Invitation - Ribe Mandskor

Invitation
June 1st - 3rd 2012
Ribe Mandskor (Ribe Male Choir) invites you to participate in Ribe Choir Festival where
happy and skilled singers meet to share and celebrate the joy of singing in a relaxed
atmosphere in the unique town of Ribe.
There are no competitions, medals or long speeches in Ribe. The festival is centered
on the joy of singing and offers the participating choirs the opportunity of meeting other
people who enjoy singing. Ribe Choir Festival takes place during a weekend and its
key elements are musical experiences and togetherness.
At Ribe Choir Festival the choirs fill the old streets of Ribe with singing. The visiting
choirs will encounter a relaxed atmosphere, welcoming and interested towns people
and old intimate historic backyards. In the cozy squares of the town the choir members
can meet the public.
Friday evening all choirs participate in a cultural event ‘Ribe by Night’ held in excellent
concert locations with large audiences. On Friday and Sunday there is time for
individual concerts in churches or at other concert locations in the town. The schedule
for the entire festival can be seen on page 3 and the program will be adjusted in accordance
with the choirs’ wishes.

Come and sing!
Ribe Mandskor is one of the oldest Danish male choirs. Its exact age, is unknown because a
standard with the words ‘Ribe Singing Community 1860’ and an emblem dated June 5th 1860 are
the only remains from a fire in 1944.
With 48 members and a varied repertoire Ribe Mandskor is an important and familiar part of Ribe’s
cultural life. The choir represents the town at regional and national events and has taken the initiative
of organizing The Ribe Choir Festival which is supported by Esbjerg Kommune (Municipality),
the town of Ribe, Ribe’s cultural institutions and local business.
Ribe Mandskor has arranged Ribe Choir Festival three times before: 1998, 2002 and 2007. In
2007 24 choirs from 7 countries participated. On the website www.ribemandskor.dk you can find
photos from these festivals.
The festival fee of € 40 per participant covers the participation fee and admission to all concerts
as well as the two course festival dinner with live music Saturday night in Ribe Fritidscenter. Accommodation
is available for example in DanHostel and Ribe Byferie among other places. Meals
can be pre­ordered from different restaurants and caterers in Ribe.
Links to accommodation and dining places can be found on: www.ribemandskor.dk
Registration deadline is 1st of September 2011 and registration should be sent to Erik Post
on e-mail: erikpost52@gmail.com
The main part of the cathedral
of Ribe was build between
1150­1220 AD. The
cathedral isn’t among the
biggest in a Nordic context,
but it is considered to be
one of the best­preserved
me dieval cathedrals in
Den mark and Scandinavia.
Outdoor concerts in the old courtyards
Outdoor concerts were first introduced in 1981 and have
been a recurrent event in Ribe ever since. The old town has
many enclosed and pictoresque courtyards, which are very
well suited for choir singing. Today, the courtyards have been
beautifully restored by the private owners who are delighted to
open them for the festival’s choirs and their audience. Saturday
morning is the time for the courtyard concerts and according to
earlier participants they are the highlight of the Choir Festival.
The Dominicans arrived in
Ribe in the year 1228, but
the current buildings of St.
Catharine’s were erected in
the 15th century. The church
and the rotunda of the monastery
have exquisite acoustics
and are often used by
Ribe Mandskor.
Individual concerts
Church concerts can be arranged in Ribe
Cathedral and The Church of St. Catharine’s
in accordance with choirs’ wishes. Also there
is an opportunity to arrange concerts at other
loca tions, for example the yard of St. Catharine’s
monastery or Ribes Vikinger – The Historical
Museum of Ribe.

Program
Friday June 1st
16.00 – 18.00 Individual concerts. Arranged acccording to the choirs’ wishes.
19.00 – 20.30 Ribe by Night. The choirs participate in concerts on specific locations.
21.00 – 23.00 ’Social hours’ in Ribe Hallen at DanHostel.
Saturday 2nd of June
Here the choirs meet and sing for and with each other.
9.30 – 9.55 Parade through the old streets of Ribe. The choirs bring their standards.
9.55 – 10.10 Offical welcome in Giørtz’ Plads (Giørtz’ Square) by the town and Ribe Mandskor.
10.15 – 12.30 Outdoor concerts
These take place in Ribe’s old courtyards in the center of the town within short
distance from each other. Every choir sings in 3 different yards with 3 different
choirs according to a detailed plan.
15.00 – 17.00 Festival concert in the cathedral of Ribe. The absolute biggest event.
The program will reflect the wishes of the choirs.
18.00 – 23.00 Festival dinner in Ribe Fritidscenter. A social get­together with live music and
Sunday June 3rd
entertainment.
10.00 – 12.00 Individual concerts.
13.00 – 15.00 Individual concerts.
The concerts will be planned according to the choirs’ wishes.
Lørenskog Ladies Choir from Norway at
one of the backyard concerts in 2007.
Bredstedter Liedertafel and Brage from
Aalborg sing on Ribe docks in 2007.
Questions and other requests can be forwarded to
Head of Board Erik Post erikpost52@gmail.com
Conductor Lau Michelsen lau@spectromania.dk
Treasurer Jørn Frandsen jorn@ribemandskor.dk

Experience Ribe and its surroundings !
Rain or shine: Ribe is an old town where one can explore the many aspects of the town’s many
unique historic features. For small admission fees one can se the cathedral, the newly renovated
art museum, Ribe’s Viking Museum ? among other attractions. All these and many other sights are
described in the Ribe brochure which accompanies this invitation. A selection of guided tours with
guides in English and German can be purchased from the Tourist Office for a reasonable price.
Ribe and Denmark
Ribe is situated in southwestern Jutland, the peninsula,
which is attached to the European continent. The people of
Ribe have descended from several generations of sailors,
mer chants, fishermen, peasants and not least: the Vikings !
Ribe Choir Festival is an initiative which renews connections
across borders to those people our ancestors visited
and knew from Ireland in the west to the Baltics in the east,
from Iceland in the north to the Southern Europe.
The area of Denmark is in total 43.000 km2 and comprises
of the peninsula of Jutland and 406 islands. The coastline
is 7300 km long and one is never more than an hour’s drive
from the shoreline from anywhere in Denmark.
In Denmark the distances are small. The trip to Ribe from
Co penhagen’s Kastrup Airport or from Frederikshavn is
roughly 300km and takes only about 4 hours by bus .