For vocal music lovers, the coming week will offer a great time when the fourth Taipei International Choral Festival (
When the Taipei Philharmonic Cultural Foundation (
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI PHILHARMONIC CULTURAL FOUNDATION
This year's festival is aimed at showcasing a broader range of musical styles. "As the reputation of the festival has spread in the past six years, more and more foreign groups are offering to participate, giving us more choice in selection," Du said. The six foreign groups from diverse musical backgrounds include the National Chorus of Korea, San Miguel Master Chorale from the Philippines, Canada's Vancouver Chamber Choir, Black Voices from the UK, Sweden's Gustaf Sjokvists Chamber Choir and Kammerchor Stuttgart from Germany.
"We would like to present more than standard choral numbers. The emphasis is on whether the groups express their cultures. The Black Voices' jazz style and San Miguel Master Chorale's humorous rendition of Philippine folk songs as well as the National Chorus of Korea's solemnness make the event more culturally diverse," Du said.
At the inaugural concert on Sunday, Du will perform Buddhist Requiem with the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus. Composed by the prestigious Taiwanese composer Chien Nan-chang (
The Vancouver Chamber Choir, one of the highlights of the festival, will go on stage Monday with their renditions of Celtic folk songs and hymns. On Tuesday, the National Chorus of Korea will perform with the San Miguel Master Chorale, both famous for stylish interpretations of traditional music. Next, Gustaf Sjokvists Chamber Choir will present an array of contemporary works and modern Swedish folk songs on Wednesday. Black Voices, who specialize in African folk songs and gospel music, will go on stage Thursday. Their interpretations of pop songs like Sting's Fragile are sure to turn your ear while traditional Zambian folk songs like Anweba are guaranteed to carry emotional strength. Kammerchor Stuttgart is another highlight of the festival. The group will perform Romantic-era songs on Friday.
Tickets are available through Acer ticketing outlets at NT$300 to NT$1,500. Discount ticket sets are also available by calling the organizer at (02) 2773-3691.
Four afternoon concerts will be held free of charge. Black Voices will perform Sunday at 3pm at Living Mall's Gravity Floor; Vancouver Chamber Choir will perform Monday at 12:30pm in the lobby of New Building at National Taiwan University Hospital; The National Chorus of Korea will perform with San Miguel Master Chorale at the same location at 12:30pm Tuesday; Gustaf Sjokvists Chamber Choir will perform at the same time and location Thursday.
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