a danish choir event in south africa tour 2013 - Cultour Africa

A DANISH CHOIR EVENTIN SOUTH AFRICATOUR 2013Soweto | Pretoria | Port ElisabethGeorge | Swellendam | Cape TownALLELUIA &ADAGIOCharles Villiers StanfordGiovanni P. da PalestrinaSamuel BarberEric WhitacrePalle Mikkelborg

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESSTHE PRINCE CONSORTOF DENMARKPROTECTOR OFTHE COPENHAGEN ROYAL CHAPEL CHOIRThe international musical world shows a growing interest for performancebased on original music. Thus, the boys’ choirs and their schools are asimportant today as they have been in their thousand year old history.Music written for boys and men is a cultural heritage of great importance.For generations the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir Københavns Drengekorhas brought this tradition to all parts of the world not only as excellentambassadors for European choir music but also for Denmark and Danishmusic in particular.I learn with pleasure that the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir will now tourto South Africa. On many occasions our family has appreciated the beautifulsinging of the choir. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary weredeeply moved by the singing of the choir at their wedding in the Cathedralof Copenhagen.HM The Queen and HRH The Prince Consort of DenmarkI wish the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir and their dedication to promotechoir music all over the world great success in the future.

Foto: Steen BrogaardCopenhagen royal Chapel Choir in Copenhagen Cathedral

A DANISH CHOIR EVENT IN SOUTH AFRICACONCERT PROGRAMMEALLELUIA & ADAGIOThe concert presents some spectacular and joyful– as well as deep and intimate – choir music from Italy,United States, UK and Scandinavia. With outstandingcomposers such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina,Samuel Barber, Sir Charles Stanford and Eric Whitacre:400 years of excellence in choir singing.Also the extraordinary light in Scandinavian choirtradition will be presented in a suite – Of all my SunlitWorld – ballads and songs for spring and summercomposed for harp and choir.Copenhagen Royal Chapel ChoirHelen Davies Mikkelborg, harpEbbe Munk, conductorSUNDAY APRIL 14 TH 15:30Soweto, Morris Isaacson High School atCape Gate Miagi Centre for MusicMONDAY APRIL 15 TH 19:00Pretoria, Nazareth House Chapel, WaterkloofTHURSDAY APRIL 18 TH 19:00Port Elisabeth, NG Church, SummerstandSATURDAY APRIL 20 TH 19:00George, Oude KerkSUNDAY APRIL 21 ST 15:00Swellendam, Moeder KerkWEDNESDAY APRIL 24 TH 19:00Cape Town, St. George Cathedral

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)Per Nørgaard (*1932)Samuel Barber (1910-1981)Eric Whitacre (*1970)COELOS ASCENDIT HODIEOp. 38,2 motet for the AscensionSTABAT MATERFor double choirVIRI GALILEIMotet for the AscensionSWAN DESCENDINGFor harp soloAGNUS DEI – ADAGIOWATER NIGHTWords by Octavio PazALLELUIAINTERVALMusic by Palle Mikkelborg, Carl Nielsen andother Danish and Scandinavian composersOF ALL MY SUNLIT WORLDA Suite of Scandinavian Summer Balladsand Songs for Choir and Harp

COPENHAGEN ROYALCHAPEL CHOIRAmong some of the oldest European Musical traditions are the cathedralchoirs and their choir schools. The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir is theonly representative of this tradition in Scandinavia.Founded in 1924 by Mogens Wöldike the Choir quickly developed into a fulltimeinstitution with the boys receiving their general education alongside afull musical and vocal training in Sankt Annæ Gymnasium, the CopenhagenMunicipal Choir School.Since 1959 the Choir has been resident at Copenhagen Cathedral and as partof its duties performs at state occasions and during royal visits abroad. In factsince Ebbe Munk became director of the Choir in 1991 they have undertakenconcerts in leading concert halls, cathedrals and festivals all over the world.This includes leading concert managers such as Dell‘Arte in South America,Wu Promotion in China and Sydney Opera House Trust in Australia.Benjamin Britten, Ernest Ansermet, Raphael Kubelik, Giuseppe Sinopoli,Andrew Davies, Sir Charles Mackerras, Christopher Hogwood, Paul McCreesh,Vladimir Ashkenazy and many others have each conducted the CopenhagenRoyal Chapel Choir. Contemporary Scandinavian composers including PoulRuders, Palle Mikkelborg, Per Nørgaard, Bent Sørensen and Knut Nystedthave written works specially for them.Le Figaro has placed the Choir alongside the Vienna Boys Choir and that ofKings College, Cambridge as one of the finest in Europe. They work regularlywith the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and have made numerous CDrecordings on EMI, Vanguard, Chandos, Decca, Telefunken, Danica Records,Dacapo and Kontrapunkt.In 2000 the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir received the prestigious EugeneMortimer Choir Prize by the European Cultural Foundation Pro Europa.From 2002 the Choir has been nominated Ambassadeurs de l’Union by theFédération Européenne des Choeurs de l’Union in Bruxelles and in 2002the choir received a Grammy in Danish Music Awards for the recording ofBuxte hude’s Cantatas together with Dufay Collective, London.In November 2003 Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir was honoured in Parisby l´Institut de France-Académie des Beaux-Arts with the Prix Chant choralLiliane Bettencourt 2003.As part of its duties the Choir performs at state occasions and during royalvisits abroad. Such as the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the CrownPrince Frede rik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary and at the christeningof their four children. Also the reburial of Russian Empress Maria Fjodorovna(born Danish Princess Dagmar) in St. Petersburg.FOTO: STEEN BROGAARD

FOTO: SUSTE BONNéN FOTO: SVEND WITHFELTEBBE MUNK has since 1991 been chief conductor of the CopenhagenRoyal Chapel Choir and choirmaster of the Copenhagen Cathedral. EbbeMunk has been touring with the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir in all partsof the world – at leading international festivals as well as in concert hallsand in cathedrals. He has been conducting and a jury-member at severalchoir seminars in Denmark and abroad – in the autumn of 1999 at PrincetonUniversity’s North America Conference for Choral Conductors, and he is since2002 artistic counsellor of the Féderation des Choeurs de l’Únion Européennein Brussels. Also in 2002 he received a Grammy in Danish Music Awards forhis recording of Buxtehude´s Cantatas together with Dufay Collective, Londonand the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir. Together with the Choir Ebbe Munkwas honoured in Paris by l´Institut de France-Académie des Beaux-Arts withthe Prix Chant choral Liliane Bettencourt. Appointed a Knight of Dannebrogby Her Majesty the Queen.HELEN DAVIES MIKKELBORG Helen Davies´s career as a harpist is diverseand eclectic. Her wide-ranging musical life has seen her combine a distinguishedorchestral solo-harpist career in Ireland and Scandinavia withscholarly research in 18th and 19th century harp music, arranging and performingIrish traditional harp music and the harp music of her native Wales,and since 1989, working in the field of contemporary improvised music andelectronics with her husband, trumpet player and composer Palle Mikkelborg,with whom she has performed throughout Scandinavia, Australia, the FarEast, China and the USA.Helen studied harp in Wales with Ann Griffiths and read music at BirminghamUniversity (UK). Apart from her work with Palle Mikkelborg, her interest inearly music and the northern european folk tradition has inspired her toestablish a duo with Poul Høxbro (flutes and percussion) and more recentlya trio with Poul and well-known Norwegian musician, Gunnar Stubseid(hardanger fiddle). Helen has published several books of harp music and hasfeatured on numerous recordings. Her solo CD Open the Door Softly wasnominated for a Danish Music Award, and her most recent solo CD Chasingthe Breeze was nominated for a Danish Radio Listener´s Prize.

Københavns DrengekorSankt Annæ GymnasiumSjælør Boulevard 135DK 2500 ValbyDenmarkT +45 3646 6222drengekor@kdk.dkwww.kdk.dkCOPENHAGEN ROYAL CHAPEL CHOIRIN CO-OPERATION WITH· The Royal Danish Embassy in Pretoria· Royal Danish Consulate General in Cape Town· Cultour Africa Choir & Orchestra Concert Tours· Jensen Safaris in Pretoria· St. George Cathedral in Cape Town· South Cape Childrens Choir in George· The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University ChoirSPONSORS· Danish Arts Council· Oticon Foundation· The Obel Family Foundation· I. F. Lemvigh-Müller Foundation· Konsul George Jorck ogHustru Emma Jorck’s Fond· Augustinus Foundation· Københavns Drengekors Venner