Here is how our 2022 choir festivals created collaboration and connection this past summer in London, Prague, and Dublin.

Choir Festivals Like No Other  

International festivals are especially unique because there is so much to explore as an ensemble. Working with a new conductor and other choirs brings your ensemble to new heights. Our choir festivals are led by renowned directors who offer innovative approaches to performing and working as a group. On equal footing, every choir is learning and growing together as one. The world of choir becomes bigger with every connection you make abroad. Making these unique bonds with other choirs is an exceptional way to grow your ensemble’s artistic reach.

Highlights from KI’s 2022 Choir Festivals

London

The Kyle Fleming Festival Ensembles Rehearsing for their Concert!

In June, London welcomed the Dr. Kyle Fleming Choir Festival. Fleming is currently based in the Denver, Colorado area and is the Director of Choral Activities at Regis University. Many ensembles are excited about performing again after the pandemic, and Fleming was just as excited for this opportunity, “Most importantly, choral singing will continue because we know this to be undeniably true: music and singing are an intrinsic part of what it means to be human. With this in mind, let’s look ahead with zeal and expectancy as we make plans to raise our voices together in London.” As an artistic director, Fleming understood how important group music is to the human experience and how essential it is for ensembles to perform together.

The ensembles in London performed with an exchange choir in the beautiful St James Church in Piccadilly Circus. Performers enjoyed tours around London, visiting sites like Big Ben, the Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Prague

One of our most recent choir festivals in July was with renowned Director Dr. Rollo Dilworth in Prague. As associate professor of choral music education at Temple University, Dilworth has directed various choirs throughout his career. Dr. Dilworth works to incorporate a culturally immersive experience in his festivals.

The Rollo Dilworth Choir Festival Performs at Dvořák Hall

At the beautiful Dvořák Hall in Prague, Dilworth excelled in giving the citizens of Prague a choir festival performance like nothing else, choosing a repertoire best suited for all groups participating. Working with a total of five different ensembles, Dilworth directed the New York City Children’s Chorus, Florida Singing Sons, Princeton Boychoir, Children’s Chorus of Washington, and the Peninsula Music Arts Association. Coming from all over the country, these ensembles performed together as if they had been one group all along.

The performers toured around Prague, getting to see the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, and the Prague Castle. Additionally, the New York City Children’s Chorus performed an individual concert at the historic St Nicholas’ Church Old Town.

Dublin

Craig Hella Johnson delivered a beautiful festival in Dublin. The founding director of the Grammy winning group Conspirare, Johnson has conducted and directed ensembles for over 20 years.

Working with seven different ensembles, the audience at St. Patrick’s Cathedral received a powerful performance. According to Craig Hella Johnson, “Ireland has its own whimsy, proud history, language, choral traditions, stories and warmth. Our festival will radiate this and more as we unite in one voice lovingly to do our part in uniting humanity and people of goodwill everywhere!” Johnson’s repertoire made for two unforgettable gala concerts that connected the ensembles and the people of Ireland.

The Craig Hella Johnson Choir Festival Performance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The ensembles performed in the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the oldest Christian site in Dublin. Their second gala concert was hosted in Ulster Hall in Belfast. Performers also enjoyed dinner with live Irish music, saw the seaside town of Howth, and even visited the ‘Garden of Ireland’ in Wicklow County.

Choir festivals are great experiences for any ensemble, as they bring the world of music together in one room. With an exceptional artistic director and conductor, you can experience the joy of what it means to perform and create music with others.

For a list of KI Concerts Festivals, look here.

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Exchange choirs can be the best addition to your performance tour experience. No matter the age or ensemble type, everyone benefits from cultural immersion experiences. Including a performance with an exchange choir abroad could be exactly what your ensemble needs. Here we’ll tell you what exchange choirs are and how they make traveling even better!

Cultural Immersion

It is well known that exchange programs exist to educate students about other cultures in ways they otherwise could not experience at home. Exchange choirs are local choirs that traveling ensembles can perform with while abroad. These unique experiences make traveling to another country even more enriching. Performing with local choirs brings you closer to the community you’re visiting. Not only do you get to know the culture, but you also get to know the people. KI works to incorporate exchange choirs whenever possible. We know that if you are looking for educational opportunities for your ensemble, exchange choirs are essential.

Naturally, when an ensemble travels abroad, they are often unfamiliar with the language, customs, or geography of the destination. Exchange choirs can ease that cultural shock by creating an intimate space where a shared love of music becomes the core focus. Meeting people who can introduce you to a new culture makes the time abroad even more special and enlightening. You don’t have to feel like a stranger in a strange land. The Minnesota Boychoir collaborated with the Cór na nÓg Youth Choir on their performance tour to Ireland this summer. Mark Johnson, the artistic director for the choir, said, “I will never forget the audiences singing along to familiar Irish tunes in our concert repertoire, and our exchange opportunity with Cór na nÓg Youth Choir in Dublin was THE fitting way to end our tour … their team of helpers and incredible voices of this ensemble made us feel right at home.”

Education

Rollo Dilworth conducting the 2022 Prague Choir Festival.

Even top professionals in the community believe in cultural exchange for choir, as seen by the National Association for Music Education. Clayton Parr, director of choral activities at DePaul University, said, “If music is to function as a bridge between cultures, as performers we must be ready to move out of our comfort zones and experience music in a completely new way.” Working with another choir, you can learn how they might construct their repertoire and how they communicate with each other.

One of KI’s great friends, Rollo Dilworth, also agrees that “learning comes through collaboration and exchange.” Dr. Dilworth believes bringing respect and attention to music outside of “traditional” or “dominant cultures” is essential to cultural exchange and music education. When you watch another ensemble, you can see firsthand how their culture approaches choral performance as an art. When there is a chance to collaborate with a local choir, the potential differences in perspectives and approaches to the art is revealed, and learning opportunities emerge. You just might experience choir and performing in a whole new light after an exchange concert.

Learning in Action

The St. John’s Boys’ Choir performing in Bad Ischl.

On their tour of Austria, the St. John’s Boys’ Choir from Minnesota visited the mountain village of Bad Ischl, east of Salzburg. They performed at the church Evangelische Bad Ischl with a local school choir that performed in traditional Austrian clothing.

The Concordia Choir finished their performance tour of Italy with an exchange concert. Their Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Michael Culloton, said, “Our final concert was a shared program with Coro Musicanova and their conductor Fabrizio Barchi. It was the most special way that we could have ended the trip! Their singing was exquisite, and our collaborative performance of Monteverdi’s Cantate Domino was spectacular. Following the concert the choir serenaded us at the bus with Billy Joel’s piece called And So It Goes, so we followed suit and sang Bernstein’s Somewhere from West Side Story for them. A very moving experience, and one that we will treasure forever.”

In Vienna, the Cantabile Youth Singers performed with the Canta Diem Choir at the Jesuitenkirche. They got a tour of their venue by the parish organist, who also performed with them. Every Sunday, the church hosts a choral performance at 6:20 PM just to have the perfect light of the sunset. Only the locals would know that’s the best time for a performance. These tidbits of knowledge only scratch the surface of what you can learn from these cultural immersion experiences.

Artistic collaboration is a great tool for youth choirs to learn, but every kind of choir should have the opportunity. The key to a successful performance is listening to each other, and yourself. Learning how to listen to a choral group from a different background than your own strengthens your ensemble, and you can take this new knowledge back home with you and apply it to your artistic process.

Wherever you travel, community is important, and our choir communities are everywhere. The most important impact that exchange choirs provide is a better appreciation of the world and its cultural differences.

If you’d like to learn more about performance travel tours with KI Concerts, let us know!

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A Conversation with KI Festival Leader, Henry Leck

A concert venue that fits your ensemble just right can take your performance to new heights. Sure, acoustics are important, but what other elements do you need to consider? Part of traveling to Europe for your performance tour is knowing you will perform in venues built specifically for a certain repertoire, a characteristic of European concert venues that is hard to replicate. However, venue size, location, versatility, history, grandeur, and local community participation can all play an equally critical role in your choice.

To dig deeper, we went to a source of great experience; someone who has led many of KI’s European festival tours. We sat down with KI festival leader, Henry Leck, to tell us what he thinks makes a great concert venue. Our conversation began by traveling down memory lane to where Henry first got his start in music. We ended with a checklist of venue characteristics every director should look out for when planning their performance tour.

VotiveKirche (Vienna, Austria)

Henry, where did your music journey begin?

“I got my start singing in school and in the church children’s choir… I had an elementary teacher who encouraged all of us to pursue our talents to the fullest. This led to high school involvement in music, both band and choir, a number of college degrees and a full life of teaching music. I have taught middle school and high school choir and orchestra and then 27 years teaching choral music at the collegiate level. Most notably during that time I started the Indianapolis Children’s Choir which I conducted for 30 years. This choir sang at four national ACDA conferences.”

“Early on, when getting calls to conduct, I really focused on doing my best work and being in the present moment. It all just built from there. I have conducted in nearly every major concert hall and on every continent except Antarctica. I’ve been so blessed along the way to live my passion and travel all over the world.”

What are some of your most memorable performances?

“Perhaps when I conducted mass at the Vatican the first time and of course, the very first time I conducted in Carnegie Hall. But one year, I led the choir in singing the National Anthem at the Superbowl with Kelly Clarkson. This performance was fed out to 130 million people! The acoustics were challenging and there was really no room for error….We also sang the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 race. We started with one soloist singing “God Bless America” in the key of G, a cappella, right after taps was played in F. It had to be exact because later in the piece, the brass came in. There was a huge echo and reverberation in the space, but, we pulled it off!”

So, What Makes a “Great” Concert Venue?

“There is really no singular reason a venue can be great. It is because so many factors can enter into each performance. I consider various things such as: size of stage, size of audience, acoustics, versatility, repertoire, number of singers, reputation of the hall, etc.” Henry says.

VERSATILITY

Performance groups range in size, sound, and make-up. This, along with choice of repertoire and ensemble needs (like risers, for example), makes a versatile concert venue essential. Henry says, “Go check out venues in advance if you can. See what can be done and how you might have to adjust your repertoire in the space. Think about what is going to work logistically for the performance – how many singers? Is there a grand piano or way to bring one in? Where is the organist in relation to your singers? Every detail makes a big difference!”

At KI, this makes us think of Perchtoldsdorf Castle in Austria, a distinctive local venue with notable community support. This venue offers two different types of performance rooms. One hosts an audience of almost 750 and has a concert hall feel. The other space is much more intimate, seating about 200 while still maintaining acoustic greatness. This offers a versatile experience for your ensemble.

AUDIENCE

Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

With any performance, you’ll want to garner excitement from the local community and attract an audience to attend your concert! Audience size in relation to the venue size can really make a difference in the energy of the space. Henry explains, “If you choose a venue in a big city for your performance [like Saint Agnese Church, Barcelona’s Nuestra Senora or Sydney’s Opera House (pictured to the right)] your venues will have more seats to fill. This can be phenomenal but can be very challenging! Sometimes smaller spaces in lesser known venues can create the feel you’re looking to achieve and it’s easier to fill!”

When considering your destination, it’s important to understand the local community engagement in the regions where you’d like to perform. For example, a very small town in Tuscany at the top of a steep hill with an extremely close-knit community will provide your singers with an audience experience they could not get from one of the more iconic, well-known concert venues.

RESONANCE

Henry explains, “Cathedrals are often tuned to a certain key, so shifting tonal centers can affect sound. In an extremely resonant space, pieces with rapid articulation, will simply become a blur. This limits what you can do effectively in each venue. Do your due diligence and make sure the repertoire will meet the venue’s capabilities!”  Make sure you have your performance goals solidified ahead of your venue inspection. If you are sold on a certain city and venue, your job then becomes selecting the appropriate repertoire for that space.

REPUTATION

“When I stood at the podium in Carnegie Hall the first time, I was in complete awe as I realized every great conductor had stood there before me. The venue you choose can be daunting!”  Not every venue requires this level of prestige to invoke an excellent reputation for you and your singers. The quality of acoustics, along with a perfect match of repertoire, ensemble, and audience, is often what leads to a great experience for you and your ensemble. An outstanding concert venue is one which is made to create a rich sound that resonates and has clarity. So, when considering a performance location, think about each of the above factors as well as its historical and recognizable significance. While it is great to sing in famous halls, a great performance experience is not determined exclusively by name recognition.

Whatever destination you choose, remember to keep these venue elements in mind as you plan your tour.

If you’d like to learn more about performance travel tours with KI Concerts, let us know!

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