World Choir Games Flanders 2021

WORLD

CHOIR

GAMES

OCT. 30 - NOV. 7, 2021

ANTWERP &

GHENT

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DIGITAL PROGRAM BOOK

EVENTS

2022

Choir Competitions and Festivals

VOX LUCENSIS – CONCORSO CORALE INTERNAZIONALE

April 9-13, 2022 | Lucca, Italy

VOICES & WINE ALBA

April 20-24, 2022 | Alba, Italy (Piedmont)

15 TH INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION & FESTIVAL BAD ISCHL

April 27-1, 2022 | Bad Ischl, Austria

SING FOR GOLD – THE WORLD CHORAL CUP

May 14-22, 2022 | Calella/Barcelona, Spain

12 TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES

July 4-14, 2022 | Gangneung/Gangwon, Republic of Korea

2 ND RIGA SINGS - INT. CHOIR COMPETITION & IMANTS KOKARS CHORAL AWARD

August 17-21, 2022 | Riga, Latvia

4 TH KALAMATA INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL

September 22-26, 2022 | Kalamata, Greece

10 TH ISOLA DEL SOLE

September 25-29, 2022 | Grado, Italy

SING’N’JOY BOHOL

October 5-9, 2022 | Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines

INTERNATIONALES CHORFEST MAGDEBURG

October 5-9, 2022 | Magdeburg, Germany

DEUTSCHE CHORMEISTERSCHAFT 2022

October 21-23, 2022 | Koblenz, Germany

LISBON SINGS

November 10-14, 2022 | Lisbon, Portugal

ON STAGE Festivals

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL | March 9-13, 2022

VERONA, ITALY | March 24-27, 2022

FLORENCE, ITALY | May 19-22, 2022

TIRANA, ALBANIA | June 8-12, 2022

LISBON, PORTUGAL | September 9-12, 2022

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC | November 10-13, 2022

interkultur.com /interkultur /interkultur

as of October 2021

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OCT. 30 - NOV. 7, 2021

ANTWERP & GHENT

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

Table of Content

Welcome to the 11 th World Choir Games

Organizers 6

GREETINGS

Greetings 10

ORGANIZERS

Honorary Committee 20

National Organizing Committee of

the 11 th World Choir Games 24

International Organizing Committee of

the 11 th World Choir Games 26

Artistic Committee 28

WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

World Choir Council 32

WELCOME TO FLANDERS

Choral Music in Flanders 41

Sponsors and Partners 46

Participating Countries and Regions 48

World Choir Games for all! 50

ABOUT INTERKULTUR

...Connecting Bridges 54

INTERKULTUR‘s international choir events 56

Representatives 58

World Ranking List - Top 100 60

Think global, act social for the World Choir Games! 64

A Unique Idea - World Choir Games 66

The Success Story of the World Choir Games 68

World Choir Games 2022 - Welcome to Gangneung 80

SYMBOLS OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Flag, the Bell and the Choral Flame

of the World Choir Games 86

Official Song of the 11 th World Choir Games 88

Anthem of the World Choir Games 92

The Medals and Trophies of the 11 th World Choir Games 94

Facts and Figures of the 11 th World Choir Games 96

ADJUDICATORS & CLINICIANS

Adjudicators & Clinicians 102

VENUES OF THE 11 TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES

Venues 114

Maps Ghent & Antwerp 120

Events 124

Events - Oct. 30 - Nov. 7, 2021 - Competitions, Workshops, Concerts

October 30, 2021 127

October 31, 2021 131

November 1, 2021 139

November 2, 2021 147

November 3, 2021 153

November 4, 2021 157

November 5, 2021 161

November 6, 2021 169

November 7, 2021 177

Art Space 182

Virtual Village 184

Virtual Competitions 186

Digital Workshops 190

Participants

Choirs listed by country and within by English alphabet 194

Information

Corona Safety Measures 274

Imprint 276

Photo Credits 278

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

TABLE OF CONTENT

ORGANIZERS

WELCOME TO T Organizers INTERKULTUR

Visit Flanders

The Flanders Department of Culture, Youth and Media

Supported by

President of INTERKULTUR

& World Choir Games

INTERKULTUR

Executive Committee

Artistic Committee

of the 11 th World Choir Games

Managing Directors

of the 11 th World Choir Games

The cities of Antwerp and Ghent

Koor & Stem vzw.

And numerous national and international committees and organizations

Günter Titsch, Germany

Qin Wang, China

Stefan Bohländer, Germany

Dr. Christoph Wirtz, Germany

Maarten Van Ingelgem, Belgium

Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß, Germany

Assoc. Prof. Romāns Vanags, Latvia

Johan Rooze, Netherlands

Fred Sjöberg, Sweden

Koenraad De Meulder, Belgium

National Organizing Committee of the 11 th World Choir Games

Jelena Dannhauer, Germany

International Organizing Committee of the 11 th World Choir Games

Honorary Artistic Presidents

Honorary Ambassadors &

Advisors & Members

Prof. Zheng Xiaoying (China)

Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany)

John Rutter (Great Britain)

Prof. Dr. Hak-Won Yoon (Republic of Korea)

Prof. Dr. Morten Lauridsen (USA)

Konrad Fleischanderl (Austria)

Prof. Herbert Wild (Austria)

Peizhi Li (China)

Canrong Ma (China)

Prof. Zuqiang Wu (China)

Prof. Dirk Duhei (Chinese Taipei)

Vlastislav Novak (Czech Republic)

Dieter Topp (Germany)

Ágnes Kovácsné Bíró (Hungary)

Sarolta Péczely-Kodály (Hungary)

Prof. Vladimir Minin (Russia)

Pavel Pozhigailo (Russia)

Anton Armstrong (USA)

Dr. Gene Brooks (USA)

André J. Thomas (USA)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ORGANIZERS

GREETINGS

Greetings

Jan Jambon (Belgium)

Finally we meet!

A warm Welcome to Flanders…

Flanders is ready to welcome the 11 th edition of the World Choir Games. Due to the

circumstances we all know, Flanders was given some extra time, to be even more

prepared, for what promises to be a historical edition of the World Choir Games.

With the outbreak of the corona-pandemic, we were largely deprived of our hobbies,

our social life. Things that normally give us energy were no longer possible. Today

however, we look with confidence towards the future. We showed great discipline

when situation forced us to, we took up responsibility as a nation from the moment

we could, and we used our creativity to find solutions for the challenges we faced.

For many choirs, the World Choir Games in Flanders will be the moment where once

again they will climb the stage. More important than the result or the score they

achieve is the fact that they are there again, on that stage, to perform, to share their

passion with an audience, to discover new people, styles or meet groups.

I wish everyone a happy, safe and unforgettable event. You deserve it!

Welcome you in Flanders.

Jan Jambon

Minister-President of Flanders

Zuhal Demir (Belgium)

We’re all winners

The mere fact that we can sing again after the difficult period of the past year and a half,

makes us all winners.

The World Choir Games are the first event where choirs from around the world can sing

together again. Therefore, we’re honored and excited that these World Choir Games are

coming to Flanders. As you will undoubtedly discover, Flanders is the perfect stage for

this event. I invite the world to discover our beautiful host cities: Antwerp and Ghent.

Whether you sing in the grandeur of our ancient cathedrals or in brand new concert

halls, you will feel our passion for singing and music. Don’t forget to experience the

rousing vibe of the ‘Handelsbeurs’ that will act as the central hub during the event and

where creative performances are scheduled during the day.

From the very start, our vision has been to deliver the most accessible and inclusive

World Choir Games ever. And we hold on to that promise: everyone is welcome and no

one will be forgotten. For those choirs who are not yet able to travel to our region, we

have created the Virtual Village, accessible for all. In that way, everyone will be able to

follow the event as if he/she/they were there in person.

Flanders is ready to welcome the world and to make this event memorable in every way.

Zuhal Demir

Flemish minister of Tourism

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

GREETINGS

Greetings

Günter Titsch (Germany)

Dear friends of choral music!

At last they are resounding again, the voices of the choirs! After a long period of silence

due to the pandemic, I am delighted from the bottom of my heart to welcome you to the

11 th World Choir Games in Antwerp and Ghent. For far too long we have had to wait for this.

The beautiful Belgian region of Flanders, with its cultural heritage dating

back several centuries, its world-renowned art centers, the great abundance

of cultural events and more than 1,000 choirs and 35,000 singers is an ideal

place to meet people with a passion for singing again and to share this love in peaceful and

people-uniting competitions.

The World Choir Games 2021 are something very special: they stand for the return of

choirs to the stages, they give hope to the choir community and set a sign of integration.

With the help of the “Virtual Village”, choir lovers from all over the world, who unfortunately

cannot be with us in Flanders due to travel restrictions, can digitally participate in

the Olympics of choral music and be part of this festival.

It is a fantastic sign that several hundred choirs with their singers and conductors,

jurors, members of the World Choir Council, volunteers etc. from all over the world will be

able to experience the revival of choral singing live and digitally, and as ambassadors bring

confidence to the choirs of their homeland.

This is made possible by the many choral enthusiasts who have stood together with positive

energy over the past year and a half, not giving up and putting a lot of energy into the

revival of choral singing.

My heartfelt thanks - also on behalf of the INTERKULTUR Executive Committee and the

entire choral world - go to all our cooperation partners from the Government of Flanders,

the colleagues of the Organizing Committee and all friends who support the World Choir

Games. It is thanks to their creative power and their utmost flexibility and professionalism

during the difficult time of the pandemic that the 11 th World Choir Games are now giving a

voice to the relaunch of choral singing.

Join us in looking forward to the World Choir Games, be inspired by Flanders and celebrate

with us!

SING TOGETHER

SHARE HAPPINESS

Günter Titsch

President of

the World Choir Games,

INTERKULTUR & the World Choir Council

Jeroen Keymeulen (Belgium)

A long and winding road

Looking back on the preparations for this event, the song “The long and winding

road” by The Beatles spontaneously came to mind. Quite obvious, since the orld

Choir Games in July 2020 could have been the biggest edition ever. More than a year

later, we can welcome the Games in Flanders. Talk about a long road.

And that the road towards it had many twists and turns is also an understatement.

Since the outbreak of covid-19, it has been a constant process of adapting to new

realities, constantly adjusting to changing contexts and choosing directions in an

uncertain future. Yet there is an advantage to walking a winding road, because by

making many turns you often get to see other perspectives, which can be enriching

and inspiring.

That is exactly why I am so proud to welcome you to the Flemish World Choir Games.

The tortuous quest yielded innovative collaborations both over small and large walls,

challenged us to make a great digital leap with the Virtual Village, ... I am convinced

that this edition offers so much innovation that it will still be a milestone in the

history of the World Choir Games.

Enjoy, meet, visit, get inspired, sing, listen, ...

In short, sing together, share happiness!

Welcome to the World Choir Games 2021!

Jeroen Keymeulen

Director Koor&Stem

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

GREETINGS

Greetings

Bart De Wever (Belgium)

As mayor of Antwerp I am honored to introduce you to the World Choir Games, a tier one

cultural happening. It is an honor for our city and its citizens to welcome with open arms

an abundance of passionate choirs and ensembles. The city of Antwerp sustains a rich

cultural tradition. A tradition we cherish, respect, renew, explore and spread worldwide.

The World Choir Games offer competitors and spectators an exceptional chance to experience

the wonderful world of music. In our rich, diversified cultural crossroad, the

vibrant choir life takes up a unique place. Choir life is accessible, everyone who can

sing and share that joy with others, is welcome to make singing together an uplifting

experience. Whether you prefer polyphony, spiritual, gospel, romantic, baroque, classic,

experimental or folk; the starry sky above choir life offers something for everyone.

I hope competitors from all over the world as well as visitors of this 11 th edition of the

World Choir Games will discover or rediscover the splendor of the city of Antwerp.

As this edition’s host city we are happy – and proud – to offer you a wide range of cultural

heritage. Apart from cherishing art treasures from our past, Antwerp also points

you towards the future. The citizens of Antwerp love the good life and love sharing the

good life with every visitor/guest and cultural omnivore. I invite you to explore our varied

shopping universe, taste our culinary specialities, catch the wind in your hair along the

Scheldt and end your day in one of the countless cozy pubs.

But most important, keep on singing. We’ll all be better for it.

Bart De Wever

Mayor of Antwerp

Mathias De Clercq (Belgium)

As a Unesco Creative City of Music Ghent is very proud to host the World Choir

Games. Music lovers will enjoy the most famous choirs in historical venues and

even from boats on one of our many lovely canals. On an artistic and cultural level,

Ghent is world class. You will find more theatres, cinemas, festivals, museums and

concert halls than you would normally expect in bigger cities. When you say Ghent,

everybody thinks of the Van Eyck brothers and ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’.

It is one of the most influential paintings ever made. But we have much more: our

10-day Ghent Festivities for example are world famous. It attracts some 2 million

visitors a year and is the biggest open air summer festival in Europe. The Film Fest

and Light Festival also have an international reputation. No wonder Ghent wants to

become European Capital of Culture. In 2030 there is an opportunity, when Belgium

and Cyprus jointly host the title. It seems a long way off, but we are thoroughly

preparing our candidacy. The World Choir Games will be an excellent showcase.

I truly hope you enjoy the World Choir Games and our city. Ghent offers a fascinating

cultural cocktail brimming with trendy, modern urban life. A city where people truly

enjoy life. Ghent is fast becoming Belgium‘s best city for foodies, and is attracting

more and more innovative top gastronomic talent and challenging concepts. Young,

award-winning chefs give it their all in the city, making waves internationally with

their hip restaurant concepts. Shopping in Ghent is also wonderful. Ghent has the

largest pedestrian shopping area in Belgium and a highly varied range of shops and

markets, all within a stone’s throw of each other. Ghent is a place that offers both

small-town charm and big-city excitement. Definitely enough for more than a one

night stay.

Mathias De Clercq

Mayor of Ghent

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

GREETINGS

Greetings

from around the world

At the World Choir Games 2012 we

had wonderful experiences with other

choirs, especially in the Friendship Concerts,

where we sang to each other, warmed

up our voices together, and talked

to singers from other parts of the world.

These were enriching and unforgettable

moments.

We should sing always, online (if need

be) and together as usually, hearing

each other. Let us search for other ways

and opportunities to sing as groups. We

never should permit music to be silenced.

We wish all participants in Flanders a

time of inspiration and invigoration. We

hope it renews our commitment to take

our music to other parts of the world.

Mariane Lemke Dûck

Soprano of the

Collegium Cantorum, Brazil

With the success at the Asian Pacific

Choir Games 2017, the children looked

forward to the World Choir Games 2020

with excitement. We are sad we cannot

be there due to the pandemic, but hope

to see a display of great choral melodies

which will heal wounds that medicine

cannot touch, especially during these

difficult times.

Wishing all the choirs from all around

the world, best of luck!

Sending love from Sri Lanka!

Yelani Li

Singer of the

Prestantia Junior Choir, Sri Lanka

Music has always kept different parts

of the globe connected and online platforms

have turned the international

choir scene into one virtual community.

What is special about the World Choir

Games is that it makes this space a reality

for so many of us. To all our friends

taking part in Flanders 2021, we are always

with you!

Sizwe Mondlane

Singer of the

University of Johannesburg Choir,

South Africa

Greetings from Ghana, West Africa. Despite

Covid-19 with its attendance challenges,

we are still here, we are still

strong and we will forge forward. In these

trying times music keeps us going. Indeed,

singing together brings nations

together or as we put it “Yε bo mu to

dwom a, εdi nkabom ba”.

Emmanuel Osae-Nyarko

Bass of the

Harmonious Chorale, Ghana

We are a group of children with an auditory

disability sharing a passion for

singing.

Joining the World Choir Games will be

for us an experience full of sunshine and

an opportunity to gain confidence and

positivity.

Our volunteer teachers have selflessly

helped us rehearse for many years, and

we now want to sing on a stage to spread

love and kindness.

We are also looking forward to listening

the wonderful voices of the other choirs

from all over the world, to being inspired,

and to learning from all of you.

Wang Qiu Qing

Singer of the

Dolphin Hearing Disabled Children‘s

Choir, China

Being a part of the World Choir Games is

not a feeling that can easily be described

by words. It really is a dream come true,

for each one of us and for all of us as a

group. Being very isolated from the world,

it‘s pretty hard for us to exchange cultures

with other nations, so this is truly

a very important event for us and we are

very thankful to everyone who made this

possible. My message for every singer,

in and out of World Choir Games is to

continue singing and making music and

someday the hard work will pay off. Just

like this time happened with our small

choir from the small Kosovo.

See you soon!!

Art Lekaj

Bass of the

Siparantum Choir, Kosovo

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

GREETINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

ORGANIZERS

Honorary Committee

Honorary Artistic Presidents

Prof. Zheng Xiaoying (China)

Dear friends of the choral world,

I am sending my best wishes for the success of the 11 th World Choir Games in Flanders

from China to all my friends at INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Games Organizing

Committee. I truly believe that everyone will have an unforgettable experience and bring

home joyful memory. Let us cherish love and wish you all good health. Looking forward to

the day we meet again!

Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany)

Dear friends,

The World Choir Games are not only the largest choral competition in the world.

They are a powerful embodiment of the humanistic ideals of people. To compete

peacefully, to honour the best and leave no one behind that is what makes our

World Choir Games this unique showcase of the world‘s choirs, even in times of crisis.

Through mutual respect, we embody a peaceful world. This is our Choir Olympic idea.

“To participate is the highest honour” and “Singing together brings nations together”

John Rutter (Great Britain)

It is a pleasure to add my welcome to that of my distinguished colleagues to all

the choirs who are taking part in the World Choir Games - whether in person or online.

The past eighteen months have been a difficult and challenging time for choirs

everywhere, and I am deeply impressed that your determination and resililience have

won through. I am sure this will be a very special World Choir Games, and I send every

good wish for its success.

Prof. Dr. Hak-Won Yoon (Republic of Korea)

Dear choristers,

I commend you for coming together in these difficult times. Let us raise our voices to

show the world, that every crisis can be managed and overcome if you have hope and

resolution. Singing is hope, singing is healing. Enjoy the moments spent together and

share your bright light with the world.

Prof. Dr. Morten Lauridsen (USA)

Dear choral colleagues,

I am so pleased to recommend to you the 2021 World Choir Games in Flanders!

What an exciting time that will be for performances and interactions with choral

ensembles from all over the world.

These superb festivals organized by INTERKULTUR are unforgettable and highly

enriching experiences. I sincerely hope you will be able to attend.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

HONORARY COMMITTEE

Honorary Committee

Honorary Ambassadors & Advisors & Members

Konrad Fleischanderl (Austria)

Prof. Herbert Wild (Austria)

Peizhi Li (China)

Canrong Ma (China)

Prof. Zuqiang Wu (China)

Prof. Dirk Duhei (Chinese Taipei)

Vlastislav Novak (Czech Republic)

Dieter Topp (Germany)

In memoriam

Honorary Presidents

Prof. Hongnian Yang (China)

Walter Scheel (Germany)

Prof. Paul Wehrle (Germany)

Mikis Theodorakis (Greece)

Prof. Eric Ericson (Sweden)

Christian Ljunggren (Sweden)

In memoriam

Honorary Ambassadors

& Advisors & Members

Baldur Heckel (Austria)

Prof. Guangyi Lai (China)

Prof. Geshun Ma (China)

Yubin Tian (China)

Xiyi Xu (China)

Liangkun Yan (China)

Gotthilf Fischer (Germany)

Hans-Dietrich Genscher (Germany)

Elfa Secioria (Indonesia)

Henry Klausner (Israel)

Boris Tevlin (Russia)

Dr. Sibongile Khumalo (South Africa)

We want to thank all of the

National Lottery’s players.

Because of them, the World

Choir Games can offer you an

absolutely unforgettable

experience!

Surely you’re playing as well?

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

HONORARY ARTISTIC PRESIDENTS

National Organizing Committee

of the 11 th World Choir Games

Koenraad De Meulder

Games Director

Sophie Detremmerie

COO

Maarten Van Ingelgem

Artistic Director

Gerrit Calluy

Director HRM

Eve Van Goey

Director Event Operations

Marjolein Braspenningx

Director Social Involvement

Lieselotte Goessens

Director Cultural Involvement

Stijn Jacobs

Director Finance

Kaat Thijs

Director Marcom

Kris Van Hullebusch

Technical Advisor Event Operations

Lander Arcay

Marketing & Partnerships Officer

Laura Vanden Abeele

Event Operations Officer

Hanne De Graef

Marketing & Ticketing Officer

Philippe Anné

Applications Officer

Mark Thijs

Project Manager Music Box

Isabel Verhaert

Project Manager Virtual Village

Thommy Verstrepen

Social Media Officer

Margot Van de Kelder

Involvement Officer

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

NATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

International

Organizing Committee of

the 11 th World Choir Games

Günter Titsch (Germany)

President of the World Choir Games,

INTERKULTUR & the World Choir Council

Qin Wang (China)

First Vice President of

INTERKULTUR &

the World Choir Council

Stefan Bohländer (Germany)

Vice President

of INTERKULTUR

Dr. Christoph Wirtz (Germany)

Secretary General

Jelena Dannhauer (Germany)

Project Director

Artistic Organization

Ella Schmiede (Germany)

Stefanie Schreiber (Germany)

Gabriela Meszaros (Switzerland)

Flannery Ryan (USA/Germany)

Touristic Organization

Zsuzsanna Lahmeyer (Hungary/Germany)

Elisabeth Dillmann (Germany)

Sebastian Lahmeyer (Germany)

Alexandra Buß-Trouliaris (Germany)

Rossana Toesco (Italy)

Jury Secretaries

Ilze Tormane-Kļaviņa (Latvia)

Sandra Voldina (Latvia)

Alessia Meszaros-Albertini (Switzerland)

Venue Management

Bernadette Prader (Austria)

Bruno Bertolo (Italy)

Diāna Čivle (Latvia)

Jānis Jaksts (Latvia)

Dmitry Lvovich (Russia/Germany)

PR & Communications

Henriette Brockmann (Germany)

Qixuan Li (China)

Guofeng Zhang (China)

Roger Schmidt (Germany)

Francesca Szemere (Italy)

Film & Photo Documentation

Dagmar Titsch (Germany)

Mathias Siebert (Germany)

Jonas Persson (Sweden)

Graphic Design

Ina Irmisch (Germany)

International Choral Networking

Hans-Robert Dapprich (Germany)

Eralda Isa (Albania)

Edlira Keta (Albania)

Ilda Memaj (Albania)

Joshibiah de Juan (Philippines)

Melissa Aldyne Viernes (Philippines)

Rose May Socong (Philippines)

Kymin Kim (Republic of Korea)

Natascha Glotova (Russia)

Sergej Glotov (Russia)

Marc Moreno (Spain)

World Choir Council & Protocol

Rainer Eichhorn (Germany)

Iris Huting Byrd (China)

Joy Ran Tao (China)

Nicolas Gliese (Germany)

Franziska Hellwig (Germany)

Anna Levina (Germany)

Susanne Schiller (Germany)

Thomas Schüle (Germany)

Francesco Leonardi (Italy)

Sebastian Ferstl (Germany)

Chao Li (China)

Andreas Kirdjakin (Germany)

Registration & Choir Service

Jana Kalņina (Latvia)

Ju He (China)

Xiaoyan Zhang (China)

Administration & Administrative Support

Regina Fritze (Germany)

Yan Li (China)

Eva Heinz (Germany)

Alexandra Schmidt-Ullrich (Germany)

Karl Spies (Germany)

Alicia Schüle (Philippines)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Artistic DIRECTORS

Maarten Van Ingelgem (Belgium)

Local Artistic Director

· Professor of Composition at LUCA School of Arts, Lemmens campus, Leuven

· Conductor of the Ghent-based chamber choir “De 2de Adem” (“The Second Wind”)

specializing in contemporary choral music

· Three-time laureate of the European Award for Choral Composers

· Experience as pianist-accompanist and as bass singer in choirs like “Aquarius” and

the “Flemish Radio Choir”

Assoc. Prof. Romāns Vanags (Latvia)

Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR

· Professor of choral conducting study program at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of

Music since 1987

· Chief conductor and Artistic Director of “Jāzeps Mediņš Rīga 1 st Music School Boys‘

Choir” and principal conductor of the Latvian University female choir named “Minjona”

since 1990

· One of the chief conductors of the Latvian Nationwide Song Celebration (in 1993, 1998,

2001, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018)

· In 2008 received the highest civil decoration in Latvia – “The Order of the Three Stars”

Johan Rooze (The Netherlands)

Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR

· Teacher of Jazz piano and Choir at Yeongnam University, Daegu and Music Director of

the “Yaenoeul Jazz Singers” and quintet “J-Cloud”

· International adjudicator, training-, seminar- and workshop-leader

· Founder and former Director of “Dekoor Jazz Group”, University of Utrecht

· Former Music Director of the Symphonic Choir and Orchestra of the University of

Utrecht

· Former Professor for Choral Conducting at the Conservatory of Alkmaar and Vocal

Jazz at the Conservatory of Rotterdam, Netherlands

Fred Sjöberg (Sweden)

Senior Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR & Vice President of the World Choir Council

· Music Director of the Swedish International Choral Centre in Örebro (SWICCO), Sweden

· Guest Professor at the Ionian University, Greece

· Past Vice President of Europa Cantat and past chair of Europa Cantat Music Commission

· Past Vice President of International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

WORLD CHOIR

COUNCIL

World Choir Council

Dear colleagues, dear friends, dear music world,

We have had to go through a time in the last two years where we have learned that it is not

a matter of course to have the opportunity to go out, meet with your loved ones and just

give those closest to you a hug.

We have had to experience how quickly just one serious circumstance can cause everything

that otherwise seems so commonplace to us to become a rarity, how from one day to the

next we have had to accept restrictions that we could not have imagined in today‘s modern

society, and how we have all had to learn the hard way to forego one of our highest goods

in order not to endanger everyone‘s existence even more unnecessarily - and that is our

freedom.

For some time we had to give up our freedom to move freely, to meet others and to pursue

the passion that unites us all here, the love of music.

A conventional meeting of our kind was no longer possible from one moment to the next

and we had to find ways to free ourselves from these chains in order to be able to continue

making music together. You all became creative in various ways to make this possible. You

met on online platforms, organized individual meetings, and did not let up on continuing

your own musical education at home.

You have shown what our world of choirs is capable of and have not given up.

Thanks to the hard discipline of each and every one of you and the ever-advancing gift of

vaccines, we are finally able to meet again this year for one of the greatest events without

equal - the World Choir Games 2021 in Flanders.

Grandiose performances, competitions and stirring musical pieces are waiting for us

again, which should allow us to forget the fight of the past months against the Corona

virus for this moment and to turn back to what we all love, the music. Through music we

want to give hope to the choirs and to the world that life has to continue.

We look forward to your numerous participations and are excited about the many

performances that await us.

And to say it in the words of one of our members:

„THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AT

THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES IS NOT TO WIN MEDALS,

BUT TO PARTICIPATE AND SING TOGETHER.”

With these words let‘s sing together, have fun and above all stay healthy.

Advisory Board of the WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL &

Regional Committee of the WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

Advisory Board of the World Choir Council

Prof. Alejandro Daniel

Garavano (Argentina)

Dapeng Meng

(China)

Branko Stark

(Croatia)

Steen Lindholm

(Denmark)

Dr.Maria Emma

Meligopoulou (Greece)

Aida Simanjuntak

Swenson

(Indonesia)

Ludumo Magangane

(South Africa)

Dr. Michael Barrett

(South Africa)

Dr. Timothy W. Sharp

(USA)

Regional Committee of the World Choir Council

Carrie Tennant

(Canada)

Prof. Tristan Meister

(Germany)

Julio Morales

(Mexico)

Dr. Ryan Goessl

(Republic of Korea/

USA)

Bernard Krüger

(South Africa)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

Members of the World Choir Council

Board of the World Choir Council

President: Günter Titsch (Germany)

First Vice President: Qin Wang (China)

Vice President: Fred Sjöberg (Sweden)

Senior Advisor:

Steen Lindholm (Denmark)

Director Communication,

Marketing and Sales:

Hans-Robert Dapprich (Germany)

Advisory Board

Prof. Alejandro Daniel Garavano

(Argentina)

Dapeng Meng (China)

Branko Stark (Croatia)

Dr. Maria-Emma Meligopoulou (Greece)

Aida Simanjuntak Swenson (Indonesia)

Ludumo Magangane (South Africa)

Dr. Michael Barrett (South Africa)

Dr. Timothy W. Sharp (USA)

Regional Committee

Carrie Tennant (Canada)

Prof. Tristan Meister (Germany)

Julio Morales (Mexico)

Dr. Ryan Goessl

(Republic of Korea/USA)

Bernard Krüger (South Africa)

Afghanistan

Omid Noori

Albania

Prof. Suzana Turku

Argentina

Prof. Alejandro Daniel Garavano

Armenia

Prof. Tigran Hekekyan

Australia

David Slater

Austria

Heinz Ferlesch

DDr. Karl-Gerhard Straßl MAS

Belarus

Inessa Bodyako

Belgium

Luc Anthonis

Jean-Pierre Van Avermaet

Benin

Felix Nassi

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Prof. Mladen Matović

Botswana

David Slater

Brazil

Helma Haller

Bulgaria

Prof. Theodora Pavlovitch

Canada

Robert Cooper

Don James

Zimfira Poloz

Carrie Tennant

China

Guanghui Chen

Dapeng Meng

Prof. Xiaobao Tian

Prof. Lingfen Wu

Prof. Li Yang

China/Hong Kong SAR

Raymond Fu

China/Macao SAR

Mingyan Liu

Chinese Taipei

Johnny Ku

Chile

Ricardo Curihuinca Vergara

Colombia

Edwin Orlando Carrillo

Costa Rica

Beverlyn Mora Ramirez

Cote d‘Ivoire

Pascal Koua

Croatia

Branko Stark

Cuba

María Felicia Pérez

Czech Republic

Jan Míšek

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ambroise Kua-Nzambi Toko

Denmark

Steen Lindholm

Dominican Republic

Farida Diná

Ecuador

Manuel Eugenio Auz Sanchez

Estonia

Aarne Saluveer

Finland

Kari Turunen

France

Jean Baptiste Bertrand

Germany

Prof. Jürgen Budday

Jürgen Faßbender

Dr. Thomas Kreiling

Prof. Tristan Meister

Gibraltar

Christian Santos

Great Britain

Joy Hill

Rachel Walker Mason

Mathew Wright

Greece

Dr. Maria-Emma Meligopoulou

Guatemala

Carlos Fernando Archila Salguero

Hungary

Levente Gyöngyösi

Katalin Kiss

Iceland

Thorgerdur Ingólfsdottir

India

Neil Herbert Nongkynrih

Indonesia

Aida Simanjuntak Swenson

Aris Sudibyo

Iran

Milad Omranloo

Ireland

Bernie Sherlock

Israel

Aharon Harlap

Italy

Prof. Giovanni Acciai

Jamaica

Gregory Simms

Japan

Ko Matsushita

Kenji Otani

Jordan

Shireen Abu-Khader

Kazakhstan

Gulmira Kuttybadamova

Kosovo

Memli Kelmendi

Latvia

Mārtiņš Klišāns

Assoc. Prof. Romāns Vanags

Lithuania

Vytautas Miškinis

Macedonia

Letka Dimovska Polizova

Malaysia

Susanna Saw

Malta

John Galea

Christopher Muscat

Mexico

Julio Morales

Gerardo Rábago Palafox

Marco Antonio Ugalde

Morocco

Adnane Matrone

Myanmar

Moe Naing

Namibia

Fanie Dorfling

Netherlands

Johan Rooze

Hans van den Brand

New Zealand

Karen L. Grylls

Nicaragua

Reyna Somarriba Molina

Nigeria

Emeka Nwokedi

Norway

Tove Ramlo-Ystad

Panama

Jorge Ledezma Bradley

Paraguay

Maria Vanesa Utz

Peru

Abel Gonzales Valenzuela

Philippines

Jonathan Velasco

Poland

Benedykt Błoński

Kinga Litowska

Portugal

Luis Cipriano

Myguel Santos e Castro

Republic of Korea

Prof. Shin-Hwa Park

Romania

Prof. Voicu Popescu

Russia

Prof. Lev Kontorovich

Pavel Pozhigailo

Prof. Alexander Solovyev

Prof. Viktor Zakharchenko

Prof. Vladimir Zhivov

Senegal

Lucien Mendy

Serbia

Vladimir Opačić

Singapore

Jennifer Tham

Slovakia

Milan Kolena

Slovenia

Karmina Šilec

South Africa

Dr. Michael Barrett

Bernard Krüger

Ludumo Magangane

André van der Merwe

Spain

Òscar Boada

Sri Lanka

Soundarie David

Sweden

Fred Sjöberg

Switzerland

Hansruedi Kämpfen

Thailand

Khunying Malaival Boonyaratavej

Togo

Felix Adessondji Olufade

Turkey

Ilker Ersil

Uganda

Michael Eduard Mukisa

Ukraine

Anzhela Maslennikova

United Arab Emirates

Philipp Maier

Uruguay

Ana Laura Rey

USA/ Republic of Korea

Dr. Ryan Goessl

USA

John Haberlen

Dr. T.J. Harper

Prof. André de Quadros

Elena Sharkova

Dr. Timothy W. Sharp

Venezuela

Maria Guinand

Vietnam

Chau Ahn Dang

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

World Choir Council

World

Choir

Council

General

Conference

NOV. 3, 2021

World Choir Council General Conference

The World Choir Council General Conference 2021 will be held as a hybrid event on

November 3 rd 2021, both live in Flanders and online. The General Conference is traditionally

set biannually during the World Choir Games, due to the special condition around the

globe, it has been 3 year since the last time.

The topics of the General Conference are focused on the challenge the choral community

faces in the future and how we will manage to break them through by working together. The

members of the World Choir Council will combine broad experience and fresh motivations

to bring light and hope, at the same time, provide down-to earth solutions and strategies.

Information about future INTERKULTUR, World Choir Council and it‘s World Choir Events.

“Greetings to Flanders” Special Show

Since the global breakout of the COVID since 2020, INTERKULTUR and the World Choir

Council has been releasing series of international “Choral Community Recovery” Initiatives,

aiming to unite the choral community and overcome the challenge. As a sequel of the

successful “Hello Council” and “Conductor’s Talk”, a special show called “Greetings to

Flanders” has been staged by INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Games together with

choral experts and choirs from all over the world. This will be released during the World

Choir Games in Flanders.

Call for the Composers Competition of the Official Song for

the World Choir Peace Prize 2022

The World Choir Peace Prize acknowledges individuals or organizations that have made an

outstanding contribution to world peace through choral music. The award is sponsored by

INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council to showcase examples of how choral music

can positively influence love and peace in our world.

The call for the composer‘s competition of the Official Song for the World Choir Peace

Prize, also known as the “Peace Song” is in action globally.

The result of the First Prize will be announced in Spring 2022.

World Choir Council Prize

For the first time in the history of the World Choir Games, a virtual competition will take

place for choirs who cannot travel to Flanders due to COVID but still want to participate in

the event. This gives the opportunity to stay true to the motto:

SINGING TOGETHER BRINGS NATIONS TOGETHER.

The World Choir Council Prize in the Video Clip Category aims to express appreciation

towards choirs for their enthusiasm and to reward the hard work. The choir that

has received the most points will receive the World Choir Council Prize. The winning

choirs will be announced during the Virtual Awards Ceremony in the Virtual Village on

November 7 th 2021.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

WELCOME TO

FLANDERS

FLANDERS,

LIKE MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

Our unique heritage still resonates with people after all this time, both literally and

figuratively. Operas and concert buildings, cathedrals and contemporary art installations,

and even underground passages. They each have their unique resonance, their own special

sound. Wherever you go in Flanders, you will encounter a wealth of art and heritage, that

resonates to the sound of music.

Choral Music

in Flanders

Giving an overview of choral music from Flanders on a few

pages is an almost impossible task. Here, we would like to

present some highlights that show how our region is characterized

by composers, tendencies, choirs and festivals.

The international character of the Fiamminghi

Already during the Middle Ages, the local schola cantorum in

cathedrals, churches and abbeys in Europe offered singers a

solid training. Gregorian chant was sung in unison for over 1000

years. That was until, during the twelfth century, simple polyphony

arose in the Notre Dame in Paris. A few centuries later,

true polyphony was born and came to full fruition in the hands

of composers from the Low Countries. Known as ’Fiamminghi‘,

numerous composers from our region gained fame throughout

Europe. For two centuries they held the most prestigious positions

at the greatest courts of their time. The spread of their

composing style was facilitated by the onset of music printing

from 1501 onwards. Indeed, the Fiamminghi determined what

was written everywhere else. Composers such as Guillaume

Dufay (1397-1474), Johannes Ockeghem (1410-1497), Josquin

Desprez (1450-1521), Nicolaas Gombert (1495-1560), and Orlandus

Lassus (1532-1594) succeeded in synthesizing elements

of diverse origins in religious and profane work: the emphasis

on the flowing melodic line (the lyricism) from Italy, the mathematical,

rational approach and constructivism from France,

and the melodiousness as an English characteristic.

Emancipation of the Dutch language in choral music

As a result of increasing secularization, the musical landscape

evolved too. Making music, including singing, was not limited

to a (group of) soloist(s) at the court or the cathedral. In 18 th

century Europe, music lovers united in amateur choirs, also in

Flanders.

In the 19 th century we see political developments in Flanders

that also influence the evolution of choral music. After the

Congress of Vienna in 1815, William I tried until 1830 to install

Dutch as an official language in the Northern and Southern

provinces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This encountered

a great deal of agitation in the Southern Netherlands and

eventually led to the Belgian revolution and the independence of

Belgium in 1830. The revolution was initiated in the Muntschouwburg

(La Monnaie, now the federal opera house of Belgium) in

Brussels when a soloist sang the aria “L‘Amour sacré de la patrie”

(The sacred love of the fatherland) from Aubert‘s opera De

Josquin Desprez

“De Stomme van Potici” (The Mute of Portici) and riots broke out

in the hall and the surrounding streets. The top layer of Flanders

at the time was mostly French-speaking and the Dutch-speaking

catholic clergy feared that Protestantism would also be introduced

by the Dutch from the North. The francophone area

that now comprises present-day Wallonia also saw these language

politics as a threat to the francophone language and culture.

The emancipation of Dutch as a language was therefore

not encouraged for all sorts of reasons, while on the other hand

a wave of nationalism linked to language and culture spread

throughout Europe.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

CHORAL MUSIC IN FLANDERS

Choral Music

in Flanders

Peter Benoit, the man who taught his people to sing

The composer Peter Benoit (1834-1901) developed these ideas

further in his Antwerpsche Vlaamsche Muziekschool (from the

1898 Royal Flemish Conservatory Antwerp, now Royal Conservatory

Antwerp). In 1890 he also founded the Nederlands Lyrisch

Toneel (currently Opera Ballet Vlaanderen/Flanders). To

Benoit, it was essential to use one’s native language in music

education. As such, ’The man who taught his people to sing‘

occupied an important place in the history of choral music in

Flanders and is regularly called the ’founder of Flemish music‘.

However, many of his Dutch romantic works are less suitable

for international distribution, not only because Dutch is less accessible

internationally, but also because of the required large

line-up of choir and symphonic orchestra, which demand both

large venues and big budgets. Jan Blockx (1851-1912), Emile

Wambach (1854-1924), Lodewijk Mortelmans (1868-1952) and

Edgar Tinel (1854-1912), all students of Benoit, continued this

approach.

Centers of influence in the 20 th century

An important milestone at the beginning of the twentieth century

is Jules Van Nuffel (1883-1953). His work actually deserves

more international recognition and professional performances/

recordings. This priest and founder of the Lemmens Institute

(originally in Mechelen, later in Leuven) wrote four profane choral

works and a few cantatas, but is mainly known for his religious

oeuvre: more than 80 motets for use during services, four

masses, and eleven impressive and delightful psalms in Latin.

After the Second World War, Flanders became a hotbed for modernism

and the electronic music of the time, represented for

example by Flagey (the magnificent broadcasting building and

residence of the Flemish Radio Choir) in Brussels and the Institute

for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM) in Ghent. 1

Electronic music can also be found in the vocal work of Norbert

Rosseau (1907-1975) from the late 1960s. As a strong promoter

of singing in Dutch, he wrote the wonderful St. Matthew Passion

in his native language, as well as other interesting works in

Latin, French and Italian.

Writing for amateurs and professionals

And so we are gradually entering the large field of contemporary

choral composers who were and are still active well into

the 21 st century. They excel in tailor-made compositions for both

professionals and amateurs. Vic Nees (1936-2013) was the former

conductor of what is now the Flemish Radio Choir (Vlaams

Radiokoor), and a composer who devoted himself almost

Vic Nees

exclusively to works for choirs. In Belgium and the Netherlands,

his choral works are ranked among the most important of the

century. His compositions are on the repertoire of many choirs

in and outside of Europe. His “Magnificat” is sung worldwide.

Among the most important works are “De zee is een orkest”

(The sea is an orchestra, 2000), “Trumpet Te Deum” (2003), Requiem

(2007), and “Passio super Galli Cantu” (2012).

In 2011, to mark his 75 th birthday, a monograph and catalog was

published on Nees. 2 In 2020, as part of the projects linked to

the initially planned World Choir Games, Koor&Stem organized

the first edition of the Vic Nees Composition Competition,

in memory of the composer, who ceaselessly stimulated young

composers in Flanders and abroad.

from Rudy Tambuyser: Choir music in Flanders, a tradition bursting with life,

follow this link: https://www.kunsten.be/en/now-in-the-arts/koormuziek-invlaanderen-springlevende-traditie/

The edition mentioned is O Song. Vic Nees, portret van een koorcomponist at

Davidsfonds, only available in Dutch with excerpts in English

from Rudy Tambuyser: Choir music in Flanders, a tradition bursting with life,

follow this link: https://www.kunsten.be/en/now-in-the-arts/koormuziek-invlaanderen-springlevende-traditie/

idem

An important composer who sadly passed away this summer

is Raymond Schroyens (1933-2021). Despite his career as a

harpsichordist, teacher, and producer at the BRT public broadcasting

service, Schroyens has written around a hundred pieces,

many of them for choirs. His work reflects the influence of early

music, as well as his admiration for the New German School

and an adventurous use of dissonance. He seeks the essence

within conscious experience rather than virtuosity, as can clearly

be heard in his “Three Canticles” (1965), “Pentalpha” (1983)

and the humorous ode to “Bach Beobachtung” (1999). 3

The 1930s were a particularly blessed period for music-loving

Flanders. Roland Coryn (1938) is certainly another striking figure.

He uses clearly recognizable tonal centers and his work

bears witness to a great generosity, an infallible sense of singability,

and a sophisticated taste in poetry. Not least among

his achievements are his settings of Emily Dickinson‘s work, for

example in the powerful cycle in five sections “A Letter to the

World” (1993). 4

At the end of the 20 th century, there are many important choral

composers, such as Lucien Posman (°1952) and Rudi

Tas (°1957), both students of Roland Coryn, Wim Henderickx

(°1962), who also integrates electronics in choral work, Kurt

Bikkembergs (°1963), Maarten Van Ingelgem (°1976), or Hans

Helsen (°1989), who often write commissioned music for choirs,

embracing various influences and styles. For an extensive overview

we refer to www.choralmusicfromflanders.be.

The world of composers has long been a man‘s business. In

1991, Erika Budai (°1966) wrote “The Chocolate Factory”, in

which the chorus immediately states an important export product

of the country: ‘Chocolate, from Belgium, is the best of

all the chocolate in this whole world.’ In the meantime, more

and more women‘s names are popping up: Noor Sommereyns

(°1982), Liesbeth Decrock (°1990), Vigdis Hansa Elst (°1991),

Els De Sadeleer (°1992), and Lara Denies (°2000) to name a few.

The last edition of the European Award for Choral Composers in

2020-2021 proves that choral talent from Flanders is also internationally

recognized: Jan Van der Roost (°1956) and Maarten

Van Ingelgem won respectively in both the categories a cappella

works and works with instrumental accompaniment. Two other

composers from Flanders, Hans Helsen and Vigdis Hansa Elst,

also received a special mention.

Lara Denies

Choral Federation Koor&Stem

Koor&Stem is a non-profit organization with a team of professionals

and volunteers that work hard to support more than 1.000

choirs and more than 35.000 singers and conductors across

Flanders, the Dutch-speaking, northern part of Belgium. The

organization connects people through song in choirs, at school,

and in healthcare, and initiates fresh perspectives on the future

of choral life. Koor&Stem promotes Flemish choral music

through projects, commissions, and editions.

Where to find Choral Music from Flanders?

In 2014, Koor&Stem launched an overview of the most important

composers in Flanders on www.koorklank.be. In 2020, in

response to the upcoming World Choir Games, this platform

was given an English-language section on www.choralmusicfromflanders.be.

Choral Music from Flanders offers, after

simple registration, scores that are freely available to an international

audience. All scores can be listened to via the Musescore

player on the platform. Here, you can always find a biography

of the composers, a selection of the most important choral

works, a reference to the website, recordings, and a contact address.

Do check out the YouTube channel of Choral Music from

Flanders too to discover the music of the finest performances

by both professional and amateur choirs.

Euprint has been the most important publisher of choral music

in Flanders for more than thirty years. Their choral catalog

includes contemporary composers as well as forgotten compositions

that are worth receiving a second life.

Two research centers that are important for vocal music from

Flanders are the Alamire Foundation, which focuses on music

and musical life in the Low Countries from the Middle Ages to

1800, and the Studiecentrum voor Vlaamse Muziek (Study Center

for Flemish Music), a research and documentation center

that aims to safeguard and promote Flemish music heritage

from the 19 th and 20 th centuries.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

CHORAL MUSIC IN FLANDERS

Choral Music

in Flanders

Festivals and competitions

In 1953 a new festival was founded: the European Music festival

for Young People (Europees Muziekfestival voor de Jeugd,

EMJ). It is an annual, international music meeting in Neerpelt

for young people up to 25 years old. The idea behind the festival

is that music pushes boundaries, forges bonds, and broadens

horizons. The festival began as a local initiative when a dozen

choirs met in 1953. In recent years, editions with more than 100

groups from 20 to 25 different countries have been no exception.

The festival is held alternatingly for choirs and for instrumental

ensembles.

In 1987 the choir ’Cantate’ from Maasmechelen organized a

prestigious international choir competition, in which six Flemish

and five foreign choirs took part: the International Choir

Festival Flanders (IKV) was born. It was the starting point for a

wonderful tradition. Since 2019, the festival is held in the former

mine “C-mine” in, Genk.

Both EMJ and IKV support composers from Flanders in many

ways, for example by commissioning them to write works.

International ambassadors

Flanders is blessed with a series of highly professional ensembles

and fine singers that love to sing music from the region:

Huelgas Ensemble, Collegium Vocale, Capilla Flamenca, Psallentes,

Ex Tempore, Graindelavoix, Currende, Utopia, Dionysos

Now!, Pluto…

The Flemish Radio Choir also hosts the best singers from Flanders.

It was founded in 1937, by the Belgian National Institute

for Radio Broadcasting or NIR (Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio).

From the start, the Vlaams Radiokoor was an extremely

flexible ensemble that was deployed in a very broad repertoire,

from early to contemporary music, from a cappella to large

choral and orchestral ensembles, and from serious music to

light music and operettas. This DNA still determines the choir‘s

individuality today. Between 1970 and 1996 Vic Nees led the Radio

Choir. He developed a niche with the choir in 19 th and 20 th

century choral music from his native country, and performed

many premieres by fellow composers. He also revived forgotten

works of the region’s own musical heritage. With those recordings

he built a rich sound archive of Flemish choral music. The

choir thus fulfilled its pioneering role in the renewal of amateur

choral life in Flanders. 5 In 1998 the choir was disconnected

from the broadcaster and transformed from a studio ensemble

into a concert ensemble that also expanded its international reputation.

It was led by coposer Johan Duyck (°1954), the Dane

Bo Holten (°1948), and the Frenchman Hervé Niquet (°1957).

Since 2019-2020, Bart Van Reyn (°1979) is the conductor of the

choir.

Liesbeth Segers

From the website of the Flemish Radio Choir:

https://www.vlaamsradiokoor.be/en/about

The train is more than ever

a safe, sustainable,

and comfortable way

to travel.

We welcome you on our trains.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

CHORAL MUSIC IN FLANDERS

Sponsors and PARTNERS

Our Partners

The Flemish

Government

The City of Antwerp

The City of Ghent

Interkultur

Koor&Stem

Commercial Partners

Nationale Loterij

Fluvius

NMBS

De Lijn

Brussels Airport

Cambio

Antwerp City Tours

Tour Management Belgium

Piano’s Maene

Neuhaus

Chocolate Nation

Shopping Stadsfeestzaal

Flandria

Gent Watertoerist

Novid

Atos Medical

Omer and Sabam for Culture

MOMU

Total-e

Media Partners

Eén

Canvas

Klara

Radio 1

RingTV

ATV

TVL

TVO

AVS

Focus | WTV

RTV

ROB

BRUZZ

Choice app

De Standaard

Publifer

Lijncom

Districts /

Municipalities

Kortrijk

Ranst

Ieper

Grimbergen

Heist-op-den-Berg

Lier

Sint-Niklaas

Pelt

Tielt

Turnhout

Waasmunster

Social Partners

Ahosa vzw

Artevelde Hogeschool

Fedasil

HOGent

Cultuurconnect

Demos

Eventication

Refu Interim

City of Antwerp

City of Ghent

Inter

Konekt

On Wheels

Vlaams Steunpunt

Vrijwilligerswerk

Thomas More

Tour Management Belgium

UitInVlaanderen

UPC Duffel

Vebes Antwerpen & Vebes

Oost-Vlaanderen

Vrijuit

Academic Partners

Academie voor Beeldende

Kunsten Aalst

Karel de Grote Hogeschool

Statistiek Vlaanderen

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Participating

Countries and Regions

Argentina

China/

Hong Kong SAR

Germany

Australia

China/

Macao SAR

Great Britain

Austria

Croatia

Greece

Belgium

Cuba

Hungary

Benin

Czech Republic

India

Bulgaria

Democratic

Republic of

the Congo

Indonesia

Canada

Denmark

Iran

Chile

France

Ireland

China

Georgia

Israel

Italy

Netherlands

Sweden

Japan

Nigeria

Switzerland

Kazakhstan

Republic

of Korea

Thailand

Kosovo

Romania

Ukraine

Latvia

Russia

USA

Lithuania

Slovenia

Venezuela

Malaysia

South Africa

Vietnam

Mexico

Spain

Namibia

Sri Lanka

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND REGIONS

World Choir Games for all !

Special attention for vulnerable target groups

Both in the run-up to the World Choir Games and during the World Choir Games, a

number of special initiatives have been set up to facilitate the involvement of vulnerable

target groups.

Thanks to a collaboration with Refu Interim and Fedasil, the right framework can

be provided during the World Choir Games to give newcomers and refugees in our

country the opportunity to enjoy the festival, not in the least as volunteers. You will

encounter them during the Games as venue staff during the competitions and workshops.

Where on the one hand their language skills can be an asset in an international

festival, we on the other hand also offer them the chance to participate in the cultural

life. Volunteer work is also an important help in starting the job search and building a

network, both important parts of the integration process, but also important for their

mental well-being. For many, the great attraction to volunteering during the World

Choir Games lies in the central role of music in this festival, as the passion for music

can be shared across all borders and differences.

Some special collaborations have also been set up for the Celebration Concerts. The

“Out of the Voice box” concert is a collaboration with SHOUT at Cancer which works to

help cancer patients who have undergone a laryngectomy. The concert calls special

attention to anyone for whom singing, and by extension any artistic expression, can be

a way to find their voice again, literally and figuratively.

Physical accessibility of the World Choir Games

For both participants and audiences, the accessibility of the event is strictly monitored

during the World Choir Games. Whether it‘s wheelchair accessibility of the stages, the

use of hearing loop systems for the hearing impaired, or accommodating costs, the

World Choir Games team of Koor&Stem researched as many ways as possible to provide

the right facility, guidance, planning, or accommodations for everyone. Koor&Stem

did not do this alone, however, but consulted experts for advice and assistance.

In collaboration with On Wheels, the World Choir Games team of Koor&Stem mapped

out the wheelchair accessibility of all venues and routes (based on measurements

and photographs). This information will also be available after the World Choir Games

and can be consulted via a mobile application in eight different languages during the

World Choir Games.

Before and during the World Choir Games, a helpline will be available for all visitors

with questions about accessibility. On the website, you can use an online form to inform

us about your support needs. The World Choir Games team provides volunteer

assistance for less mobile visitors at all venues where activities are taking place.

We also collaborate with various organizations to provide guided trips to concerts during

the World Choir Games. In this way, specific needs can be met more directly. For

example, hearing loop systems or textual support will be provided at a number of

concerts where hearing impaired people will be present, seats with good visibility at

the front are reserved for blind and visually impaired people and their assistance dogs,

and the guides for the musical walks are prepared in advance to take blind, visually

impaired and hearing impaired people with them on their route in Ghent and Antwerp.

Finally, low income should not be an obstacle to enjoying the World Choir Games either.

Our organization waived the registration fees for some special groups, the friendship

concerts in Ghent and Antwerp are offered free of charge at locations accessible by

public transport, and through VrijUit (a Flemish organization that makes cultural and

sporting events affordable), some 175 tickets of paid concerts and ceremonies are

offered at €1 for people with a limited budget.

For those who can‘t be there live

No matter the accessibility of the World Choir Games, there will always be people for

whom it is too difficult to travel to Ghent or Antwerp, or even to a local concert. That

is why the WCG team of Koor&Stem is also bringing the Games to the public virtually.

Whether it concerns a choir on the other side of the world that is not allowed to

travel to Flanders because of the pandemic, a resident of a residential care center or

someone who has to stay sick at home, everyone can have a good time in the first ever

Virtual Village. You can watch concerts, competitions and ceremonies live or delayed,

and people can even interact with each other.

A special effort went into helping organize collective livestreams in residential and

care facilities. There, the livestream can be a welcome form of cultural participation.

As the World Choir Games continues to endorse the importance of experiencing culture

together, this initiative also focuses on strengthening the live experience around

streaming. The WCG team of Koor&Stem provides tips and tricks, a technical helpline

and an experience package with material that can support the live experience. This offer

was eagerly taken up in numerous cities, with several care centers simultaneously

watching the Opening Ceremony or a World Choir Games Celebration Concert.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

WORLD CHOIR GAMES FOR ALL!

ABOUT

INTERKULTUR

...Connecting Bridges

30 years of success: Since 1988 INTERKULTUR, founded by

Günter Titsch, is the world’s leading organizer of international

choir competitions and festivals. The event series has meanwhile

become known throughout the world for its high artistic and

organizational standards. INTERKULTUR is a concept for choirs

all over the world and their excitement about its competitions and

festivals is constantly growing.

Since more than 30 years singers and choirs from all over the

world have been celebrating international choral music with

INTERKULTUR in different cities and on different continents.

Whether the Palau de la Música in Barcelona or the Konzerthaus

Vienna, whether dream destinations in South Africa or Vietnam;

wherever they go, participants will experience a peaceful, worldspanning

festival of singing and intercultural choral music on a high

artistic level. Friendship Concerts and joint singing events complete

the great emotional impact of INTERKULTUR’s international choral

meetings.

INTERKULTUR unites nations. In 2004 and 2006 – following long

negotiations – the organization was able to bring choirs from North

and South Korea together on stage. Also choirs from countries like

Israel and Iran keep coming together at the choir festivals and light

a beacon of peace in Friendship Concerts.

Participation is the highest honor. INTERKULTUR´s biggest

success to date was to bring the antique Olympic idea to the choral

community. The Choir Olympics 2000 in Linz, Austria was the

beginning of a Choir Olympic movement, which goes around the

world until today: Its story of success continues with subsequent

events in Busan, Republic of Korea in 2002 and Bremen, Germany

in 2004, and as of 2006 under the name “World Choir Games” in

Xiamen, China; Graz, Austria in 2008; Shaoxing, China in 2010;

Cincinnati, USA in 2012; Riga, Latvia in 2014 and the Winter

Olympics City of Sochi, Russia in 2016. The 10 th anniversary edition

of the World Choir Games in 2018 happened on African soil for

the first time: Tshwane in South Africa attracted more than 300

choirs and more than 16,000 participants in July 2018. Due to the

worldwide COVID-19 pandemic the 11 th edition of the World Choir

Games hosted by the cities of Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium had to

be postponed from July 2020 to the fall 2021. For the first time in the

event’s history these Games take place as a hybrid event with live

competitions in Flanders and an additional Virtual Competitions

part.

Since 2007 INTERKULTUR has been transferring the idea of the

World Choir Games also to different continents: The Asia Pacific

Choir Games took place for the 4 th time already in October

2017. Host city was the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. In 2013 the

European Choir Games premiered in Graz, Austria. Subsequent

editions of the event were held in Magdeburg, Germany (2015) and

in the Latvian capital Riga (2017), along with the Grand Prix of

Nations, which addresses international top choirs. In August 2019

choirs from all over the world met in Gothenburg (Sweden) for the

4 th edition of the Grand Prix of Nations & European Choir Games.

The Idea

INTERKULTUR has become the symbol for a unique artistic idea:

In comparison to traditional meritorious choir competitions that

only invite international elite choirs to take part, the INTERKULTUR

competitions are open to all non-professional choirs. Choirs from

all over the world, interested in gaining international festival and

competition experience, can compete according to their level of

artistic achievement. INTERKULTUR has opened a door to new

impulses and perspectives for the national and international choral

movement. Many international head of states supported this idea

in the past, among them Xi Jinping (China), Barack Obama (USA)

and Vladimir Putin (Russia).

The Competitions

There are various categories for all types and levels of choirs in

different degrees of difficulty, with or without compulsory pieces.

The competitions offer good, competitive conditions, valuable,

artistic contacts, various workshops and seminars, as well as

practice opportunities with international performers. More than

200 experts and leading choirmasters from all over the world

guarantee a high level of expertise in all INTERKULTUR events.

Evaluation System

The jury awards Bronze, Silver, and Gold Diplomas on 10 levels at

INTERKULTUR competitions according to the MUSICA MUNDI®

evaluation system (30-points-system); and Bronze, Silver and Gold

Medals at the World Choir Games, the World Choir Championships

and the Grand Prix of Nations according to the World Choir Games

evaluation system (100-points-system). In each category, a Winner

or Champion is determined and outstanding achievements are

honored with Special Prizes. In some competitions there is a Grand

Prize Competition of the best choirs selected by the international

jury which determines the overall winner of the competition.

The Pedagogical Concept

INTERKULTUR events are not only competitions and international

choir festivals, but also serve as professional development

such as providing feedback from various pedagogical offerings.

In Evaluation Performances or Individual Coachings, choirs

have the chance to work with international jury members

and gain advice on their current level of achievement, receive

proficient pedagogical and artistic information and obtain

suggestions as to how to interpret the chosen piece. The MUSICA

MUNDI® Choir Academy gives new impetus especially to young

choir conductors in China.

Every two years the World Choir Council consisting of currently 123

members representing 93 countries and regions comes together

during the World Choir Games to discuss the choral scenes in their

respective home countries. These meetings make an important

contribution to the development of the international choral scene.

Locations of Festivals and Competitions

To date, INTERKULTUR events have taken place in Austria,

Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece,

Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Malta,

Netherlands, People’s Republic of China, South Africa, Portugal,

Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sweden, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. Many cities have been

convinced of the success of INTERKULTUR events and establish

regular choir festivals or apply repeatedly to host more unifying

major events. For example, the cities of Calella and Barcelona

in Spain will host a major choir event with a competition for the

„WORLD CHORAL CUP“ for the first time in 2022 after they have

been welcoming international choirs every year since 2012 for

„Canta al mar - Festival Coral Internacional“.

The Participants

In total, roughly 10,000 choirs with more than 435,000 active

singers from 107 countries have taken part in the INTERKULTUR

competitions to date. An interesting note is that more than half of

the participants have been children and youth up to 27 years of

age and 67% of the participating choirs are returning ensembles

looking forward to new destinations and new choral challenges.

Many of them constantly increase their achievements – from first

little successes to a Gold Medal or the sought-after Champions

title.

Means of Support

In accordance with its statutes, INTERKULTUR supports the

following activities:

• International music festivals and choir competitions whose goal

is to bring together choirs from different regions of the world

and encourage international collaboration through mutual

respect, as well as to contribute to cultural exchange and

understanding among nations

• Children and youth choirs even from financially challenged

countries

• Non-professional choirs that focus on the growth of youth

development

• Young, talented choirmasters, young musicians and singers

through the support of scholarship awards

• Specific sponsorship opportunities

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

...CONNECTING BRIDGES

INTERKULTUR's

international choir events

World‘s largest choir competition

World Choir Games

International Choir Competition and Festival Bad Ischl

Bad Ischl, Austria

SOUND WAVES Linz

Linz, Austria

Internationales Chorfest Magdeburg

Magdeburg, Germany

International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival and Competition

Wernigerode, Germany

Kalamata International Choir Competition and Festival

Kalamata, Greece

Isola del Sole - International Choir Festival

Grado, Italy

Vox Lucensis - Concorso Corale Internazionale

Lucca, Italy

Voices for Peace

Perugia/Assisi, Italy

Sing‘n‘Pray Kobe

Kobe, Japan

RIGA SINGS -

International Choir Competition & Imants Kokars Choral Award

Riga, Latvia

Largest choir competition in the

Asia Pacific region

Asia Pacific Choir Games

Europe‘s largest choir competition

European Choir Games

Highest level choir competition

Grand Prix of Nations

Sing‘n‘Joy Bohol - Philippine International Choir Competition

Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines

Lisbon Sings

Lisbon, Portugal

Canta al mar – Festival Coral Internacional

Calella & Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain)

Vietnam International Choir Competition

H o . i An, Vietnam

SING FOR GOLD - The World Choral Cup

each time in a different city

Deutsche Chormeisterschaft

Germany, each time in a different city

ON STAGE in ...

Albania, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Portugal

Voices & Wine

Alba, Italia & Málaga, Spain

Sing Along Concerts

Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Italy

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

INTERKULTUR‘S INTERNATIONAL CHOIR EVENTS

Representatives

INTERKULTUR is represented in 197 countries around

the world by INTERKULTUR offices and representatives.

Alta Mare

South Africa

Branko Stark

Croatia

David Slater

Australia

Diego Lenger

Argentina

Emeka Nwokedi

Nigeria

Foong Hak Luen,

Idris Mohd Yusof

Singapore

J&A Music

Republic of Korea

Jana Kalnina

Lithuania

Estonia

Latvia

Kicki Rosén Bejstam

Finland

Sweden

Denmark

Maria Emma

Meligopoulou

Cyprus

Greece

Marian Stroe

Moldova

Romania

Mladen Matovic

Bosnia-Herzegowina

Sabine Fuss,

Marta Martin Perez

Spain

Soundarie David

Sri Lanka

Susanna Saw,

Sylvia Wong

Malaysia

Thomas Schüle

Thailand

Philippines

INTERKULTUR Bohol

represented by Melissa Aldyne, Joshibiah

de Juan, Rose Socong

Iran

Vietnam

India

Japan

New Zealand

Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea

INTERKULTUR China

represented by Iris Huting Byrd,

Ju He, Xiaoyang Zhang, Guofeng Zhang

China

China/Hongkong SAR

China/Macao SAR

Chinese Taipei

INTERKULTUR Tirana

represented by Edlira Keta, Eralda Isa, Ilda Memaj

INTERKULTUR Russia

represented by

Natascha Glotova & Sergej Glotov

Azerbaijan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Russia

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua

Armenia

Austria

Bahamas

Bahrein

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bermuda

Bhutan

Bolivia

Botswana

Brasil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

Colombia

Congo

Costa Rica

Cote D‘Ivoire

Cuba

Czech Republic

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Faroe Islands

Fiji

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Gibraltar

Great Britain

Great Britain/Wales

Grenada

Guatemala

Guernsey

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Jordan

Kenya

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Luxembourg

Macedonia

Madagascar

Malawi

Maledives

Mali

Malta

Martinique

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nepal

Netherlands

Nicaragua

Niger

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Rwanda

San Marino

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

St. Lucia

Sudan

Suriname

Swaziland

Switzerland

Syria

Tanzania

Togo

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunesia

Turkey

Uganda

United Arab Emirates

Uruguay

USA

Vatikan

Venezuela

Yemen

Zaire

Zambia

Zimbabwe

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

REPRESENTATIVES

World Ranking List -

Top 100

Position Choir Conductor Country Points

1. Stellenbosch University Choir André van der Merwe South Africa 1272

2. Kamerniy Devichiy Khor by Lysenko Julia Puchko-Kolesnik Ukraine 1233

3. The Aeolians of Oakwood University Jason Max Ferdinand USA 1221

4. Tygerberg Children‘s Choir Hendrik D. Loock South Africa 1220

5. Gnesins‘ Ensemble of Contemporary Aleksandr Ryzhinskiy Russia 1211

Music “Altro coro”

6. Children‘s Choir “Alye Parusa” Elena Volodina Russia 1205

7. The Müller Chamber Choir Meng-Hsien Peng Chinese Taipei 1193

8. Guangzhou Little Petrel Children‘s Choir Diao Zhijun & Meng Fei Liu China 1191

9. Guangdong Experimental Ming Jing Xie China 1181

Middle School Choir

10. Children and Youth Studio “Gaismina” Orba Dzintra Latvia 1177

11. University of Houston Moores Betsy Cook Weber USA 1173

School Concert Chorale

12. Kvindelige Studenters Sangforening Oslo Marit Tøndel Bodsberg Weyde Norway 1165

13. Barnsley Youth Choir Mathew Wright Great Britain 1162

14. Akustika Chamber Singers Christo Burger South Africa 1157

14. Emīla Dārziņa Jauktais Koris Artūrs Ancāns Latvia 1157

16. Seisen High School Choir Mikiko Sato Japan 1155

17. Diocesan Boys‘ School Choir Felix Tsi Shing Shuen China/Hong Kong SAR 1151

17. Shenzhen Senior High School Man Xue Hu China 1151

Lily Girls Choir

17. University of Oregon Chamber Choirs Sharon Paul USA 1151

20. Dekoor Close Harmony Christoph Mac-Carty Netherlands 1150

21. ONE Chamber Choir Ai Hooi Lim Singapore 1149

22. Kearsney College Choir Bernard Krüger South Africa 1148

23. Riddarholmens Kammarkör Stefan Boström Sweden 1144

24. Stellenberg Girls Choir André van der Merwe South Africa 1142

25. Cantus Tove Ramlo-Ystad Norway 1141

26. Novo Concertante Manila Arwin Tan Philippines 1139

27. Coro Polifonico di Ruda Fabiana Noro Italy 1138

28. The Orthodox Male Choir “Armonia” Ion Iulian Dumitru Romania 1137

Position Choir Conductor Country Points

29. iSing Silicon Valley Girlchoir Jennah Delp Somers USA 1136

30. Guangdong Experimental Mingjing Xie China 1133

High School Choir

31. Cantamus Girls‘ Choir Pamela Cook & Ann Irons Great Britain 1132

32. Giocoso Rita Scheffers Netherlands 1127

32. University of Pretoria Camerata Michael Barrett South Africa 1127

34. Choir of the West, Richard Nance USA 1124

Pacific Lutheran University

35. Student Choir of Nankai University Chaomei Meng China 1117

35. La Cappella Tony Margeta Sweden 1117

35. Diocesan Schools Choral Society Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng China/Hong Kong SAR 1117

35. Akademitchesky Khor Musikalnogo Elena Kolmakova Russia 1117

Uchilishcha RAM imeni Gnessin

39. Drakensberg Boys Choir Bernard Krüger South Africa 1116

40. Gaudeamus Korala Julia Foruria Spain 1115

41. Paduan Suara Mahasiswa Universitas Abraham Patrick Indonesia 1114

Atma Jaya Yogyakarta

Badiaraja Simanjuntak

41. Vocal Ensemble “Fortissimo” Milena Dobreva Bulgaria 1114

43. Ateneo Chamber Singers Jonathan Velasco Philippines 1113

43. Hotumese Choir Michael Mailuhu Indonesia 1113

45. Västgöta Nations Manskör Korgossarna Rebecka Gustafsson Sweden 1111

46. Victoria Junior College Choir Nelson Kwei Singapore 1110

47. Academy Singers Manfred Payrhuber Austria 1108

48. VIVA Ina Cecilie Hjelmervik Olufsen Norway 1104

48. Aarhus Pigekor Helle Høyer Vedel Denmark 1104

48. Academy of Choral Arts Chamber Choir Aleksei Petrov Russia 1104

51. Vocalista Angels Yason Christy Pranowo Indonesia 1096

51. Mixed Choir “Laiks” Ilze Balode Latvia 1096

53. Adolf Fredriks Flickkör Karin Bäckström Sweden 1095

54. 4x4 Frauenchor der Pädagogischen Heike Kiefner-Jesatko Germany 1094

Hochschule HD

55. Mt. San Antonio College Singcopation Bruce Rogers USA 1093

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 WORLD RANKING LIST - TOP 100

World Ranking List -

Top 100

Position Choir Conductor Country Points

56. KYN Kaija Viitasalo Finland 1092

56. The Children‘s Choir Alie Parusa of Elena Petukhova Russia 1092

the Art School #1 in Vladivostok

58. Ars Nova Vocal Ensemble Katalin Kiss Hungary 1088

58. Riga Orthodox Chamber Choir Aleksandrs Brandavs Latvia 1088

“Blagovest”

60. Credo Natalia Koznova Russia 1086

61. Female Choir Balta Mara Marnauza Latvia 1085

62. South China Normal University YanHui Su China 1082

Female Choir

63. Diponegoro University Choir Setyo Watjono & Indonesia 1080

Jefry Franklin Bode

64. Children Choir Consonance Tatiana Chertishcheva Russia 1079

64. Roganova Youth Capella “Harmony” Eugene Ivanov Russia 1079

66. Mt. San Antonio College Bruce Rogers USA 1076

Chamber Singers

67. Diocesan Girls‘ School Choir Dorothy Hui China/Hong Kong SAR 1074

67. Embla Norunn Illevold Giske Norway 1074

67. China Welfare Institute Children‘s Palace Fang Lin China 1074

Little Companion Art Troupe Choir

70. John P. Stevens High School Matthew Lee USA 1071

Chamber Choir

70. COTA Youth Choir Namibia Fanie Dorfling Namibia 1071

70. University of Johannesburg Choir Sidumo Nyamezele South Africa 1071

73. Ondrášek Czech Choir Josef Zajíček Czech Republic 1068

74. Mt. San Antonio College Madrigals Bruce Rogers USA 1063

75. Choir Detstvo Tatiana Bederina Russia 1062

76. Den Norske Studentersangforening Marit Tøndel Bodsberg Norway 1061

76. Singakademie Graz Maria Fürntratt Austria 1061

78. Wenzhou Female Choir Yuefei Zou & Xuxiang Zou China 1060

79. Harmonize Jangseok Oh Republic of Korea 1055

80. Estonian National Girls‘ Choir LEELO Külli Kiivet Estonia 1053

World Rankings

TOP choirs, results and

updated statistics about our

festivals on our website

www.interkultur.com

Position Choir Conductor Country Points

80. Paduan Suara Mahasiswa Anshari Sanusi Indonesia 1053

Universitas Hasanuddin

80. Falu Kammarkör Tony Margeta Sweden 1053

80. Norrlands Nations Kammarkör Francesco Acquista Sweden 1053

84. Abbellimento Jarmila Novenková Czech Republic 1051

85. Santos Productions Academy Christian Santos Gibraltar 1047

86. Suanplu Chorus Ramon Lijauco, Jr Thailand 1046

87. Iuventus, Gaude! Tomas Pospisil Czech Republic 1045

87. Mercu Buana University Choir Agus Yuwono Indonesia 1045

89. Nizhny Novgorod State Larisa Erykalova Russia 1042

University Choir (NNSU)

90. Detski Khor Cantilena Irena Sarnatskaya & Russia 1040

Helena Salyuk

90. Guangzhou Tianhe Mostshining Xujun Zhang China 1040

Boy‘s Choir

92. Zhensky Kameren Khor Letka Dimovska Polizova Republic of) 1039

“Sv. Zlata Meglenska”

Macedonia (FYROM

93. Choir of Gangzhou Liwan Huikun Li China 1038

Children‘s Palace

93. Vokalensemble incantanti Christian Klucker Switzerland 1038

93. Academic Choir of Svetlana Dolnikovskaya Russia 1038

the Ural Federal University

96. Gitabumi Voices Tedy Eka Supriyandi Indonesia 1037

97. Sibelius High School Chamber Choir Reijo Aittakumpu Finland 1035

98. PSM Miracle Voices UII Irene Vista Budi Kusumastuti Indonesia 1034

99. Senza Rigore Chamber Choir Jolanta Szybalska-Matczak Poland 1033

100. Les Voix Boréales Philippe Ostiguy Canada 1032

as of September 2021

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 WORLD RANKING LIST - TOP 100

Think global, act social

for the World Choir Games!

The 11 th World Choir Games will happen live

in Flanders, virtually in the Virtual Village

Page 184

and everywhere around the WorldWideWeb!

STAY TUNED AND DON’T MISS OUT: FOLLOW OUR CHANNELS

facebook.com

@worldchoirgames

@interkultur

Instagram:

@interkulturevents

TikTok:

@interkulturevents

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THINK GLOBAL, ACT SOCIAL

A Unique Idea -

World Choir Games

WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The World Choir Games were founded on the Olympic ideals, aiming to peacefully unify

singing people and nations connected by song in a fair competition. This idea inspires

people to experience the strength of interaction which is able to overcome differences in

personality and community through the power of song. This ideal permeates this event,

regardless of artistic level, whether singing for pleasure or on a professional level. The

World Choir Games are an international choir festival taking place every two years on

different continents.

This idea of the World Choir Games is experienced by millions of people throughout the

whole world who sing in choirs daily passing on human ideals through song. The idea is

instrumental in helping people overcome conflicts and offering an example of peace and

unity. Choirs from all over the world will come together to the World Choir Games, in order

to contribute to understanding and peace among nations. All participants celebrate this

amazing festival of music, as music is the common language of the world!

BEST CHOIRS OF THE LAST WORLD CHOIR GAMES

CHOIR COUNTRY POINTS WORLD CHOIR GAMES

Cantate*

Conductor: Ferenc Sapszon Jr.

Inner Mongolia Guangdian Choir*

Conductor: Wu Ren

Guangdong Experimental Middle School Choir

Conductor: Ming Jing Xie

Jauniešu Koris KAMĒR**

Conductor: Māris Sirmais

Stellenberg Girls Choir

Conductor: André van der Merwe

Stellenbosch University Choir*

Conductor: André van der Merwe

Stellenbosch University Choir*

Conductor: André van der Merwe

Stellenbosch University Choir**

Conductor: André van der Merwe

Stellenbosch University Choir**

Conductor: André van der Merwe

The Aeolians of Oakwood University *

Conductor: Jason Max Ferdinand

Hungary 96,13 Linz, Austria 2000

China 95,00 Busan, Republic of Korea 2002

China 95,63 Bremen, Germany 2004

Latvia 96,38 Xiamen, China 2006

South Africa 96,37 Graz, Austria 2008

South Africa 95,75 Shaoxing, China 2010

South Africa 96,88 Cincinnati, USA 2012

South Africa 99,00 Riga, Latvia 2014

South Africa 98,25 Sochi, Russia 2016

USA 97,88 Tshwane, South Africa 2018

**Champion in 3 categories | *Champion in 2 categories

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

A UNIQUE IDEA - WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

Linz,

Austria

2000

Busan,

Republic

of Korea

2002

Bremen,

Germany

2004

Xiamen,

Peoples

Republic

of China

2006

Graz,

Austria

2008

Shaoxing,

Peoples

Republic

of China

2010

Cincinnati,

USA

2012

Riga,

Latvia

2014

Sochi,

Russia

2016

Tshwane,

South

Africa

2018

Flanders,

11 Belgium

2021

Gangneung,

Republic of

Korea 2022

Page 80

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

LINZ, AUSTRIA, 2000

The young history of the World Choir Games began with a drum-roll in the Upper Austrian

provincial capital of Linz.

For the first time in the history of this international choral competition, many choirs from

numerous nations came together and sang in a great festival of choral music. The creation

of the World Choir Games is now firmly established in the diaries of choirs all over the

world.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

HUNGARY, CHINA, GERMANY, INDONESIA,

RUSSIA

NATIONS

342

CHOIRS

124

SILVER

GOLD

BRONZE

403

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

BUSAN, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 2002

The World Choir Games went to Asia for the first time. Busan, the South Korean port

metropolis was an outstanding host that gave the event an unmistakably Asian face.

This event proved that the choral Olympic idea could also attract adherents in the Far

East which resulted in worldwide enthusiasm.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

CHINA, HUNGARY, REPUBLIC OF KOREA,

JAPAN, PHILLIPPINES

NATIONS

288

CHOIRS

102

SILVER

GOLD

BRONZE

324

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

BREMEN, GERMANY, 2004

The Hanseatic city of Bremen continued the success story of the World Choir Games.

The closeness of the event locations and the compact setting of the city center created

an unbelievable atmosphere. Choirs sang on every street corner, illustrating the choral

Olympic ideal that singing together brings nations together.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

CHINA, HUNGARY, REPUBLIC OF KOREA,

JAPAN, PHILLIPPINES

NATIONS

360

CHOIRS

163

SILVER

GOLD

BRONZE

524

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

105

GOLD

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

XIAMEN, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 2006

The World Choir Games reached a further apogee in the up-and-coming South Chinese

metropolis of Xiamen.

With perfect organization and identification to the populace of the World Choir Games, the

hosts in Xiamen offered an event of superlatives in every sense of the word. Never before

was an event of the international choral scene given such attention by politics and the

media as in Xiamen. For the first time, a choir of ambassadors from 80 countries sang at

the Opening Ceremony.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

REPUBLIC OF KOREA, INDONESIA, CHINA,

LITHUANIA, SINGAPORE

NATIONS

400

CHOIRS

140

SILVER

GOLD

BRONZE

512

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

130

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

GRAZ, AUSTRIA, 2008

The biggest and most successful choir competitions in the world found its continuation in

Austria. Graz, the capital city of the province of Styria is at the crossroads between different

European cultures from the east and west, north and south.

The unique historic city center is one of UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage sites. In 2003,

Graz was the spectacular cultural capital of Europe and in 2008, it was the world’s capital

of choral singing.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

CHINA, AUSTRIA, RUSSIA, INDONESIA,

SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONS

441

CHOIRS

191

SILVER

130

GOLD

BRONZE

600

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

102

GOLD

131

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

SHAOXING, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 2010

The 2010 World Choir Games were held as part of the 2,500 th anniversary of the Chinese city

of Shaoxing, close to the metropolis of Shanghai. The host city presented itself as a unique

venue and participants and guests worldwide experienced the Chinese hospitality.

The venue for main events held 80,000 people and the six competition venues were always

filled to capacity. All of the competitions at this event featured a high artistic level.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

CHINA, INDONESIA, SOUTH AFRICA,

USA, NETHERLANDS

NATIONS

472

CHOIRS

133

SILVER

GOLD

BRONZE

450

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

117

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

CINCINNATI, USA, 2012

For the first time the 2012 World Choir Games were held in the United States and the event

exceeded expectations for attendance, cultural impact and awareness- building. Cincinnati

residents were highly engaged in the Games, shining examples are 4600 volunteers and

the Parade of Nations when roughly 30 000 people lined up on the streets. A special part of

the success proceeded from the variety and high quality of choirs from around the world,

among them also more than 150 choirs from the United States.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

CHINA, USA, SOUTH AFRICA, INDONESIA,

VENEZUELA

NATIONS

362

CHOIRS

139

SILVER

106

GOLD

BRONZE

554

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

RIGA, LATVIA, 2014

The 8 th World Choir Games returned back to Europe and were organized as part of the

European Capital of Culture year in Riga, Latvia 2014. Attracting 27.000 participants these

were the largest World Choir Games in the event’s history.

Riga was a brilliant host, offering top venues and concerts on a high artistic level. One of

the highlights was the Great Celebration Concert of the 8th World Choir Games featuring

10 000 singers from Latvia and 5000 international singers, which took place on the Latvian

Song Celebration Grounds in the Mežaparks.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

LATVIA, CHINA (INCL. HONG KONG SAR),

RUSSIA, USA, INDONESIA

NATIONS

460

CHOIRS

174

SILVER

229

GOLD

BRONZE

780

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

116

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Success Story

of the World Choir Games

SOCHI, RUSSIA, 2016

In 2016 the 9 th World Choir Games were held in the world‘s largest country: in Russia. The

2014 Winter Olympic City of Sochi welcomed 283 choirs and 12,000 participants rom 76

nations in the Olympic Park and the inner city.

In times of global political challenges the 9 th World Choir Games were an important

platform of intercultural exchange, a unifying power between all peoples and a symbol of

peace for all countries on earth.

INTERKULTUR organized the World Choir Games 2016 in close cooperation with the

ministry of culture of the Russian Federation, the region of Krasnodar and the city of Sochi.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

RUSSIA, CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA, INDONESIA,

NIGERIA

NATIONS

283

CHOIRS

SILVER

116

GOLD

BRONZE

365

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

TSHWANE, SOUTH AFRICA, 2018

30 years of INTERKULTUR and the 10 th edition of the World Choir Games – this is what we

celebrated in 2018!

The anniversary event of the world’s largest international choir competition came up with

a premiere: For the first time ever an INTERKULTUR event was happening on the African

continent. More than 300 choirs experienced at first hand the atmosphere, the very special

spirit and character of South African choral music, shared their common passion for

singing and got inspired by each other.

MOST SUCCESSFUL COUNTRIES

SOUTH AFRICA, CHINA, RUSSIA, USA,

GERMANY

NATIONS

300

CHOIRS

SILVER

134

GOLD

BRONZE

420

COMPETITION

APPEARANCES

GOLD

104

SILVER

DIPLOMAS

BRONZE

MEDALS

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE SUCCESS STORY OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

World Choir Games 2022

Greetings

Dear singers from around the world,

It is truly a great pleasure to invite you to the 12 th World Choir Games in Gangneung, the

most beautiful city in Korea with a UNESCO’s Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible

Heritage of Humanity.

We sincerely look forward to hosting this wonderful event, where choirs will come together

to celebrate their love of song.

Located in the mid-eastern part of the Korean Peninsula between the Taebaek Mountains

and the East Sea, Gangneung is not only a city of tourism, culture and art, but a logistics

hub that has excellent transport connections by sea, rail, road and air. With the scent of

coffee, sea and pine permeating throughout the city, it is a romantic and charming place

where the beauty and dignity of a thousand years are still vividly alive.

Just like the voices of a choir blend together and make a beautiful sound, we are confident

that the World Choir Games Gangneung 2022 will contribute to world peace and prosperity

of humankind.

Citizens of Gangneung are making utmost efforts to prepare the event, so that we can

bring joy and happiness to each and every one of you.

Not only will you enjoy the festival, special events, local traditions and cultures, beautiful

nature and delicious foods, but you will also be greeted with warmth and kindness here in

Gangneung.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

WELCOME TO THE 12 TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES GANGNEUNG 2022.

Hwang Hee

Minister of Culture, Sports

and Tourism

Choi Moon-soon

Governor of

Gangwon Province

Kim Han-Geun

Mayor of Gangneung

Huh Yongsoo

President of WCG 2022

Gangneung Organizing

Committee

JULY 4-14, 2022

WCG2022.COM

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2022

Welcome to Gangwon-do

& Gangneung

Gangwon-do is located in the mid-eastern part of the Korean peninsula and is divided

into two areas, Yeongdong and Yeongseo, by the Taebaek Mountains. It is bounded

by East Sea on the east and its northern boundary is the Military Demarcation Line,

which demarcates South Korea and North Korea.

Recognized as one of the best tourist destinations by many Koreans, Gangwon-do is

celebrated for its clear blue sea, outstanding natural beauty, beautiful national parks,

and for having four distinct seasons.

Gangwon-do also successfully hosted the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic

Games, which enable it to be fully equipped with world-class winter sports

facilities, accommodations, and the necessary infrastructure.

Withn just 1 to 2-hour ride from Seoul by a high-speed train (KTX) or by car, you are

able to enjoy the region‘s scenic landscapes and unique culture.

We send our greetings to the participants of the World Choir Games Gangneung 2022

and Gangwon-do expresses a hearty welcome to all of you.

GANGNEUNG: THE CITY OF TOURISM, CULTURE, AND ART

Gangneung is a major tourist city, surrounded by mountains, sea, and a lake. Gyeongpo

Beach, a place known for its lush pine forest, is a representative tourist attraction

that is popular among the younger generation.

To K-pop and K-drama fans around the world, Gangneung is also known for the Jumunjin

Beach Bus Stop, which was the location for shooting the jacket image of BTS

album, You Never Walk Alone, and is also famous for being the shooting location for

many popular K-dramas including Dokkaebi (or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God).

Moreover, excellent transport connections by rail, road, sea, and air enable you to get

here as easy as possible.

The city of culture and art is where Danoje takes place. Danoje is a thousand-year-old

festival that embraces the joys and sorrows of our ancestors, which has been designated

by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

In addition, Gangneung has been receiving a lot of attention from the world as the

birthplace of Shin Saimdang and her son Yulgok Yi I, a prominent Confucian scholar of

the Joseon Dynasty. They are in fact the world’s first mother and son to both appear on

a banknote. A historic site called Ojukheon where they were born will be used as one

of the concert venues of World Choir Games Gangneung 2022.

As a successful host of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gangneung has once

again been elected as the host city of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024.

We are ready to proudly welcome guests to the city full of passion and vitality. A warm

welcome awaits all of you in Gangneung.

www.gn.go.kr/entour

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2022

SYMBOLS OF

THE WORLD

CHOIR GAMES

Symbols of

the World Choir Games

THE FLAG

THE BELL

Since its founding in 2000 the world’s

biggest choir competition, the World Choir

Games, use a meaningful symbolism,

which expresses peace, international

understanding and the unifying power

of music around the globe. The most

important symbol is the flag of the World

Choir Games. It shows the logo with its

five intertwined semi-circles and the name

“World Choir Games”. One of the highlights

of the Opening Ceremony on October 30 will

be the procession of the flag into the hall

and the ceremonial flag raising.

The bell summons the singers of the world,

following the choral Olympic idea of ”Participation

is the highest honor“. It announces

the beginning and the end of the Games

and also introduces the Award Ceremonies.

THE CHORAL

OLYMPIC FLAME

Another symbol, which was introduced

and enlightened for the first time on the

occasion of the 10 th anniversary of the

World Choir Games in South Africa 2018, is

the Choral Olympic flame.

In 2018 the flame was handed over to

Flanders in Tshwane (South Africa) during

the Closing Ceremony of the previous World

Choir Games. In September 2021 it has

been re-lit and made a five-week relay trip

to numerous Flemish cities before arriving

in the city of Antwerp for the Opening

Ceremony of the World Choir Games 2021.

The Choral Flame is a symbol of the warmth

that singing together spreads in society

and carries the INTERKULTUR message

“Singing together brings nations together”,

which is nowadays more important than

ever with regards to the relationships

between human beings, into the world.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

SYMBOLS OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

Official Song of

the 11 th World Choir Games

Especially for the WCG edition here in Flanders, Bikkembergs wrote the song “Listen“ for

different line-ups, so every choir is bound to find its favourite line-up. Don‘t be alarmed when

you suddenly hear it from the bell tower where you live: there is even a version for carillon.

Although the basic text of the song is “Love‘s Philosophy“ by Percy B. Shelley, here and

there, you can hear “Woniya waka“, a phrase that the composer borrowed from the North

American Dakota Indians and that refers to the Holy Spirit as an all-encompassing primal

force in nature. A striking match with Shelley‘s text and tribute to nature. Accompanied by

piano, body percussion and shamanic drum.

“Listen“ praises the beauty of nature and encourages us to become part of a grand, allencompassing

whole. The text is a tribute to the love that finds its origin, its being and

effects in the natural forms and elements. Love that we not only celebrate with our voices

but for which we open up and activate our whole body.

The song draws on the poem “Love’s Philosophy“ by the English romantic poet Percy B.

Shelley. In fact, it contains the two verses. Well before his time, Shelley was an outspoken

environmental activist and understood that man and nature are very much intertwined.

The text of the chorus is his own creation and is made up of proverbs and truths of the

Native American Indians. “Woniya waka“ (the Holy Spirit, but spirit in function of the allinclusive

air, wind, primal force or deity in nature) is a Dakota statement.

by Kurt Bikkembergs

composer of “Listen“

Official Song of the 11th World Choir Games Flanders 2020

LISTEN

Lyrics by Percy B. Shelley and Kurt Bikkembergs

Music by Kurt Bikkembergs

= 96 f (fisciare/whistle)

C pedal until bar 14

C pronuntiation: "Won-nee-yah wah-kahn"

mf susserando/whisper

Wo-ni

- ya,

Wo ni

D/C

- - ya waka, (n)

Eb/C

Wo-n

- ya.

G7/D

The

C/B

foun - tains min-glewiththe

ri - ver

Am/G

Andthe

C/E

- vers with

the

Dm7

o -

cean,

The winds

C/B

hea-ven

mix for

e - ver

Am/G

With a

sweet

C/E

30 Dm7

mo -

tion;

G7/F

Eb/D

No-thingin

theworld

sin-gle,

Cm/Bb

All

things

Eb/G

by a law

di -

Dm7b5/F

vine

Bb7

Bb7/Ab

one

Gb/F

Ebm

a no-ther'sbe-ing

min-gle

Ebm/Db

Why

not

Gb/Bb

I with

38 Fmb5/Ab

thine?

Bb7

f C

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

air, you

can

hear

it!

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

OFFICIAL SONG

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

- ver, you

can

feel

it!

C/E

- ni - ya wa

- ka, wo

Eb/C

- ni - ya, wo

F/C

- ni - ya

ka,

f(fisciare/whistle)

Wo ni

D/C

all

- - ya wa - ka, (n)

G/D

sin - gle breath.

C pedal until bar 59

Eb/C

Wo - n - ya.

susserando/whisper

Wo - ni - ya,

G7/D

See

the

C/B

mount-ainskisshigh

hea-ven,

Am/G F

claps

And the waves

one

C/E

Dm7

- o - ther,

C/B

sis - ter - flo-werwould

be for - giv-en

Am/G

If it dis - dain'd

C/E

its

Dm7 G7 G7/F

broth - er, Andthe

Eb/D

sun - light claps

the

earth,

Cm/Bb

Andthe

Eb/G

moon-beams

kiss

the

Dm7b5/F

sea

Bb7 Bb7/Ab

What

Gb/F

all thissweet

Ebm

work worth

Ebm/Db

thou

Gb/Bb

kiss not

Fm7b5/Ab

me?

Bb7

f C

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

air, you

can

hear

it!

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

- vers, you

can

feel

it!

C/E

Wo-ni

- ya wa

Eb/C

F/C

- ka, wo - ni - ya, wo - ni - ya wa

ka,

it is

all

G/D

a sin - gle ...

f C

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

air, you

can

hear

it!

Lis

- ten to

D/C

the

Eb/C

F/C

- vers, you

can

feel

it!

poco a poco rallentando

Eb F

101

C/E

Wo-ni

- ya wa

Eb/C

F/C

- ka, wo-ni

- ya, wo-ni

- ya wa - ka, it is

a tempo

mf Eb

all

G/D

a sin-gle

breath.

C pedal until bar 110

106

f (fisciare/whistle)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

OFFICIAL SONG

Anthem of

the World Choir Games

It is one of the most powerful symbols and

expresses in a perfect way the feelings of

singers who come together from all parts

of the world in order to celebrate this

major choral festival – the World Choir

Games. Our anthem sets an example to

the whole world that nations are able to

live together in peace irrespective of all

misunderstandings regarding different

cultures, religions, social ties, political

structures and national feelings. This is the

message of the choral Olympic idea, and

this is what we will sing for.

The famous British composer John

Rutter, Honorary Artistic President at

INTERKULTUR since 2017, has composed

a new anthem on the occasion of the 10th

anniversary of the World Choir Games in

2018. It conveys the essence of why we

sing. He describes the spirit of harmony

which shall inspire us every day and that

music with all its beauty depicts a powerful

way to the future. This power comes from

the hearts of human beings and leads to

the vision that we all become one by the

means of music. John Rutter wrote a truly

hymnal melody for his text, which captures

the sublimity of Opening and Closing

Ceremonies and spreads the idea of a

vision in which mankind can become more

peaceful by the means of music throughout

the whole world.

The music is exclusively licensed to Oxford

University Press.

John Rutter

ONE VOICE

One voice is a solo,

Two a duet,

Three makes a trio

And four a quartet,

But when many voices join together,

Then you have a choir,

Singing with one voice, one hope

One heart’s desire:

Spirit of harmony,

Inspire us this day;

Music in all its beauty

Points a better way:

Concord and peace to guide us,

Hope ever bright;

Voices united to proclaim

a world of light.

Let ev’ry heart be joyful,

Joined in one song;

Let ev’ry voice be heard

Triumphant, true and strong.

So we, through all our lives

Singing is done,

Hold fast our vision

That in music we are one,

WE SHALL BE ONE.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ANTHEM OF THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

The Medals and Trophies of

the 11 th World Choir Games

©photos: Elyane Van Coillie Photography

THE DESIGNER

Nedda El-Asmar studied Jewellery Design, Gold & Silversmithing.

Craftsmanship and originality, tradition and innovation, functionality and aesthetics and

a passion for re-envisaging traditional objects are all central to Nedda’s work.

Her designs have earned numerous awards and prizes.

DESIGN

Medal

Silver

Medal

The form: Antwerp has been the world‘s largest and most trusted diamond center for over

five centuries. So what could be more obvious than to design the medal and trophy in the

form of a brilliant?

Gold

The triangle, also part of the brilliant cut, is the essential element of the event design.

The eight-pointed star also stands as a symbol for the octave and thus represents the

reference to choral music.

Medal

Gold

THE MEDALS

Medal

Silver

Medal

Bronze

Trophy

Cast Bronze

THE TROPHIES

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

THE MEDALS AND TROPHIES

Facts and Figures of

the 11 th World Choir Games

INTERKULTUR, the leading organizer of international choir competitions and festivals will finally come to the region of

Flanders in Belgium. After two postponements due to the pandemic the 11 TH EDITION of

the WORLD CHOIR GAMES, the Olympics of Choral Music, will take place as a hybrid event

for the first time in the event’s history.

300

CHOIRS

COUNTRIES & REGIONS

WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL

COUNTRIES &

REGIONS

Both virtually and on-site, more than 300 choirs from over

50 countries and regions will participate in the event.Moreover,

93 countries and regions are represented at the General Conference of

the World Choir Council.

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

names a competition which is open

for every choir. In the spirit of the

World Choir Games “Participation is

the highest honor”, it is designed for

choirs of any level of proficiency and

explicitly those without any or only

little competition experience. The

participants get to know their artistic

level via the evaluation of the jury and

are awarded a Golden, Silver or

Bronze Diploma.

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

is designed for experienced choirs

that have already proven their level

of proficiency at other international

competitions. The winners will be

awarded Golden, Silver and Bronze

Medals and each category winner gets

the title and trophy “Champion

of the World Choir Games

2021”.

THE VIRTUAL

COMPETITIONS

A new chapter in the event’s

history will be opened at the World Choir

Games 2021: The “Virtual Competitions”

will enable all choirs worldwide also

to participate in the event online and

to make the dream of singing without

borders come true.

THE WORLD RECORD SET AT THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES…

is a total of 99,00 points of 100 achieved by the Stellenbosch University

Choir (South Africa) and its conductor André van der Merwe in the “Mixed Choirs”

category at the World Choir Games Riga 2014.

99 OF 100

POINTS

BELGIUM BREWS MORE THAN 1,600 ORIGINAL BEERS

Belgium is famous all over the world for its great variety of beers:

there are more than 220 active breweries in the country,

and together they brew more than 1,600 original beers,

in more than 700 different taste profiles.

UNESCO has even designated Belgian beer culture as

immaterial cultural heritage. Cheers!

THE

OFFICIAL

SONG

was composed extra for the

11 th World Choir Games in Flanders

by Kurt Bikkembergs and is

named “Listen”.

ALL IN ALL 1440 MINUTES

OF VIDEO FOOTAGE HAVE

BEEN SUBMITTED FOR

THE VIRTUAL COMPETITION.

1440

MIN

ANTWERP OWES

ITS NAME TO

A GIANT WITH

A SEVERED HAND

Did you know how the city of Antwerp got its name? According to Flemish mythology,

Antwerp was, in times long past, terrorized by the giant Antigoon. He demanded a

toll from all skippers who wanted to sail in the Scheldt. If they refused, he would

chop off their hand. But the brave soldier Brabo was not about to let that happen.

He challenged the giant, won the dispute and took revenge. He chopped the hand

off the giant Antigoon and threw it into the Scheldt. And from the

combination of the two Dutch words - ‘hand’ and ‘werpen’ [throw]- came the

name of Antwerp. The magnificent fountain on the Grand Market of Antwerp is

a lasting reminder of that spectacle.

ALL IN ALL

THERE WILL BE

MORE THAN

400

PERFORMANCES

DURING

THE EVENT.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

FACTS AND FIGURES

THE NEW NATION NOW

ALSO REPRESENTED AT

THE WORLD CHOIR GAMES

IS KOSOVO.

16,300

KILOMETRES

67 KILOMETRES

THE WORLD’S LONGEST TRAMWAY…

The participating choir of the Virtual

Competition living furthest away from

Flanders is the ’A.B. Paterson

College Chamber Choir’ from

Arundel in Queensland, Australia which

is more than 16,300 km from

Antwerp.

…is in Flanders: Flanders may be small in size, but that has a lot of upsides. It makes public transport the perfect way to

discover the region. The trams that wind their way through the major cities of Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent are a good example.

And added to this is the longest tramline in the world: the coastal tram. Its route runs parallel with the entire

Flemish North Sea Coast. That adds up to no less than 67 kilometres of tramlines. It is the ideal way of going from

one pearl along the North Sea to another, from a museum, via one of the many mussel restaurants, to the next sunny place.

DID

YOU

KNOW

In over 30 years of being Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR,

Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiss has travelled around 1 million km

for the preparation and implementation of 150 events.

OVER 30

YEARS

1 Million

KILOMETRES

150

EVENTS

„Fallen Astronaut“ by the Flemish artist

Paul Van Hoeydonck is the only artwork

on the moon.

The gender pay gap between men and women

in the EU is the smallest in Flanders.

The audio storage cassette was invented

in Hasselt in 1963.

The largest volume of chocolate in the world is sold at

Belgium’s national airport.

The first skyscraper on the European continent –

“de Boerentoren” or Farmers’ Tower – was built in Antwerp.

Work on the building, which took three years to complete,

commenced in 1928.

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME...

choir singers and guests worldwide cannot only participate in the competition

by sending their contest submission for the Virtual Competition Performance

and the Video Clip Award; but also can live stream the Opening and Closing

Event including the Award Ceremonies, attend workshops, chat with other

international singers in the virtual café and much more on the newly created

online platform “Virtual Village”.

IN 20 YEARS AND

10 EDITIONS OF THE

WORLD CHOIR

GAMES…

In the course of the Virtual Competition 24 hours of choir

music will be evaluated by the esteemed jury.

RECIPE

FOR BELGIAN

WAFFLES

…a total number of

3,708 choirs

with 176,500 active

participants from

102 countries

have taken part.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 KG FLOUR

750 ML OF LIQUID (HALF WATER, HALF MILK)

3 TO 4 EGGS

150 GRAMS BUTTER

100 GRAMS SUGAR

25 GRAMS YEAST

1 PINCH OF SALT

1 SACHET OF VANILLA SUGAR

1 SPOON OF OIL

…more than 534,000 meals

were served in the catering centre

…635 Friendship

Concerts and

92 Celebration

Concerts staged

DIRECTIONS:

Sift the flour in a big bowl. Crumble the yeast in half a cup of lukewarm

water. Make a well in the centre and pour the egg yolk, sugar and yeast

solution in it.

Melt the butter in the lukewarm milkwater, pour it together with the oil

onto the flour.. Throw the surrounding flour on top of it, add a pinch of salt

and stir everything with a mixer until it becomes a nice batter.

Whip up the egg white and the vanilla sugar and add it gently to the dough.

Let everything rise on a warm spot until doubled.

AND THEN IT’S BAKING TIME!

…640 adjudicators

have awarded

250 gold medals,

1328 silver medals

and

1077 bronze medals.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

FACTS AND FIGURES

ADJUDICATORS

AND

CLINICIANS

Adjudicators And Clinicians

Jo Annemans (Belgium)

· Conducted a children‘s choir and became an active singer in various amateur and

semi-professional choirs, including “World Youth Choir” 1994 and 1996

· Lent his low voice to the High Priests in the concert version of “Jesus Christ

Superstar”, supported singing actors as boot-singer in the musical “Cats” and

sang several times as backing vocal at the “Night of the Proms”

· Singer, arranger, musical director in the former vocal band “Voice Male”

for more then 2000 shows all over Europe and South Africa

· Holds workshops on polyphonic singing without scores, improving individual

choir-singing skills and vocal coaching

Inge Bollaert (Belgium)

· Studied piano with Johan Duijck at the Royal Conservatory in Ghent (Belgium) and also

followed choral conducting under the direction of Johan Duijck and Florian Heyerick

· Completed her studies at the Lemmens Institute in Louvain (Belgium) with conductor

Erik Van Nevel and Dirk Snellings

· founded the chamber choir “El Grillo” in 1995 which has been focusing on a

cappella repertoire from the Renaissance for almost 25 years

· Worked with various musicians such as Nicolas Achten, Bart Naessens, Marcel

Ponseele, and ensembles such as “Arc Sonore”, “Aquil‘AlterA”, “Flanders Recorder

Quartet”, “Ensemble Polyfoon, Ensemble Rafik el Maay”

· Regularly gives workshops as a conductor and currently teaches Musical Training at

the Arteveldehogeschool in Ghent

Erika Budai (Belgium)

· Teaches music composition and harmony at the Music Conservatory of Louvain

(Belgium)

· Graduated as a composer and professional musician from the Royal Music Academy of

Brussels and Lemmens Institute of Louvain

· Received several commissions for the “Belgian Radio Choir” and composed a great

deal of compulsory pieces for national and international choir competitions

· Regularly invited as a jury member at national and international music competitions

in Belgium, Italy, Slovakia and Croatia

102

Nathalie Goldberg (Israel)

· Completed her first degree in conducting at the Music Academy in Jerusalem, her Master‘s

degree with honors at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv

· Served as Chairman of the Israeli Choir Association for three years, together with conductor

Yuval Ben Ozer

· Currently lecturer at the Faculty of Music Education at the Levinsky College of Education

· Choir instructor on behalf of the Music Education Inspectorate

· Along with Zvika Vogel, Goldberg founded the Nona Vocal Arts Center, and is currently

its Music Director and conductor

Sabine Haenebalcke (Belgium)

· Has been a singer for many years, among others of Philippe Herreweghe’s “Collegium

Vocale”

. In 1990 she founded what would rapidly become a chamber choir of considerable standing,

“Kalliope” (Ghent)

· In 1997 she was invited to be the first female conductor of the “Flanders Symphony

Orchestra”. She conducted most of the major oratorios and various works by Flemish

composers.

· Resident choir conductor of “Kalliope” (Ghent), and for several years of the oratorium

choir “Altra Voce” (Kortrijk) and “Toon op Toon” (Ronse)

· Highly sought after as a choir coach and honorary teacher of piano at MUDA in Ghent

Wim Henderickx (Belgium)

· Works as composer, percussionist and Professor of composition. His compositions are

often inspired by other cultures and are published by Norsk Musikforlag.

· Has been Composer-In-Residence at Muziektheater Transparant since 1996 and joined

the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra as an Artist-In-Residence in 2013

· Received various national and international prizes and was appointed member of the

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium (KVAB) for Sciences and Arts in 2015

· Professor of composition at the conservatories of Amsterdam and Antwerp

· Main coach of the annual “SoundMine” composition course for young composers at

Musica, Impulse Centre for Music in Belgium

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ADJUDICATORS AND CLINICIANS

103

Adjudicators And Clinicians

Florian Heyerick (Belgium)

· Studied in Ghent, Brussels and Leuven and received first prizes for recorder, flute and

chamber music and is now Professor at the Music Conservatory in Ghent (Belgium)

· Since 1989 Heyerick is conductor of the “Vocal Ensemble Ex Tempore” and regular

guest conductor at several orchestras and ensembles throughout Europe

· Artistic Director of the “Musikforum Mannheim” and the “Mannheimer Hofkapelle”

(Germany)

· In 2000 he received the cultural prize from the City of Ghent

· Dedicates his constant attention to the renewal of the repertoire through innumerable

lectures and original concert programs, as designed in the remarkable “Kantata”

project and his festival “Cydonia Barocca”

Anders Jalkéus (Sweden)

· Was a singer and one of the founding members of the world-famous vocal group

“The Real Group” for more than 30 years

· Studied choir conducting with Professor Eric Ericson, and is a frequent workshop

leader, popular lecturer and well renowned adjudicator in competitions all around the

world

· Thru the years he has collaborated with groups and artists such as Bobby McFerrin,

Barbara Hendricks, Gene Puerling, “Take 6”, “Rajaton” and “MPact”

· After leaving The Real Group in 2015 he has worked as headmaster for a school for

music and culture, chief for music in the county of Östergötland in Sweden and since

January 2020 he is choirleader, conductor and organist in Norrtälje just north of

Stockholm

Primož Kerštanj (Slovenia)

· Conductor of the women’s choir “Carmen manet” – the winner of the TV show

“Eurovision choir of the year 2017”, and a worldwide award-winning choir with many

golden prizes in competitions in Maribor, Montreau, Guangzou, Riga, Gothenburg and

others

· Artistic Director of the musical center “DO RE MI” in Bled, which specializes on

working with children with special needs and children with autistic spectrum disorder

· International jury member and musical arranger

104

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

Katalin Kiss (Hungary)

· Associate Professor at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music, Kecskemét

(Hungary)

· In 2015, the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music invited her as a full-time guest

professor and conductor of its concert choir

· Founded the “Ars Nova Vocal Ensemble” in 1990 which is winner of sixteen first prizes

and special prizes and seven times of the Grand Prix at international competitions,

including the title “Champion of the World Choir Games” in 2008 in Graz (Austria) and

in 2014 in Riga (Latvia)

· Founded the Ars Nova Edition Music Publishing Company, which specializes in

contemporary Hungarian choral music

· Often serves as judge for international choir competitions

Mārtiņš Klišāns (Latvia)

· Teaches at the Rīga Cathedral Choir School and at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy

of Music

· Since 1998, Art Director of the “Rīga Cathedral Boys’ Choir”, which has been granted

the Latvian Grand Music Award - the highest State award in music and Latvian Music

Recording Award

· Elected Chief Conductor of the Great Song Festival 2008 and 2013, and Artistic Director

of the Great Song Festival in 2018

· One of the Chief Conductors of the IX and X Latvian Youth Song and Dance Festivals

· In 2015 Mārtiņš Klišāns got the highest State award – The Order of Three Stars

Bernhard Kugler (Germany)

· Since 1999 teacher of organ improvisation and choral conducting at the “Hochschule

für Kirchenmusik der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart” (College of Sacred Music in

Rottenburg)

· First worked as a cantor at the church St. Johannes in Tübingen (Germany) and from

1999-2007 as cathedral cantor with artistic direction of the “Domsingknaben” in

Rottenburg am Neckar

· Director and Principal Conductor of the “Aurelius Sängerknaben Calw” since 2008

· Juror at international choir competitions and editor and arranger of choral, orchestral

and organ music

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ADJUDICATORS AND CLINICIANS

105

Adjudicators And Clinicians

RoxorLoops (Belgium)

· Belgian and Vice World Champion Beatbox and Soloist postgraduate at the Royal

Academy Of Music in Aalborg (Denmark)

· Juror in 4 World Beatbox Championships and over 30 national Beatbox Championships

· Winner of ‘Blue Note Award’ and the ‘BeatBox Special Award’

· Teacher of over 800 workshops and lessons (Stanford University, London A Cappella

Festival, RAMA, Europa Cantat, World Beatbox Camp…)

· Vocal percussionist for Zap Mama, Witloof Bay (Eurosong 2011), Bruk Braders, WAM

and Vox North

· Guest performances with Bobby McFerrin, The Real Group, Swingle Singers, Voces8

Dr. Maria Emma Meligopoulou (Greece)

· Director of Macedonia University of Thessaloniki School of Music Science & Art Choirs

and Head of Choral Conducting Studies

· Founding Artistic Director of the Ss. Cyril & Methodios Choral Organization, renowned

for its many international distinctions and regular collaboration with Thessaloniki State

Orchestra and Opera

· Artistic Director of the “Thessaloniki Concert Hall” Children & Youth Choirs’ Festival

· International adjudicator, lecturer and author of choral text books and choral score

editions

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

Donka Miteva (Bulgaria/Germany)

· Studied choral conducting at the State Academy of Music in Sofia (Bulgaria) and

orchestra conducting at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf (Germany)

· From 2007-2011 conductor and Choir Director at the Staatsoper Münster (Germany)

· Since 2011 Artistic Director and conductor of Collegium Musicum Berlin at the Free

and Technical Universities in Berlin

· Recipient of several conducting prizes in Münster in 2011 and St. Petersburg in 2013

106

Mariette Morel Wilson (France)

· Studied musicology at La Sorbonne, choral conducting at the Conservatoire

d‘Aubervilliers-La Courneuve and further choral conducting and voice in Florida

· Over the past 12 years her semi-professional choir “Blok’Notes” has recorded 3 CDs

and participated in several international choral festivals and competitions

· In 2012 she created Les Chantiers Musicaux, a music school based in Lyon, where

she teaches vocal technique for adults, with her personal approach, that combines

her American experience and her practice of yoga, where singing is not only a musical

action but also an expression of the whole being

· Has been developing various social projects to create bonding between populations by

teaching and performing with her groups in prisons, homeless shelters, retirement

homes, medical centers for the blind or disabled people

Wendi Ostir (Belgium)

· Ostir works with musicians and performers in interdisciplinary projects

· Her research embodies the translation of (self-) expression in music

· She conducts pop/jazz and classical choirs and gives singing and theatre classes

Prof. Dr. Theodora Pavlovitch (Bulgaria)

· Professor in choral conducting and Head of the Conducting Department at the

Bulgarian National Academy of Music

· Since 2005 conductor of the “Classic FM Radio Choir”

· Conducted the “World Youth Choir” in 2007/2008, honored by UNESCO with the title

“Artist for Peace”, recognizing the WYC‘s success as a platform for intercultural

dialogue through music

· Frequently invited as a member of jury panels at a number of international choral

competitions, conductor and lecturer at prestigious international events

· Has been awarded the “Golden Century Star - National Award” bestowed by the

Minister of Culture of Bulgaria, the “Golden Lyre” by the Union of Bulgarian Musicians,

the “Heart of Sofia Prize” by Sofia Municipality and Ministry of Education and Science

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ADJUDICATORS AND CLINICIANS

107

Adjudicators And Clinicians

Lucien Posman (Belgium)

· Honorary Professor of composition and music theory at the Royal Conservatory of the

University College Ghent

· Founder and Honorary Chairman of “ComAV”, the Flanders Composers Archipelago,

an interest association

· Member of The Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts

· As composer he is a representative of postmodernism. His work is performed and

broadcasted by prominent musicians and ensembles in Belgium and many European

countries, Brazil and Russia

Tutu Puoane (Belgium)

· Tutu Puoane is one of the most exciting voices on the European and South African jazz

music scene today

· Born in Pretoria, South Africa, she studied at the Music College of the University of

Cape Town (UCT) before moving to Europe in 2002

· Released eight albums as leader or featured soloist

· Puoane’s current band is a quartet and consists of musicians from Belgium and the

Netherlands, performing music with elements from African, European and American

music traditions that meet each other in the middle

DR. LISELOTTE Sels (Belgium)

· Harpsichordist, pianist, musicologist (PhD) and choral conductor

· Currently works as a researcher and research group coordinator at Royal

Conservatoire Antwerp (AP University College)

· Doctor in ethnomusicology (Turkish music); B.A.E.F postdoctoral research fellow

(Iranian music)

· Worked as a teacher at University College Ghent, Artevelde University College Ghent,

AP University College Antwerp

· Currently specializing in early music performance (harpsichord, fortepiano, basso

continuo) at Royal Conservatoire Antwerp

108

Deke Sharon (USA)

· Known as the “Father of Contemporary A Cappella” (Entertainment Weekly) for having

created and popularized the modern sound including vocal percussion

· Music director, arranger and producer for all 3 Pitch Perfect Films

· Vocal producer and music director of “The Sing Off“ (US, South Africa, China,

Netherlands)

· Arranged over 2,000 a cappella arrangements and written 6 books on vocal harmony

· Judge and clinician for Eurovision Choir 2019

· Produced gold albums including “Straight No Chaser”, “Committed”, “DCappella”

· On screen: “Pitch Slapped”, “Pitch Battle”

· Produced and arranged first all a cappella musical on Broadway: “In Transit”

Dr. Bernie Sherlock (Ireland)

· Has an international profile as a conductor, conducting teacher, adjudicator and

workshop leader in Europe, USA, Canada and China

· Winner of many international prizes for her conducting and interpretation

· In 2005 she founded “New Dublin Voices”, her Irish chamber choir which has won

numerous prizes at major competitions throughout Europe and which has given more

than sixty world premieres

· Lecturer in Music at the TU Dublin Conservatoire, and for twelve years was the Director

of the annual International Conducting Summer School run by Ireland’s national choral

association, “Sing Ireland”

· Artistic Director of the “Irish Youth Choir” and 2 nd conductor for “EuroChoir 2020”

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

DDr. Karl-Gerhard Straßl (Austria)

· Conductor, organist, lawyer, cultural scientist and cultural manager

· President of the Austrian Choir Association; Initiator and Coordinator of the project

“CHOR:sinfonie” celebrating the 70-year anniversary in 2019

· Founder and President (until 2018) of the Austrian National Youth Choir and

conductor of different choirs, currently of the mixed choirs “Wiener Sängerrunde” and

“VerwaltungsChor” at the mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna

· Jury chairman and jury member at international competitions for choir or organ

· Numerous concerts as organist or conductor in many European countries, in China,

South Africa and Brazil

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ADJUDICATORS AND CLINICIANS

109

Adjudicators And Clinicians

Xander Tillon (Belgium)

· Studied choral conducting and harmony at the Conservatoire of Leuven

· Specialized in arranging, composing and conducting of choral pop, musical and

show choirs with already more than 300 vocal pop arrangements, ranging from close

harmony to vocal percussion, a capella and band-sheets

· Founder and conductor of “Showkoor AMUSE” with whom he did big collaborations

with Belgian artists like Jef Neve, Helmut Lotti, The Lighthouse and others

· Frequently invited vocal coach for professional musicals and other productions

· Currently Musical Director of “Studio 100”. This includes conducting and preparing the

Studio100-choir for international live shows, being musical director and conductor of

big spectacle musicals, making vocal arrangements for big TV-shows

Hans van den Brand (The Netherlands)

· Artistic Director and Conductor of “Fontys Jazz Choir”, winner of the Jazz Category at

the 9 th World Choir Games in Sochi 2016

· Academic teacher of ensemble conducting at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and

Fontys Academy of Music and Performing Arts Tilburg

· Recognized adjudicator, clinician, coach and arranger in the choral world of pop and

jazz

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

Dr. Françoise Vanhecke PHD (Belgium)

· Belgian soprano, inhaling singer, pianist, actress, composer (as Irma Bilbao), voice

teacher, improvisator and soundpainter

· Equally applies bel canto, extended techniques and improvisation into baroque and pop

· Has developed a new extended technique during her doctoral research, ISFV ® Inhaling

Singing, with its new notation for composers

· Premiered more than 300 works and received international rewards and did recordings

for many different labels

110

Rachel Walker Mason (Great Britain)

· Multi award-winning songwriter, musical director, arranger and vocal coach

· Renowned show choir and a cappella specialist and has judged competitions including

“The Voice Festival”, “The UK Choir Festival”, “The Canadian Show Choir

Championships”, “Masters of Show Choir” and the “National Show Choir

Championships of Ireland“ and TV show “Ultimate A Cappella“

· In 2019 she joined the prestigious judging panel for the UK Songwriting Contest, has

become the director of an Artist Management company and became the first musician

in history to win the title “Freelancer of the Year”

· Composes songs for winners of „Popstars“ Olly Murs and Dua Lipa, winners of

“The Voice UK” and many others

Member of the

INTERKULTUR

World Choir Council

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

ADJUDICATORS AND CLINICIANS

111

VENUES

Venues

Antwerp Avenue (Antwerp Expo)

Main Events

Handelsbeurs

Festival Office, Concerts and Workshops

Since 2020, a brand new event hall has been on display on

the site of Antwerp Expo: Avenue is the name. This ready-touse

hall of 2000m² has a unique black box that can be fully

modulated to suit each event. Thanks to the eightfold flexible

tracking system, a very user-friendly and above all rapid setup

is guaranteed. The crew has an overview of the hall from

a separate production area of 175m², including shower and

kitchen.

The needs of the events sector have clearly been taken into

account: a completely black, dark hall without any daylight,

flannel curtains to improve acoustics, a free building height

of 10.5 m and various possibilities for compartmentalization.

Moreover, Antwerp Avenue has its own entrance area with

checkroom and reception desk, allowing the hall to function

autonomously from the other halls. A large LED screen outside

welcomes the guests.

So, bustling Antwerp has a new event location: ideal for

company parties, but also for congresses, product launches,

performances, staff events, galas... It will undoubtedly be a

hot-spot as soon as everything is possible again. Antwerp

Avenue has many assets!

Address:

Jan van Rijswijcklaan 191, 2020 Antwerp

The first stock exchange built as such in Europe is in Antwerp.

Today the recently restored building is a remarkable public

meeting place as well as an event location.

In Antwerp‘s golden age (1531), the New Stock Exchange was

established at the request of merchants, at the time outside

the city walls.

The current building dates from 1872, when the Exchange

was rebuilt after the 2 nd fire. Remarkable is the contrast in

the architecture. The neo-Gothic facades are combined with

a huge glass dome in rivet structure. The walls were painted

with atlases depicting the whole world, by captain at sea

Ghesquire. The only remnants of the original 16 th century

building are the pagoda tower on Borze Street and the

staircases to the first floor.

Inside, the large central square draws attention. Both on the

ground floor and on the second floor, a gallery runs all the way

around. The richly decorated truss structure is a precursor to

art nouveau. The interior facades are richly and elaborately

decorated with elements that refer to the first edition of the

fair.

Address:

Entrance Twaalf Maandenstraat (Meir),

2000 Antwerp

114

Koningin Elisabethzaal

(Queen Elisabeth Hall)

Competitions, Celebration Concerts

AMUZ

Competitions

The Queen Elisabeth Hall is a newly renovated concert venue

located within the Flanders Meeting and Covention Center

complex and is one of the best-appointed auditoriums in the

world. Reopened in 2016 and shortlisted for the best completed

cultural building award at the World Architecture Festival

of 2017, the new hall was designed specifically to produce an

exceptional sensory experience for performers and audiences

alike.

Renowned acoustician Larry Kirkegaard was hired to shape

the sound of the hall and helped produce a building whose

unique shape and lack of a permanent proscenium arch

(which ordinarily prevents loss of sound) allows every note to

resonate perfectly through the auditorium.

The 2,000-capacity hall is home to the Royal Flemish Philharmonic,

one of Europe’s finest orchestras, and has also hosted

many of the continent’s top classical performers. It is the perfect

venue in which to stage the highest-profile competitions

and concerts of the World Choir Games.

AMUZ is an international music centre housed in the baroque

church of St Augustine. Its concert hall, once the worship

place of monks, provides a striking contrast of ancient and

modern: blending the latest musical technology with awe-inspiring

historic surroundings and the powerful acoustics of

grand-scale medieval architecture.

Contemporary additions have been made to the auditorium

too, including a climate control system that not only guarantees

the comfort of musicians and audiences but preserves

the venue’s historic artworks and instruments as well.

Address:

Kammenstraat 81, 2000 Antwerp

Address:

Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

VENUES

115

Venues

AthenA

Competitions

During the night of January 14-15, 2003, a fire broke out in

the Royal Athenaeum of Antwerp. The flames rose high from

the roof, it was one big conflagration. The entire decor of the

hall, with nine allegorical representations of art and science,

went down in the fire. Only one work was saved, the ‘Allegory

of Fame’. Since May 2014, there is also an ‘Allegory of Doubt’.

On May 16, 2014, AthenA rose from its ashes. The drama, the

ruin left by the fire, is still visible. The walls are steeped in

stories that originated in AthenA‘s womb. This glorious past is

now the setting for art, science and free speech. The impressive

allure of the interior that transformed devastation into

an aesthetic masterpiece, the many histories that took place

there and, above all, the world-class art you can view there,

make Hall AthenA a must-see. The highlight is the work ’Munich‘

by Luc Tuymans.

Address:

Franklin Rooseveltplaats 11, 2060 Antwerp

Opera Gent - Lully Zaal

(Opera Ghent – Lully Hall)

Friendship Concerts

The Ghent Opera House dates back to 1840 and is located in

the historic center. Behind its historic façade, we can find rich

decorations, stately staircases and magnificent chandeliers.

In short, a unique setting for its visitors.

The Foyer, the Redoute Hall and the Lully Hall form an impressive

90 meter long enfilade. The Lully Zaal is the crown

jewel among Opera Ghent‘s salons. Here, the architectural

structure of the rectangular concert hall becomes completely

subordinate to the breathtaking opulence of the ornaments.

Shells with music-making children, lush greenery, birds, nudes

and dogs form a motley collection. The queen piece of

this hall is the majestic chandeliers that provide the necessary

splendor and magic at night.

Address:

Schouwburgstraat 3, 9000 Ghent

116

Sint-Pauluskerk

(St. Paul‘s Church)

Workshops, Celebration Concerts

Sint-Jacobskerk

(St. Jacobs Church)

Friendship Concerts

When you visit Antwerp, you must discover this hidden gem.

The entrance is at the Veemarkt in Antwerp and the dark corridor

confuses you for a while. You soon discover an intriguing

sculpture garden on the right, but the real surprise comes

when you walk into the church at the end of the corridor. Dozens

of paintings and sculptures will meet you. Original masterpieces

by Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, Quellinus, you don‘t

know where to look first. And for free too, every day from 2 pm

to 5 pm. Welcome!

Address:

Sint-Paulusstraat 22, 2000 Antwerpen (Workshops)

Veemarkt, 2000 Antwerpen (Celebration Concert)

The Sint-Jacobskerk is an exceptional church in which its rich

history is reflected. An extraordinary variety in the building’s

elements, such as pillars, arches and capitals, also exposes

a particular construction history. With its heterogeneous character,

the Sint-Jacobskerk steps forward as a unique witness

of almost 900 years of ecclesiastical architecture in Ghent.

The Sint-Jacobskerk will be the location for several Friendship

Concerts.

Address:

Bij Sint-Jacobs, 9000 Ghent

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

VENUES

117

Venues

Sint-Baafskathedraal

(Saint Bavo Cathedral)

Celebration Concerts

In the heart of Ghent, you will find the beautiful Saint Bavo

Cathedral. A unique building with a long and rich history. In

the 10 th century already, the first parish church of Ghent was

located on the very spot where the cathedral can be seen today.

Traces of the subsequent Romanesque church, which

dates from the middle of the 12 th century, can still be found in

the crypt, which is richly decorated with murals. But the appearance

of the building as we know it today, in an impressive

Gothic style, dates from the 16 th century. It was also then that

the church became the cathedral of the diocese of Ghent.

However, not only the architecture makes jaws drop. The

cathedral also houses several art treasures, with the world-famous

Mystic Lamb by the brothers van Eyck as the eyecatcher.

Muziekcentrum De Bijloke

(Music Center De Biljoke)

Celebration Concerts

Muziekcentrum De Bijloke in Ghent surprises you with

classical and contemporary music, jazz and festivals in

the oldest concert hall in the world. The infirmary from the

13th century is now a state-of-the-art Concert Hall with

outstanding acoustics and comfort. The delightful Café,

historic Kraakhuis, Cabinet and Anatomic Theatre offer more

intimate concerts, family theatre, expositions, lectures and

events. Thanks to this dazzling architectural mix of brand new

and centuries old elements, every performance turns easily

into the ideal evening out..

Address:

Bijlokekaai 7, 9000 Ghent

Address:

Sint-Baafsplein, 9000 Ghent

118

Horta Art Nouveau Zaal

Workshops

The iron trusses that you can admire here were originally used

in the people‘s house in Brussels, by the famous Art Nouveau

architect Victor Horta, which was demolished in 1965 even after

international protest.

After years of wandering, the remains of the house have now

found a final resting place in this contemporary building in

Antwerp, where old and new go together perfectly.

Address:

Hopland 2, 2000 Antwerpen

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

VENUES

119

120

Map Ghent

1. Sint-Jacobskerk Bij Sint-Jacobs, 9000 Ghent

2. Opera Gent - Lully Zaal Schouwburgstraat 3, 9000 Ghent

3. Muziekcentrum De Bijloke Bijlokekaai 7, 9000 Ghent

4. Sint-Baafskathedraal Sint-Baafsplein, 9000 Ghent

Train

5. Town Hall

6. Graslei / Korenlei

7. Patershol

8. City Pavilion

9. De Krook

10. The Castle of the Counts

11. Ghent Belfry

12. Tourist office

Bus

Tram

Cambio carsharing spots

Parking

13.

14. Neuhaus Shop

15.

16. Lottery Shop

17. Ghent Watertoerist:

Boat Departures

PCR and rapid test centers

(UZ Ghent (PCR test)

Pharmacies - rapid tests

Pharmacies Ghent Sint-Pieters

(rapid antigen test)

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

MAP GHENT

121

ational bus

se bus, the

ry. Right now,

erience, all in

grandeur.

the history

n chocolate

ation would

ical journey

. They even

for the WCG

audience!

rience an on

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ge of choice.

122

Map Antwerp

1. Antwerp Avenue Jan van Rijswijcklaan 191, 2020 Antwerp

2. Koningin Elisabethzaal Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp

3. AthenA Franklin Rooseveltplaats 11, 2060 Antwerp

4. AMUZ Kammenstraat 81, 2000 Antwerp

5. Handelsbeurs Entrance Twaalf Maandenstraat (Meir), 2000 Antwerp

6. Horta Art Nouveau Zaal Hopland 2, 2000 Antwerpen

7. Sint-Pauluskerk Sint-Paulusstraat 22, 2000 Antwerpen (Workshops)

Veemarkt , 2000 Antwerpen (Celebration Concert)

Train

8. Town Hall

9. Het Steen

10. Cathedral of Our Lady

11. Vleeshuis

12. St. Charles Borromeo Church

13. MAS (Museum by the River)

14. The Rubens House

15. The Zoo

16. Tourist office

Bus

Tram

Cambio carsharing spots

Parking

17.

18. Neuhaus Shop

19.

20. Lottery Shop

21. Antwerp City Tours:

Bus departures

22. Museum: Chocolates Nation

23. Flandria: Boat departures

24. Shopping Stadsfeestzaal

25. Muesum: MoMu

(Fashion Museum Antwerp)

Test centers - PCR & rapid tests

CMA - Frankrijklei 67-69

PCR Antwerp - August Michiels Straat 1

Pharmacies - rapid tests

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

MAP ANTWERP

123

EVENTS

Tickets are

available at:

126

SATURDAY,

OCTOBER 30,

2021

Official Events 129

Opening Ceremony

30127

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Host of the Event

ELLA MICHIELS

Ella Michiels is a presenter and theater maker.

As a presenter you can see her with Antwerp Symphony

Orchestra, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, at this World Choir

Games and more.

Speaking in front of an audience is her profession, which she

loves to pass on to others. Ella is a language and presentation

coach for VRT screen faces (Ketnet, MNM, Eén, VRT NWS) and

has a private practice for coaching.

She previously gained experience behind the microphone

of Klara and worked as an online reporter for Culture Club

(Radio 1).

Ella lives in Aalst, where she teaches at the Academy for

Performing Arts in the word art-drama department.

128

Official Events

19:00 h

AVENUE at Antwerp Expo

OPENING CEREMONY

Finally! The kick-off of the 11 th edition of the World Choir Games

is without a doubt the most unique choral concert you

will ever experience. Get ready to be on a rollercoaster running

through half a millennium of music by Flemish composers:

from Josquin des Prez and Peter Benoit to Vic Nees,

from Bluesette to Alors on ‘Chante‘.

During this opening ceremony, choral singing will shine in all

its facets: intimate with a single voice, passionate with a full

choir or full-bodied with singers from all over the world. If you

are up for it, you can already start practicing with our Official

Song Listen by the Flemish composer Kurt Bikkembergs.

Antwerp

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2021

129

130

SUNDAY,

OCTOBER 31,

2021

Competitions 132

AthenA (Antwerp)

Koningin Elisabethzaal (Antwerp)

Workshops 134

Donka Miteva (Germany) - Feel every note

RoxorLoops (Belgium) - Beatbox for Beginners

Mariette Morel Wilson (France) -

Singing Outside the Box

Concerts 136

Celebration Concert

Friendship Concerts

31131

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Competition

AthenA (Antwerp)

Koningin Elisabethzaal (Antwerp)

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

10:30 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC1

CHILDREN’S CHOIRS

10:30 h

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

OC12

JAZZ & POP CHOIRS

14:00

15:00

16:00

17:00

14:30 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC3

MIXED VOCAL ENSEMBLES &

CHAMBER CHOIRS

(1/2)

18:00

19:00

20:00

21:00

22:00

19:00 h

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

OC3

MIXED VOCAL ENSEMBLES &

CHAMBER CHOIRS

(1/2)

19:30 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC10

GOSPEL & SPIRITUAL

132

Choirs, competitions,

repertoire:

Scan the code

to find them all!

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

133

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Workshop

11:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

DONKA MITEVA (Germany)

14:00 h

Horta Art Nouveau Zaal (Antwerp)

ROXORLOOPS (BELGIUM)

Feel every note - the conscious way to create music

Mindfulness and consciousness have been on the rise for

decades, meditation and living in the moment, being present

and feeling alive. In music making everything happens in the

moment, yet we often sing or play pieces of music for the 100 th

time and they sound the same. Our thoughts are not present,

but wandering some place else, our everyday life struggles, our

dreams, our memories from the last time we performed this or

any other piece of music.

So let us take an hour together and practice conscious music

making with some easy techniques.

Beatbox Beginners

Beatboxing begins by learning basic rhythm and breathing

techniques that allow for a seamless transition into vocal

percussion. Participants in this workshop will be taught

fundamental vocal percussion sounds such as the kick drum,

hi hat, rim shot, snare drum and crash cymbals. You will leave

with practice patterns to take home and the necessary tools to

perform live. Beatbox Beginners is for everybody fascinated by

the art of vocal percussion: this is your chance to get started!

134

20:00 h

Horta Art Nouveau Zaal (Antwerp)

MARIETTE MOREL WILSON (FRANCE)

Singing outside the box

In order to blossom, our voice needs us to feel completely free,

and completely alive. But many times, our preconceived idea

of what a “beautiful voice” should sound like prevents us from

singing with freedom, and stops the flow of energy in our system.

In this workshop we will happily forget, for a time, our usual goals

of pitch, beauty, harmony, style...

Through warm-ups and games, we will experiment other ways of

singing, allowing all sounds to come, even (especially) those who

are “outside the box”.

We will end the workshop by learning and singing together a

song, in order to experiment our new vocal sensations.

Perhaps, if we‘re lucky, we will observe that through freedom and

spontaneity, pure beauty may arise.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

135

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Celebration Concert

18:00 h

Muziekcentrum De Bijloke

OUT OF THE VOICE BOX

Ghent

Out of The Voice Box promises to be an unforgettable concert which playfully colours

outside the lines with the power of song and music. Central to the performance is

OverStem Kanker, a choir of people without vocal chords, supported by local talent

such as Die Verdammte Spielerei, Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino and others. In

this inclusive concert, other groups with communication difficulties (because of, for

example, a stroke, Parkinson’s or hearing problems) will also be able to participate

creatively in a heartwarming programme. Together with international performers such

as beatboxer Reep One and audiovisual artist Philip Clemo, they take up the challenge

to enchant the audience in an innovative way with an inclusive and inspiring program.

The project OverStem Kanker aims to aid people recovering from a laryngectomy, the

removal of the larynx, in making their new voice heard in our society. A major limitation

becomes an artistic asset. Tonight’s choir has grown from this project, led by voice

coach and conductor Andries De Winter.

Shout at Cancer Belgium vzw is an organization which aims to advance the quality of

life and social integration for people post-laryngectomy through the integration of art

in care. The artistic direction is in the hands of founder and driving force Dr. Thomas

Moors, a Belgian doctor who lives and works in London.

ARTISTS

CHOIRS

OverStem Kanker (Belgium)

Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino

(Belgium)

Garsington Adult Community Choir

(Great Britain)

Brain Odysseys (Great Britain)

Maggie‘s Melody/Sing2Help

(Great Britain)

VOCAL SOLOISTS

Reeps One (vocal artist)

Tineke Van Ingelgem (soprano)

INSTRUMENTALS

Die Verdammte Spielerei

OTHER ARTISTS

Samowar (loop station)

Philip Clemo (audiovisual artist)

CONDUCTOR

Andries De Winter

136

Friendship Concerts

14:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

15:00 h

Sint-Jacobskerk (Ghent)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2021

137

138

MONDAY,

NOVEMBER 1,

2021

Competitions 140

AthenA (Antwerp)

Koningin Elisabethzaal (Antwerp)

AMUZ(Antwerp)

Workshops 142

Deke Sharon (USA) -

Singing Instruments & Vocal Percussion

Schola Gregoriana Cantabo (Belgium) -

Sing Like a Trappist

Concerts 144

Celebration Concert

Friendship Concerts

1139

Monday, November 1, 2021

Competition

AthenA (Antwerp) Koningin Elisabethzaal (Antwerp) AMUZ(Antwerp)

9:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

10:00 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC3

MIXED VOCAL ENSEMBLES &

CHAMBER CHOIRS

(2/2)

10:00 h

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

OC1

CHILDREN’S CHOIRS

11:45 h

14:00

14:00 h

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

15:00

16:00

17:00

18:00

15:00 h

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

OC3

MIXED VOCAL ENSEMBLES &

CHAMBER CHOIRS

(2/3)

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC13

FOLKLORE A CAPPELLA

15:15 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

OC7

MUSICA SACRA A CAPPELLA

14:00 h

THE CHAMPIONS

COMPETITION

CC7

MUSICA SACRA A CAPPELLA

19:00

19:00 h

CC12

JAZZ & POP CHOIRS

20:00

THE OPEN

COMPETITION

21:00

22:00

OC3

MIXED VOCAL ENSEMBLES &

CHAMBER CHOIRS

(3/3)

140

Choirs, competitions,

repertoire:

Scan the code

to find them all!

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

141

Monday, November 1, 2021

Workshop

11:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

DEKE SHARON (USA)

Singing Instruments & Vocal Percussion

10 years ago, a cappella singing was mostly “bum” and “doo“.

Now, people sound like drums, guitars, horns, and a myriad

of other instruments. Learn how to use one or many voices to

sound like instruments, and work them into your music. One of

the most notable elements of contemporary a cappella is that

vocal percussion has become an essential element in presenting

a dynamic, current sound with nothing but voices. Learn the

fundamentals of this skill, weaving together bass drum, snare

and high hat to provide a compelling groove, and begin to explore

some additional sounds like cymbals, shakers, and wood blocks.

142

20:00 h

Sint-Pauluskerk (Antwerp)

SCHOLA GREGORIANA CANTABO (BELGIUM)

Sing Like a Trappist!

The Benedictine monks already knew that singing and drinking

were a match made in heaven twelve centuries ago. The first

mention of a malt house and brewery within the walls of an abbey

dates back to 820 CE. Although the recipes of the Belgian Trappist

beers are of a more recent date, they come from a rich history.

Around the same period, monks also wrote and illustrated

cantatoria, the very first “hymnbooks”. Musical notation did not

yet exist, so the cantores wrote “neumes” as reminders above

the text. Many scholars today want to take on the challenge of

interpreting Gregorian chant from these oldest known sources.

Let Cantabo transport you more than a millennium back in time.

The monks in the abbey are preparing for the monastic prayers.

They start the day before the sun rises with the metes and end

the day with the vespers. The cantor teaches you the hymns as

they sounded back then. In a way that is pleasant to listen to and

to sing for yourself, but is also historically responsible. We finish

in style with an abbey beer in hand.

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

143

Monday, November 1, 2021

Celebration Concert

20:30 h

Koningin Elisabethzaal

RISE UP & SING!

Antwerp

There is no shortage of rock-solid pop and jazz in Flanders. In the

past few years pop choirs in particular have known a considerable

increase in popularity. The World Choir Games will certainly only

add to this momentum. During the course of mere days, dozens

of choirs will immerse themselves in spiritual music, gospel,

jazz or pop. Whether we’re talking about a vocal quartet, a close

harmony ensemble, a show choir or a choir with more than a

hundred singers, it will definitely swing!

PERFORMING GROUPS

Showkoor Rise Up (Belgium)

Maîtrise de Seine-Maritime (France)

Scala & Kolacny Brothers (Belgium)

144

Friendship Concerts

14:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

16:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

16:00 h

Sint-Jacobskerk (Ghent)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2021

145

146

TUESDAY,

NOVEMBER 2,

2021

Workshops 148

Deke Sharon (USA) -

Singing Instruments & Vocal Percussion

Anders Jalkéus (Sweden) –

Ensemble singing on a higher level

Concerts 149

Friendship Concerts

Official Events 150

Awards Ceremony I

2147

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Workshop

11:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

DEKE SHARON (USA)

14:00 h

Horta Art Nouveau Zaal (Antwerp)

ANDERS JALKÉUS (SWEDEN)

Singing Instruments & Vocal Percussion

10 years ago, a cappella singing was mostly “bum” and “doo“.

Now, people sound like drums, guitars, horns, and a myriad

of other instruments. Learn how to use one or many voices to

sound like instruments, and work them into your music. One of

the most notable elements of contemporary a cappella is that

vocal percussion has become an essential element in presenting

a dynamic, current sound with nothing but voices. Learn the

fundamentals of this skill, weaving together bass drum, snare

and high hat to provide a compelling groove, and begin to explore

some additional sounds like cymbals, shakers, and wood blocks.

Ensemble singing on a higher level

Anders Jalkéus was a founding member and the bass singer of

the world famous Swedish vocal ensemble “The Real Group“. In

this workshop he will tell you “The Real Group-story“ and explain

how the group found their particular blend and explored the

possibilities of singing in a vocal ensemble. He will present some

excercises and some tips for you to use if you want to explore the

world of ensemble and choir singing on a higher level.

148

Friendship Concerts

11:00 h

Sint-Jacobskerk (Ghent)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

16:00 h

Handelsbeurs (Antwerp)

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

WORLD CHOIR GAMES 2021 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021

149

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Official Events

19:00 h

AVENUE at Antwerp Expo

AWARDS CEREMONY I

Antwerp

World Choir Games Flanders 2021 - Program Book

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