italian choir. I’d really appreciate if you could pass on these comments to Choir International, she really is a treasure. The host choir put on a great night for us and if the bus hadn’t been waiting for us at the end of the night, I don’t think most of our choir would have got home until Monday. Thank you again for all the hard work you put into making the trip a success and I will certainly be recommending to the choir that we use you again when we plan our next trip abroad.”
Úna on behalf of Cantairi Avondale, Ireland
COMPETITION INFORMATION & RULES
The Verona Choir Competition is for nonprofessional choirs only.
Length of performance
The performance length is limited to 15 minutes for each choir. “Performance time” is defined as “from the beginning of the first song to the end of the last song”
Music
Choirs’ own selection (to include folk music from your country of origin)
Categories of Competition
Choirs can choose to compete in one of the following categories:
1.) Church and/or Secular Music without Compulsory Composition
The programme selection should include music written in classical “vocal polyphonic”, music from the renaissance and the period of the romantic style with one composition from the 20th century. A folk song from your country or origin is suggested. This category has to be sung predominantly ‘a cappella’ (without instrumental accompaniment). If the original score includes accompaniment, then the use of a piano is required.
2.) Church and/or Secular Music with Compulsory Composition
The programme selection should include music written in old classical “vocal polyphonic”, music from the renaissance and the period of the romantic style and one composition from the 20th century. A folk song from your country or origin is suggested. This category has to be sung predominantly ‘a cappella’ (without instrumental accompaniment). If the original score includes accompaniment, then the use of a piano is required.
3.) Folk songs
The emphasis in this category is on folk songs. Instruments, necessary for accompaniment i.e. Guitar, Piano etc. are allowed, but the majority of the performance should be performed ‘a cappella’
4.) Jazz, Pop, Swing, Blues etc.
This category is open for choirs specializing inthis type of performance. The emphasis is on the choral arrangement of the music. Show parts, choreographic elements and instruments are permitted but the choir must perform at least one piece purely ‘a cappella’. In this category, the overall impression will be noted in the evaluation.
5.) Youth & Young Adult Choirs (Aged 18-24 years)
In this category, the song repertory is free of choice
from categories 1, 3 or 4.
Compulsory Composition
Choirs competing in Category 2: Church and/or Secular Music with Compulsory Composition are given the opportunity to perform within their allowed time a compulsory composition forwarded to them by the jury, which will then be judged specifically.
Mixed Choir Compulsory Composition - Die Nachtigall F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Male Choir Compulsory Composition - Der frohe Wandersmann F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Female Choir Compulsory Composition - Hebe Deine Augen F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Download full information on the Verona Choir Competition (1.60MB)
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