Cork International Choral Festival opens this week: Here’s what’s in store
Brought to you by Cork International Choral Festival.
Last-minute preparations are underway.
And with hundreds of performers arriving in town from all over the globe after a two-year pause, this year’s Cork International Choral Festival is set to be one of the most exciting yet.
The jam-packed programme for 2022 is designed to not only thrill choral fans but delight people throughout the city and county for five days from April 27th to May 1st, 2022.
And there is so much to see, much of it free; teams of singers will participate in gala performances, national and international trophy competitions, fringe concerts, workshops, and public performances in more than 90 venues throughout Cork city and county.
The festival will be opened on Wednesday, April 27th with an exclusive Cork City Hall Gala Concert celebrating G.F. Handel’s masterpiece, the ‘Messiah’, performed by outstanding soloists and the wonderful Sestina choir from Northern Ireland.
The Cork International Choral Festival’s always-popular event The Big Sing is back, returning to Cork City Hall on Saturday, April 30th (no preparation necessary, music and lyrics will be handed out on the day).
On Thursday, April 28th a Gala Performance of ‘Re-Wilding the Wasteland’ by Il Fagiolini will feature readings of poetry and classical music including renaissance music, choral works from Eliot’s time and six new commissions (8pm at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Ann).
The following day, Friday, April 29th, Choir-In-Residence Chamber Choir Ireland, under the baton of conductor Paul Hillier, will give the premiere performance of the winning composition of the 2022 Seán Ó Riada composition competition ‘Behind This Light’ by Dublin composer and guitarist Daragh Black Hynes.
New for this year is the Fringe Festival in Cobh, which will see two choral concerts featuring visiting international choirs taking place on the May Bank Holiday weekend in Cobh Cathedral (Thursday 1.10pm) and The Sirius Art Centre (Friday 1.10pm). Rounding off this Cobh Fringe Festival will be a pop-up choral trail winding from Cobh Heritage Centre to the Band Stand and finishing in the Rob Roy Bar starting at 1pm on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st.
The Cork International Choral Festival is supported by the Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council, and Cork County Council. Festival Tickets are now live on corkchoral.ie.
