Festivals

Hong Kong World Children's Choir Festival 2005

Songbridge

The Saskatoon Children's Choir brings Saskatchewan to World Stage in China

In July 2005, the Saskatoon Children's Choir (SCC) under the musical leadership of Phoebe Voigts participated in an exhilarating performance tour to Hong Kong and Guangzhou in China.

In Hong Kong, the choir was participating in the UNESCO-sponsored Songbridge project, which profiles national art and culture in a context that promotes international relationships, peace and understanding. Linked to an existing annual world choral festival, Songbridge brings together three or four choirs from around the world. The choirs are selected by an international jury from the seventy-country International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM). Choirs are chosen for their exceptional artistic talent and for their demonstrated understanding that music has the capacity to overcome divisions between people and nations. In 2005, the four featured Songbridge choirs were the Saskatoon Children's Choir, the Finnish Tapiola Choir, the University of Pretoria Jacaranda Children's Choir and the Republic of China National Children's Choir.

For Songbridge, each choir commissions a piece of music by a composer from their own country. The four composers then participate in Songbridge together with the choirs. The SCC commissioned "Out of the Stars," a piece by the distinguished Canadian composer Peter Tiefenbach, who is originally from Regina.

During the Songbridge week, these four choirs rehearse, study and perform together in a global village and then present a public concert showcasing their respective commissions, as well as a repertoire representing some of the best choral literature of their home country.

At the final concert, the SCC put Saskatchewan firmly on the world stage.

Reactions from the composers from the other three countries, conductors of the other choirs and IFCM members warmly recognized their work.

After the Festival, Peter Tiefenbach wrote:

At the final concert, the SCC covered themselves with glory. They performed four contrasting pieces and each was wonderful in its way... After the final piece, the audience went wild, and soon began rhythmic clapping -- the only time we heard that all week. They really wanted an encore, but, being modest and retiring Canadians, the SCC simply went to their positions for the final piece, the Festival theme song. It is no overstatement to say that the audience was blown away by the performance, and that the Saskatonians stole the show, perhaps even the festival, with its final appearance.

After Songbridge, the SCC travelled to Guangzhou to take part in the Third International Children's Choir Festival, where they performed their work, together with other Songbridge choirs as well as ten other choirs from around the world.

In Guangzhou, the choir was given a magnificent welcome by the festival organizers. They were honoured guests at the Guangzhou Children's Palace; they performed as guests of honour at Guangzhou Wende Road Primary School; and Ms Voigts was invited to conduct the School Chorus there.

Following their performance in Guangzhou, the choir woke up to find their photo and accompanying story on the front page of "The Guangzhou Daily", a newspaper with a circulation of 11 million.

The tour would not have been possible without contributions from their major sponsors - the Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, CN Rail and Canadian Embassy in Guangzhou, as well as several Saskatoon businesses and generous donations from private citizens.

International Choral Kathaumixw 2004

Newsletters

European Peace Tour July 13 - 23, 2002

Festival Internacional de Música de Cantongiròs

International Choral Kathaumixw 2000

The Saskatoon Children's Choir attended the International Choral Kathaumixw July 4 - 8, 2000 in Powell River, British Columbia. The choir was one of 40 adult, youth and children's choirs from around the world participating in the festival. Other choirs selected include groups from Albania, Hong Kong, USA, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Israel, Uganda, Russia, Canada, Taiwan, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. Each choir performed music by composers of their own country.