American football’s NFL has proposed that musicians should have to pay to perform at the coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The proposal received a “chilly reception” from Coldplay, Katy Perry and Rihanna, the three musicians under consideration for the 2015 show, according to the Wall Street Journal newspaper.
Traditionally the NFL has not paid a performance fee to the stars of the show, although it does cover expenses for the act and the entourage.
The Halftime Show, which takes place on the pitch in the break between the second and third quarters in the NFL’s showpiece game, always attracts one of the largest global television audiences of the year.
A record audience of 115.3 million viewers tuned in for the 2014 Halftime Show on February 2 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars taking to the stage.
According to data measurement company Nielsen, musicians who perform at the Halftime Show regularly experience a significant spike in album sales and paid digital downloads due to the exposure of the performance. Several acts have used the Halftime Show as a platform to launch a new album.
It has been reported that the NFL has proposed a revenue-sharing arrangement whereby the league would receive a portion of additional album sales income as an alternative to a flat fee from the performers.
NFL spokeswoman Joanna Hunter said that the league’s priority was to “put on the best possible show” for fans.
“When we have something to announce, we’ll announce it,” she added.
In June, Variety magazine reported that the NBC network is asking advertisers to pay $4.5m for a 30-second spot during the 2015 Super Bowl – a record figure and a 12.5-per-cent increase on the Fox network’s advertising rate card for the 2014 game.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has attracted the biggest names in the music business over the years, with performers including The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Rolling Stones, U2, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, Aerosmith, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Michael Jackson.
The 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show will take place on February 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Many will be looking forward to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games this summer purely because of the sporting action that will be taking place across Scotland’s largest city, with stars such as Mo Farah set to be competing. However, in recent years major sporting events have not only been required to provide a city full of the best in sporting stadiums and facilities but also a comprehensive cultural programme.
The Cultural Olympiad, which took place as part of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, included artists from across the country taking part in large scale cultural events. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games is planning a similar array of arts projects to take place around the Games.
Organisers have called the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme an ‘unprecedented nationwide programme of activity’ that includes 200 projects and exhibitions and over 800 events. The programme is split into two separate brands: Culture 2014, which is a longer term project that is taking place across Scotland, and Festival 2014, which is the Glasgow-based side of the project that will run alongside side the sporting activities.
Culture 2014 is set to include dance performances, stand-up comedy and theatre projects across Scotland which will aim to involve a large number of people from a wide range of backgrounds. Festival 2014 will then provide two weeks of culture and arts in the host city of Glasgow, which organisers hope will act as a celebration of the Games.
A sporting and cultural event
The head of this ambitious cultural programme is Jill Miller. She says the cultural function of the Commonwealth Games is now a key element of the event that needs to be integrated in with the sporting aspects.
“The organising committee for the Games has been very clear about this, it is a sporting and cultural event,” explains Miller. “I think that’s something that’s changed. What we’re really keen on is that this is about strengthening what’s happening in the city to make the city the very best host is possibly can be.”
Miller experienced the cultural side of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Manchester and Delhi and she says this experience has given her team a great insight into how best to put together a cultural programme.
“We went to look at what was happening in terms of how these festivals were delivered. We came back from all of those experiences and developed a model in Glasgow that was about engaging with our existing cultural sectors, to make sure they had the opportunity to accelerate their ambitions.”
Legacy is often cited as one of the key aspects of any cities’ bid to host a major sports event, but this is usually looked upon from a sporting and infrastructure perspective. In London the regeneration of the East End and the lasting effects of inspirational sporting achievements were cited as key parts of the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games.
However, Miller wants to also include the legacy element of the Games into the cultural programme. “I would suggest the festival we have in the city is much more integrated into the plans and the developments for the future… what we’re trying to do is get people to come back post 2014,” she says.
Host with the most
As part of this legacy, the programme aims to promote the host city to the rest of the Commonwealth, and vice versa, through working with a range of government bodies and wider international organisations. “This is absolutely about showcasing Scotland and Glasgow within the Commonwealth and working with the Commonwealth in a way that we can actually showcase them in Scotland and Glasgow.
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The Glastonbury Festival has secured a new premises licence that will enable it to continue to hold the event at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, until 2024.
The new application received only a few representations, of which all concerns were satisfied by the deadline. In the past, Glastonbury Festival's licences have been subject to scrutiny in a public hearing because of objections from the public or concerns from those with an interest in the safety of the event such as the police, fire or ambulance services.
As one of the world’s largest cultural events without any permanent infrastructure, Glastonbury Festival requires large amounts of temporary event infrastructure and seasonal operational expertise.
Ensuring safety at the music festival will fall under the watch of Nigel Hunt, building control manager at Mendip District Council and interim head of the proposed Somerset Building Control Partnership.
“This is an enormous festival and no one can afford to be complacent – we will continue to work with the organisers to ensure this remains one of the safest events anywhere, and if we have any doubts about this we will take action,” said Mr Hunt.
“Thankfully, this year everything went without a hitch and my team did a superb job as ever.”
His structures monitoring team, which already has many years of Glastonbury Festival experience, is responsible for all temporary structures including the Avalon Inn, the Irish Piano Bar and the new BBC studio in The Park, as well as all the stages and platforms.
Building control teams are involved as part of the licensing team at sporting and cultural events.
“This is my second year working at Glastonbury and I still can’t believe the size and scale of the festival, the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and the number of miles the building control team have to walk every day on their shifts,” said local authority building control (LABC) director of training Anna Thompson, who attended this year’s festival as part of the structures monitoring team for Mendip District Council.
Theatre lovers in Bern are being offered something very special. Performances for the 2016 season take place not in the usual venerable municipal theatre, but in the middle of Bern's Old Town. NUSSLI has installed a temporary theatre cube, with a historical appearance, in record time on Waisenhausplatz.
The theatre opened on March 19 with a programme of exciting, impassioned and fascinating performances that runs until October 2016.
"If the restoration work at the municipal theatre is delayed again, we can easily leave the cube standing for another season during the winter or even adjust the building to changing needs at a later date," says NUSSLI Project Manager, Christian Frei.
For a year and a half, Frei and his team worked on the development of the system with which the halls can be constructed within a very short time, even at the most unusual locations, in any size and with column-free spans of up to 40m.
Efficient and Easy to Build
Frei was often on site during construction on Waisenhausplatz and lent a hand time and again, because the assembly of the modular hall system is almost as thrilling as its unlimited applications.
At the very beginning, the assembly crew installs the external structure with the flexible NUSSLI construction system. Then, they completely assemble the roof structure, including the sound and lighting fixtures, on the ground at a comfortable working height within the designated construction area. Finally, the entire roof structure is moved to its final height.
This construction method reduces the required installation space to a minimum and enables installation even on sensitive ground while increasing the safety of the crew. All the streets around the cube on Bern's Waisenhausplatz were able to remain open to traffic throughout the construction, and the crane-free assembly did not stress the underlying parking garage structure in any way.
Central Location Opens up Possibilities
The idea of bringing the theatre cube to the audience instead of bringing the audience to an existing provisional arrangement opens up new possibilities for the Bern Theatre.
The program was therefore put together with a conscious effort to include events which reflect the central position in the public square and appeal to various interests. So, a tango milonga, a public viewing of the European Football Championship and a James Bond evening are scheduled in addition to ballet, opera and drama.
The modular hall system offers some important advantages, especially for construction projects in public places, on sensitive ground, or with limited access. The construction system requires no foundations, there is significantly less point loading than with construction using conventional steel supports, and the total load is evenly distributed over the entire ground surface.
Because Waisenhausplatz sits directly atop a parking garage which is subject to special static requirements, there were no problems for the theatre cube despite its 1000sq m size and 200-ton weight. No heavy crane equipment is needed, especially for assembly work in modular hall system.
"We could have set the theatre cube up on the Pilatus or on a golf course," laughs Project Manager Frei. "That would work."
Plan Today, Build Tomorrow
The planning of the Bern Theatre cube with 480 seats, catering, backstage and technical areas as well as a cloakroom took less than a year.
"A month after the first truck rolled out with its material, the cube was already cladded, equipped, and ready to go," recounts Christian Frei.
He is looking forward to the reactions after the first performance, but adds quite calmly: "If the theatre organisation still wants modifications, it can be quickly and easily adjusted. The walls of the cube are also made of system material. They have just the exact thickness so that the entire installation can be accommodated in them and still remain easily accessible."
Plans for the next projects with the modular hall system are already underway. Besides other theatre constructions, NUSSLI is planning a double-decker bridge for the IndyCar race in Boston in September. A bridge that has it all, because it crosses over the racetrack to the South Boston waterfront and will be equipped as a VIP lounge.
The sophisticated structure consists entirely of system material. Therefore, it is possible to start construction one day after approval of the construction concept on the part of the client or the authorities - which is unparalleled.
Ben Avison: I was fortunate enough to be in Glasgow for the MTV EMAs – what a fantastic show!
Bruce Gillmer: It was a great show, we are very proud. The city was great too, it was a good partnership – it was a good one for sure, glad you were there.
Ben Avison: What qualities is Viacom looking for in a host city of the MTV EMAs?
Bruce Gillmer: First and foremost, we are attracted to cities that have rich musical heritage and robust music fans – that lights up the scoreboard for us. Cities that are interesting culturally are attractive.
Also a city that’s easy to travel in and out of from a variety of different cities around the world – easy to get to from the US and the UK, not too far off the beaten path.
Something that is of huge importance to us is the presence of a proper venue to stage the event.
Ben Avison: What are the main technical requirements of a venue to host the MTV EMAs?
Bruce Gillmer: The EMAs is quite a big event, so generally speaking we look for an arena that can hold approximately 10,000 fans and VIPs. We prefer a structure that’s on the newer side, maybe built in the last 10 years.
The Hydro this year was incredible. We got tremendous feedback from the artists, fans and VIPs. It was a comfortable environment with very good sightlines, no matter where you are sitting, for taking in the various different staging that we had around the venue.
And then there are all the other ancillary bits – a dressing room area that can support a red carpet pre-show and so on. The newer venues tend to be much more appropriate for an event of this scale.
Ben Avison: How can hosting the MTV EMAs benefit a city?
Bruce Gillmer: There’s the obvious economic boost that an event brings to a city, with several people travelling in from all around the world.
But really we think the value is in the amount of exposure on an international level that the event brings to the host city. There’s all of the pre-show marketing and promo and press, and then the broadcast of the EMAs itself reaches over 160 territories around the world – it’s a massive audience on every platform. In our minds that’s key – it’s the international exposure.
Also, the EMAs is synonymous with being super-relevant. A city that’s hosting the EMAs will be seen as a forward-looking, exciting location.
Ben Avison: What opportunities are there for cities outside Europe to host MTV events?
Bruce Gillmer: We host a variety of events around the world and we’ve got several award shows in addition to the EMAs, starting with the MAMAs, which is the Mother Africa Music Awards that takes place in Africa each year.
In the past it’s been in Lagos but most recently in Durban. The next host will be another exciting city in South Africa that will prove to be most advantageous from a staging production perspective. The other locations were extremely interesting from a cultural standpoint.
We have the VMAJs (Video Music Awards Japan) which is our awards show for MTV Japan, in Tokyo.
We also produce a variety of World Stage events around the world, which is not an awards per se – it’s basically a collection of artists, both international and local. It’s in Malaysia each year; we’ve been to quite a few cities around Mexico; we also host several events throughout Europe. We reach every major cluster of the world with our events.
It’s not just the obvious locations. We go for keen interest from a city or from a partner to go to a certain location, as long as it makes sense from a staging and production perspective and we can get what we need and we’ve got robust audience and excited music fans, then we’ll consider.
Ideas for events sometimes come to us from external partners or cities. In the case of the MAMAs, we staged an event also on South Africa a couple of years ago – the MTV Africa All Stars – where we had a vast array of artists from different genres from all over the continent – just. We also brought Snoop down, which was really cool and there was a lot of interaction between the artists.
So we’ve literally been to every corner of the world.
Ben Avison: How important are the EMAs to the MTV brand?
Bruce Gillmer: We do a vast array of events throughout the year; they are all important and they all serve a purpose and they all quite frankly support our brand and help us keep connected to the audience, which is vital.
The EMAs is really the crowning jewel and it really does personify the MTV brand. It’s always cutting edge; we hope that it’s always funny and fun and irreverent – all these characteristics are part of the DNA for the MTV brand. It’s really our opportunity to bring the brand to life in one glorious evening.
Bruce Gillmer: Correct, we’re extremely excited about that. We announced that partnership as we were leaving Glasgow so really looking forward to that experience. The city of Milan really seems to be excited as well and we look forward to it.
Ben Avison: Have you had much interaction with the World Expo people there?
Bruce Gillmer: Not a tremendous amount just yet but I assume as the weeks and months go on we will for sure, because we are tied in and meant to be the exclamation point to the Expo if you like. We always look to bring the fun with us.
This interview first appeared in the Winter 2014/15 issue of HOST CITY magazine
[Source: Interkultur] Three regional meetings of the World Choir Council took place on August 25 and 26, 2021, where its members came together online to discuss current topics from the international choral scene.
The Regional Meetings were organized as a hybrid event for the first time. More than 100 participants from all over the world in total attended the meetings, including members of the World Choir Council and invited guests. The three conferences happened online with several additional events taking place at the same time in the City of Chengdu, China.
Hoping that this pilot project will lead to many other editions in the future, Mr. Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council said:
“The ’International Music Capital’ Chengdu played an elementary role, as a large part of the World Choir Council events took place live there. Participants from all over the world were digitally connected to the choral music workshops, master classes and a special symposium. The conference brought us a big step closer to our common goal of seeing choirs live on the stages of the world again. Special thanks to the City of Chengdu and the Chengdu Musical Fun Management Committee for the opportunity and to the China Chorus Association as well as "Chorus China" of Chinese Musicians Association for the opportunity”,
The focus of the regional meetings in August 2021 was mainly on mutual exchange and discussion rounds to hear the manifold voices and opinions of all World Choir Council Members. New ideas were born together and the participants learned from the broad expertise represented in the World Choir Council.
The topics of the three regional meetings varied for the different regions with the meeting for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and China focusing mainly on the role of choral music in boys’ education and on problems and challenges especially composers and arrangers are facing during the pandemic.
In the regional meetings with council members from North, Central and South America questions of Environmental Sustainability were discussed and the participants tried to find solutions on how to use their voices for a positive change. Also, they tried to find answers to the question on how children and youth choirs can be encouraged to sing again.
The last of the three regional meetings took place on August 26 with members from Europe and Africa. They addressed one of the biggest challenges of our times, namely to affect positive change in communities or countries where different ideologies are at odds within the population, and exchanged ideas around the use of choirs and choral singing as a vehicle to reach this goal. Further they discussed the different learnings from the Covid pandemic: What lessons can be learnt from the past 1.5 years and which rehearsal methods will live on?
All members of the World Choir Council who participated in the meeting were happy about the possibility of exchange with other choir experts, especially with regard to cultural differences, different measures and approaches in relation to the pandemic and the work with choir singers.
First Vice President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council, Ms Qin Wang was pleased about the wonderful opportunity to come together with the World Choir Council live and virtually through this pilot project:
“In the pandemic, our goal is to unite together, support each other and to help and motivate our choirs to return to the stage as soon as possible. Our hybrid event was a great start to reach this goal and I'm sure we will continue on this path in our future global and regional projects."
INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council hopes to continue the exchange in the future and to use the results to tailor future projects even better to the needs of the choral scene. For this purpose there will be an additional survey.
The next General Conference of the World Choir Council which traditionally gathers all council members at one place, is already being planned to take place on November 3, 2021 in Flanders, Belgium during the 11th World Choir Games.
The World Choir Games 2022 are being held in Gangneung, Korea. Prof. Hak-Won Yoon, one of the grand masters of Korean choir music, is working hard to host a successful event.
Conductor Prof. Hak-Won Yoon, often called the godfather of the Korean choral world, has left a great mark on the music world. In particular, he is famous for his contribution to the birth and revival of the Korean choral scene.
Further, he is known and highly appreciated internationally for his efforts to introduce Korean choir music to the world. New original compositions, but also "Korean Style" arrangements, were always a hallmark of his work.
High expectations for the World Choir Games 2022 in Korea
In 2022 the 12th World Choir Games – the largest international choir competition in the world held every two years on different continents – will take place in Yoon’s home country again: the city of Gangneung in the Gangwon Province will welcome amateur choristers from all around the world on July 4-14, 2022. In an interview with the Korean edition of “Choir & Organ” magazine published in the edition of July 2021, the maestro recently expressed his expectation for the Games and the meaning of holding the event in Korea for the second time after 20 years:
"The World Choir Games, a representative choral event hosted by INTERKULTUR, is a festival full of fun and with a high level of perfection, so that once you participate, you will fall in love with its charm and want to continue participating. In addition, the fair evaluation system established by INTERKULTUR for the contest, which accumulate into the foundation for fair competition along with the know-how accumulated over their 30-year history are also great advantages.
“The anticipation for the 12th World Choir Game to be held in Gangneung in 2022, 20 years after it was held in Busan, is very high. As a choir person, having the World Choir Games in Korea again is very meaningful and I have high expectations. I hope that this event will be an opportunity for another choral boom in Korea. The World Choir Games have enough elements to entertain the public. It's not just a stage event, it's a large-scale choral festival including a huge street parade in folk costumes. I hope that these merits will become widely known, and many choirs will participate and look forward to participating in the world-class choral festival in Gangneung for ten days.”
Working with a choral legend: Prof. Hak-Won Yoon’s cooperation with INTERKULTUR
Based on the spirit of the World Choir Games, 'Singing together brings nations together' Prof. Hak-Won Yoon has built a deep and long-term friendship with INTERKULTUR, the German-based organizer of the World Choir Games, and has supported its various activities at international choral events over the last decades:
“INTERKULTUR is the most powerful organization in the world to host international choral festivals. I think President Günter Titsch and INTERKULTUR have made a huge contribution to the choral world by successfully hosting a novel event with the World Choir Games. International choral festivals very greatly depend on who has organized them. There are many international choral festivals, but INTERKULTUR is unique in having a global organization. I participated several times and felt that the organization was good, and I also participated as a juror, and it was impressive to see a variety of different organizations participating.”
Honoring his work for the international choral world and his commitment to INTERKULTUR events, Prof. Hak-Won Yoon was even appointed Honorary Artistic President of INTERKULTUR, the World Choir Games and the World Choir Council in 2020. Until today Yoon supports and promotes the idea of INTERKULTUR and their mission of bringing people together through music. Events like the World Choir Games are important to promote choral singing as a whole – including all its artistic, entertaining, social and healthy aspects, which Yoon also summarizes in his most recent interview with Choir & Organ:
“Chorus is the basis of music. Chorus is something you do with someone other than yourself. If you want to be together, you naturally develop social skills because you think about other people and consider whether the balance is right. The best activity to develop character is choral singing.”
The World Choir Games go around the world, every two years in different cities on different continents, with the aim to spreading its message of peace and mutual understanding through choral singing to every choir and every singer in the world.
If you’re interested in hosting the event in your own city, please visit worldofchoirs.com
Everyone knows the saying "Music is the universal language of mankind" and this principle also underlies the work of the world's leading organizer of international choral competitions and festivals: INTERKULTUR. In this interview, we talked to founder and president Günter Titsch about his vision for the choral world, the background history of the worldwide organization INTERKULTUR and its global network between choirs, culture, cities and politics.
How does one come to establish an organization for choir competitions? What inspired you?
I have been active in choirs as a singer and chairman since my childhood and experienced early on how people and nations could be brought together through music. The power of music as a transcending link between nations is still the guiding principle of INTERKULTUR today: bringing nations together through song.
At the end of the 1980s, this vision began to become reality with the first choral trips from Germany to Hungary, behind the "Iron Curtain". At the first international choir competition we organized in 1988 in Budapest, the foundation was laid for today's global organization, and this set me on the path that would lead to the World Choir Games, also known as the Olympic Games of choral singing.
Were you able to imagine the success you would have with your vision and how influential your organization would become in a very short time?
I was aware of the power of music. The unifying element of enthusiasm for choral singing makes prejudices disappear, enables friendships across borders and creates a lively and peaceful togetherness beyond music without looking at nationalities, ideologies and religions.
In recent years, INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Games have created a great added value for their partner cities and organizations and have also gained a great economic importance. In general, the World Choir Games and all INTERKULTUR events have expanded tremendously over the past 30 years in terms of the audiences and markets they reach.
Looking back on the past decades, it fills me with pride how much our staff and partners have done and continue to do for choral music worldwide.
Your international team organizes events and competitions around the world all year round - what makes INTERKULTUR events so special compared to other choir competitions?
Probably the people and variety of our events. With our large international team, we are committed to reaching singers of all levels and ambitions.
One of our mottos is "participation is the highest honour" and this is also lived by many choirs. The competitions are open to all amateur choirs in the world. For singers, participating in an INTERKULTUR event can be a life-changing experience: Where else do you have the chance to meet people from all corners of the world, hear their music and experience their traditions in such a short time? Meeting people from other cultures and backgrounds changes your own view of the world and broadens your horizons.
And what about your partners, the host cities – what makes your events special to them?
The cities are the focus of the events and are a great additional incentive for the choirs to make the sometimes very long journeys. During the event, the city is filled with singing, music, international meetings, spontaneous street concerts and this unites not only the participating choirs, but above all the local population, retailers and restaurateurs.
At our major events, up to 30,000 participants from more than 70 nations come together, as well as an additional 300,000 visitors, making the cities vibrate with music and life. So, of course, the hosts also benefit economically. It is no coincidence that after hosting the World Choir Games, cities like Graz and Riga even decided to bring other major international events to their cities in subsequent years
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on culture and the performing arts. How are you, the choral world and your partners dealing with it? And what are your plans for "after the crisis"?
The restrictions and effects, both currently and in the long term, are really serious, especially also for the choirs of this world. Of course, since the beginning of the pandemic, we too have experienced some difficult moments and numerous setbacks due to the circumstances. But we are a strong organization, sustained by our incredibly dedicated staff and everyone's passion and commitment to our vision. The positive news for us is that in consultation with our local partners on the ground, we were only able to postpone all of our events to a later date and not cancel them completely. This shows impressively that we are all just waiting for the end of this pandemic, in order to then return to normal everyday life full of strength and zest for action - full of joie de vivre, music, singing and international encounters!
The exchange with our current partners and future host cities was and is very intensive. Even though the challenges for politics, business, culture and every individual were and are enormous, for many politicians the time has come to look ahead and adopt plans for the development and future of their city and region, now that the crisis is slowly being overcome. We know that in many places the question of how to promote new perspectives and a secure future is now increasingly on the table – and this is where we support our partners and the global choral scene.
This interview was conducted by Franziska Hellwig, Coordinator for Communication & Development, President‘s Office, INTERKULTUR
INTERKULTUR is the world’s leading organizer of international choir competitions and festivals, bringing together more than 10,000 choirs and nearly half a million singers over the last 30 years. People of all countries, cultures and worldviews come together in peaceful competition, celebrating the motto: “Singing together brings nations together”.
“Singers and choirs are very eager to travel and we like to work with cities around the world on forward-looking ideas for them,” Hans-Robert Dapprich Director Communications, Marketing and Sales, INTERKULTUR told Host City in an exclusive video interview.
“Our unique events are not only a wonderful experience for singers from all over the world but also for the welcoming host cities and their citizens.”
Cultural events of this kind benefit the host cities in many ways: marketing, business, networking and contributing to the urban development.
“The host cities and regions are the focus of the events. They are the greatest incentive for the choirs to make the sometimes very long journeys,” Dapprich explained.
Cities vibrate with music and life
A major event like the World Choir Games can attract more than 70 nations, 30,000 participants and an additional 300,000 visitors.
“They bring money to your city, visit the restaurants and connect with your citizens. This of course does not only apply to the big events, but also to the smaller festivals and competitions, to which numerous singers from all over the world travel and fill your city with life.
“The host cities are transformed into a wonderful, colourful spectacle where singing and sound are everywhere. The cities vibrate with music and life. The streets, restaurants and squares are filled with international sounds and spontaneous singing.”
For the host cities, these experiences are reflected in the far-reaching economic impact in tourism, culture, retail and hospitality – and of course, a large international media presence.
Andris Berzins, former president of Latvia put it this way after hosting the World Choir Games 2014 as well as the European Choir Games in 2017 in Riga: “Of course, this is the best marketing for a country – showing our strengths and actually expanding our international contacts.”
Reuniting the world
Another high-profile endorsement comes from Barack Obama, former President of the United States, who said in support of the World Choir Games 2012 in Cincinnati: “Events like the World Choir Games remind us of choral music’s power to transcend languages, cultures and borders to reveal our shared humanity.”
INTERKULTUR’s founder and president, Günter Titsch, was driven by the idea of a worldwide connection of people from all cultures on the wings of music – bringing together choirs and singers of all ages, colour or ideology in peaceful competition. Such ideals should resonate with audiences who are becoming increasingly concerned about the values of the events they support.
“By bringing people together – regardless of their origin, religion or world view, united by the universal language of music – we, the singers and the host cities and citizens contribute to bringing the world a little closer together,” said Dapprich.
“This is the essence of our work: it's not just about a competition or an event, it's about the people from all over the world, the exchange, the friendship and community – and of course a unique experience for locals and participants celebrating with the world together on one stage.”
Music, singing and live events have a great power to connect people, giving a sense of community. “That was missing last year and is still missing: the closeness to each other, concerts, singing together, but also travelling.”
While choral communities have taken many creative approaches to connect virtually, singing and performing together cannot be replaced.
“The choral world wants to sing again and to stand together on one stage. They want to meet again with singers from all over the world, they want to travel and explore new cultures and cities. And, together with you, we are ready to offer them exactly what they are looking for.”
With vaccination programmes well underway and many countries planning outdoor and cultural events in the summer, the indications are that the world will soon get a grip on the pandemic and that life will resume in some sort of new normality.
The 11th World Choir Games, which had to be postponed from last summer, are taking place in Flanders, Belgium on 30 October to 7 November 2021. The upcoming World Choir Games in Gangneung, Korea 2022 and Auckland, New Zealand 2024 are also on the horizon. And there are regional events to attract choirs from every nation, every size and interest.
“The choral world wants to travel again and sing on the beautiful and appealing stages of this world. And for this, we would like to engage in conversation with cities around the world, whether you might be interested in a smaller competition to present your city or region, or it’s about the big events like the European Choir Games or Asia Pacific Choir Games.
“The target group of choirs and singers is very open and eager to travel, and we would like to show them the world together with you. Get in touch with us and send us an email. We are looking forward to it!”
To find out more about hosting and staging INTERKULTUR events, contact Hans-Robert Dapprich on dapprich@interkultur.com
[Source: www.interkultur.com] This week we received good news from Dr. Tim Sharp, representatives of the United States in the World Choir Council: He joins noteablemask.com as a spokesperson and thus supports the way back to live rehearsals and performances.
“Now that a vaccine is available and we know the science, we need to get back to choral singing,” says Sharp. “Group singing is part of our very soul. This is why I am pleased to partner as a spokesperson with noteablemask.com – so we can return to live rehearsals safely.”
Tim Sharp is the past Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association and serves as Artistic Director of the Tulsa Chorale and as Director of Innovation at the Center for Community Arts Innovation in Nashville. He is on the Board of Directors for the International Federation for Choral Music and member of the Advisory Board of the World Choir Council.
Sharp is working with noteablemask.com in a campaign called “Join Your Voices,” which offers choral leaders a decision-making protocol with a responsible pathway for returning to live rehearsals and performances. The protocol is available as a free download at noteablemask.com/joinyourvoices
In the return to live singing, individual face masks are critical. Such a face mask must capture the aerosol particles produced by a singer, but it must also allow a singer to inhale as freely as possible.
According to Sharp, who has tried several singing masks, the Noteable mask is the one that provides the most viable option for group singing when used in conjunction with CDC guidelines. He is recommending Noteable as the face mask of choice for groups returning to live rehearsals.
“When I heard that Tim Sharp had chosen our mask, I was thrilled,” said Tom Lough, inventor and developer of the Noteable mask. “We want to help with the safe return to live choral singing, and we are glad our mask and the ‘Join Your Voices’ campaign can be part of that recovery.”
The Noteable singing mask has been independently tested by aerosol engineers at Colorado State University and Baylor University, and is made in the USA. For more information, see noteablemask.com.
