Late-Night Sing

ADJUDICATORS

JOSEP VILA I CASAÑAS, SPAIN

(Chair of the Adjudicating Panel)

Josep is one of the most recognised choral conductors in Catalonia and Spain. His repertoire covers a cappella choral music from all ages, as well as vocal/orchestral works from the Baroque period to the present day. Josep has served as the resident conductor of choirs such as the Orfeó Català choral society (1998-2016), the Radiotelevisión Española Choir (2007- 2010) and the Lieder Càmera Choir (1990- 2006). He has also worked as a guest conductor with the Spanish National Choir, the Swedish Radio Choir and the Choir of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. In his role as a choral conductor, he has worked alongside leading orchestral conductors on the international music scene, including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel.

He is the author of a large catalogue of compositions, and he has written an extensive body of works for children’s and youth choirs, for mixed a cappella choirs and for choir and orchestra.

Since 2005 Josep has been a Professor of Choral Conducting at the Music High School of Catalonia. In addition to teaching, he gives seminars and masterclasses on a regular basis in a number of cities in Europe and Latin America.

DR. SHANE LYNCH, USA

Dr. Shane Lynch is a noted conductor, composer, and music educator at Washington and Lee University (Virginia, USA), where he assumed the position of Director of Choral Activities in 2009. He conducts the University Singers, Cantatrici (women’s choir) and the Men’s Glee Club, and oversees the university’s innovative and unique conductor mentorship/teacher preparation programme

An active composer interested in a wide variety of compositional styles and mediums, Shane’s music is known for its wide tonal palette, integrated performance movement and creative use of unusual texts. Shane’s composition Joseph and Grace premiered in Dublin for the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising and recently won the 2017 National Collegiate Choral Organization composition competition, one of the highest honours for professional American choral composers.

Prior to his appointment at Washington and Lee, Shane served as Visiting Director of Choral Activities at Monmouth College (Illinois) and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin, in addition to holding several positions in church music and teaching high school science.

URŠA LAH, SLOVENIA

Urša Lah studied Musical Education in the Ljubljana Music Academy and Choral Conducting in the University of Tromsø (Norway).

With mixed youth choir Veter, APZ Tone Tomšič University of Ljubljana and the National Radio Chamber Choir, she has been involved in many premiere performances, and won many first prizes, golden plaques, special prizes and conducting awards at national and prestigious international choral competitions, including the Grand Prix of Europe (Debrecen, 2008).

In recognition of her valuable work with choirs, Urša received the highest award of the Municipality of Ljubljana for cultural achievement in 2008, and in 2009 the award of Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia. for Cultural Activities. Urša now lives in Norway, where she conducts the Choir of Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches Ensemble Leading and Choral Conducting in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and works as Chorus Master for Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. She lectures at educational seminars for choral conductors, is a frequent member of adjudicating panels at international choral competitions, is a guest conductor of recognised ensembles and is one of two artistic leaders of the international chamber choir Utopia & Reality.

ADJUDICATORS

MARK DULEY, IRELAND

Mark Duley was born in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, and studied at Auckland University, the North German Organ Academy and Amsterdam’s Sweelinck Conservatorium. He came to Ireland in 1992 and has held several major posts in the country, including Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Chorus Master to the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Artistic Director of Pipeworks.

As conductor and organist, he has appeared with most of the major Irish ensembles, including the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the National Chamber Choir, the Irish Baroque Orchestra and his own chamber choir, Resurgam. He has performed at many of Ireland’s premier festivals, including the Wexford Opera Festival, the Cork International Choral Festival and the Kilkenny Arts Festival. He has given organ recitals in all major Irish venues, as well as in the UK and his native New Zealand.

Mark is one of Ireland’s most well known choral specialists, and he has led workshops and masterclasses for choirs and conductors in Ireland, the UK and continental Europe. Aside from a busy freelance career, currently Mark holds the posts of Organist at the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, Galway, FounderDirector of St. Nicholas’ Schola Cantorum, and Artistic Director of Resurgam.

JÜRGEN BUDDAY, GERMANY

Jürgen Budday is Artistic Director and Founder of the Maulbronn Chamber Choir and was the Artistic Director of the Monastary Music Festival of Maulbronn at the first UNESCO World Heritage Site of Baden-Württemberg from 1979 until 2013. With the Maulbronn Chamber Choir he has won several first prizes in festivals and

Wishing the City of Derry International Choral Festival every success from all at McIvor Plastics Ltd

tel. 028 71267535 e. info@mcivor.co.uk w. www.mcivor.co.uk competitions, and released over 20 recordings, including 10 Handel oratorios.

IIn 1998, Jürgen received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and, in 2002, he was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Choir Board at the German Music Council, taking over responsibility for the overall management of the German Choir Competition and acting as the jury chair.

In 2011, he was appointed a Professor by the Prime Minister of BadenWürttemberg and received the George Frideric Handel Ring in 2013. In 2014, he was appointed Artistic Director of the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf and made an honorary citizen of the town of Maulbronn.

Jürgen regularly features as a juror on international panels of adjudicators.

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INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

BLAGOVEST CHAMBER CHOIR, LATVIA

Conductor: Aleksandrs Brandavs

The Riga Orthodox Chamber Choir ‘Blagovest’ from Latvia was founded in 1990 with the aim of popularising forgotten treasures of Russian sacred music, which forms most of the choir’s repertoire. The choir has a wide range of interests, from monophonic neumatic chants to polyphonic choral concertos and compositions by contemporary composers. Its repertoire also includes secular masterpieces, Latvian choral classics and folk songs.

The choir has received numerous awards and prizes in various international choral competitions and festivals, and it won the 3rd European Choir Games in 2017 and the Grand Prix of Nations in Riga (Latvia) and Colombo (Sri Lanka), in the the Sacred A Cappella category.

Blagovest has recorded seven CDs and taken part in a number of inspiring collaborations with well-known singers, choirs and composers in Latvia and abroad.

CHORUS IUCUNDUS, FINLAND

Conductor: Timo Lehtovaara

Chorus Iucundus is a mixed-voice youth choir from the Puolalanmäki Upper Secondary School in Turku, Finland. The school has a special music department and its choir consists of 28 talented singers. The repertoire performed by the choir ranges from Monteverdi madrigals to newly composed contemporary music, folk songs and pop music.

Chorus Iucundus is an active performer in Turku’s musical life. In addition to its usual concerts, it has been involved in two modern operas, and it has recently taken part in the Tampere Vocal Music Festival, where it won two gold awards, and the VocalEspoo International Festival, where it came second in ‘The best school choir in Finland’ competition.

The choir’s conductor, Timo Lehtovaara, is one of Finland’s leading choral conductors.

INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

CÔR CF1, WALES

Conductor: Eilir Owen Griffiths

CF1 is a mixed choir based in Cardiff. Since its inception as a Youth Association by conductor Eilir Owen Griffiths in 2002, CF1 has developed into one of Wales’ most competitive mixed choirs.

The choir has had considerable success in many choral festivals, including the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Cheltenham Choral Festival and North Wales Choral Festival. It has also won the Mixed Choirs Category of the Côr Cymru Competition and the Mixed Choir Competition of the National Eisteddfod of Wales (2017). In 2014 CF1 was named BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year.

The choir enjoys performing on the international stage and has travelled to the United States, Poland, Canada, Italy and Ireland, as well as across England and Wales. Some of CF1’s highlights include performing at the official opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in 2004 and singing in the Millennium Stadium before rugby matches, including the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

DELICATON, GERMANY

Conductor: Volker Bernhart

DelicaTon is a male voice choir established in the year 2000. It is the choir’s strong belief that choral music has a magical quality that brings people, cultures and worlds together, combining the body and soul with our emotions. Singing has a great impact on listeners and should always be an enriching experience. The choir’s repertoire comprises many different styles of music, catering to the wide-ranging musical tastes of their audiences.

The choir has taken part in many festivals in Germany and abroad. In July 2012 it won the grand prix title of ‘Choir of the World’ at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, having been the first German choral ensemble to have ever taken part. The choir was also awarded a gold diploma at the 2011 Johannes Brahms Choir Competition in Wernigerode and at the 2014 World Choir Games in Riga in the Male Chamber Choir and Sacred Music categories.

INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

LAETARE VOCAL ENSEMBLE, IRELAND

Conductor: Róisín Blunnie

Laetare Vocal Ensemble was formed in September 2014, and since then has been regularly active in concert performance, competition, collaboration and recording. In 2017 Laetare released a CD of works by Irish composers Seán Doherty, Rhona Clarke and John Buckley entitled In Circling Flight, and it featured as backing choir on the critically acclaimed album West to the Evening Sun by singer-songwriter Ailie Blunnie.

The choir has a particular interest in contemporary music, regularly commissioning works from leading Irish composers, and it has picked up contemporary performance awards at a number of festivals.

Choral festival awards include National Choir of the Year at the Navan Choral Festival, Premier Choir at the Mayo International Choral Festival, the Victor Leeson Trophy for ‘Ireland’s Choir of the Year’ at the Cork International Choral Festival and 2nd prize at the 2017 City of Derry International Choir Festival.

NAMDAL VOCAL ENSEMBLE, NORWAY

Conductor: Tor Halvard Nilsen

Namdal Vocal Ensemble was founded in 2014 by conductor Tor Halvard Nilsen. To date, approximately 160 singers have auditioned to become a member of the choir, and the ensemble currently comprises 22 amateur singers from a number of rural communities in central Norway. The choir’s overall aim is to give audiences memorable, high-quality musical experiences and its repertoire ranges from classical to pop, ballads and folk music, all performed a cappella.

Tor Halvard Nilsen was educated in music at Høgskolen i Nesna (Norway), Hamburger Konservatorium (Germany) and the University of Michigan (USA). In recent years, he has had further education in choir conducting with Professor Ragnar Rasmussen in Tromsø (Norway). As a freelance conductor, he is engaged as a guest conductor for choirs, orchestras and groups in Norway and abroad. He was awarded the Rana Community Culture Award in 1990 and the Trygve Hoff Honorary Award in 1998.

INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

NOORUS MIXED CHOIR, ESTONIA

Conductors: Maarja Helstein and Taavi Hark

Noorus Mixed Choir was established in 1960 and, since then, it has participated in a wide range of international choral competitions across Europe, released six albums, and performed in many large-scale collaborative vocal and instrumental pieces, both live and recorded. Since 2012, the choir’s Lead Conductor has been Maarja Helstein, and Maarja was joined by Taavi Hark as Assistant Conductor in 2017. Noorus Mixed Choir’s repertoire mainly comprises works by well-known Estonian composers, although in recent years the choir has increased its focus on the commissioning and performance of new pieces by young Estonians. Reflecting the choir’s name (Noorus means ‘Youth’), the choir’s creative leadership believes it important to encourage and promote fresh works written by the emerging generation of young Estonian composers. Founded in 1962, the UIS University Choir, made up of students and graduates from the academic programmes of the Industrial University of Santander, is a pioneer of Santander’s choral groups and one of the oldest university choirs in Colombia.

It has won international competitions in Hungary, Greece, Italy, Spain, Argentina and South Korea, and has performed large-scale choral works and productions in a number of cultural venues in South America, the United States, Italy and France.

The choir organises the Santander Choral Festival and it is currently directed by Professor Juan Manuel Hernández-Morales, a graduate of the music programme in the Industrial University of Santander and winner of the ‘Conductor’s Prize’ at Busan Choral Festival, South Korea in October 2014.

UIS UNIVERSITY CHOIR, COLOMBIA

Conductor: Juan Manuel Hernández-Morales

EVENING CONCERT PRESENTERS

JOHN TOAL, BBC

Opening Gala Concert, Guildhall, Wednesday 24 October, 19.30

John Toal’s musical career began when, aged 5, he sang The Friendly Cow on stage at Newry Feis. He studied music at QUB before joining the BBC in 1989. He now presents ‘Classical Connections’ on Sunday afternoon, and ‘The John Toal Show’ on Saturday mornings on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle.

Earlier this year he won the Celtic Media Awards Radio Presenter of the Year and ‘Classical Connections’ won Gold in the Specialist Music Programme category at the IMRO Radio Awards.

STEPHEN MCCAULEY, BBC

International Competition, St. Columb’s Hall, Saturday 27 October, 19.30

Stephen McCauley is the host of ‘Electric Mainline’ and ‘Stephen McCauley’ on BBC Radio Foyle, and ‘Soundscapes with Stephen McCauley’ on BBC Radio Ulster.

In 2013 he made his debut on BBC Radio 6 Music with a week-long series of programmes, and in March 2015 he embarked on an ambitious new weekly programme for BBC Radio Ulster called ‘Soundscapes with Stephen McCauley’ in which he blends field recordings and spoken word with contemporary classical and electronic music. He also presents a daily two-hour afternoon request show on BBC Radio Foyle.

EOGHAN DOHERTY, JOE.IE

Closing Gala Concert, St. Columb’s Hall, Sunday 28 October, 19.30

Eoghan is Content Editor of the award-winning website JOE.ie. Since joining JOE in 2013, Eoghan has overseen the development of the site into one of Ireland and the UK’s most prominent online publishers. He is an experienced TV and radio broadcaster, contributing to numerous productions on BBC, RTÉ, TV3, UTV and Today FM, as well as currently presenting and producing ‘The Big Reviewski’, Ireland’s No. 1 film and TV podcast. A graduate of music and English literature from University College Dublin, Eoghan is an oboist, violinist and member of the acclaimed Derry-based chamber choir Codetta. 6th – 9th June 2019

Enjoy Concerts, Workshops, Choral Trail Activities, an Outdoor Chorus and Festival Clubs during this leading non-competitive Choral Festival based in Limerick, Ireland!

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The City of Derry International Choir Festival is produced in association with Walled City Music and wishes to thank...

FESTIVAL FUNDERS

Arts Council of Northern Ireland Derry City and Strabane District Council Inner City Trust, Derry Arts & Business Northern Ireland Enkalon Foundation

FESTIVAL SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNERS

Tourism NI City Hotel, Derry Airporter Caldwell & Robinson Bishop’s Gate Hotel City Roofing and Asphalt Services Limited Derry Journal

FESTIVAL PARTNERS Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland Association of Irish Choirs Foyleside Shopping Centre The Sandwich Co. City Cabs FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL Allegro Friends Des & Jennifer Rainey James & Pat Crosbie Seamus Brady Andante Friends Aideen Campbell Andrea O’Donnell Ann & Tommy McCay Charlie & Celine McDaid Judith O’Hare Joy Tennis Largo Friends Bríd & Don McGinley Cora Morrison Eoghan Doherty SPECIAL THANKS TO: Shane Tumilty, Lumière Events Ltd. John Gallagher, Lumière Events Ltd. Big Moo Design, Graphic Design Peter Meenagh, Web Design Professor Frank Lyons, Ulster University Dr. Shaun Ryan, Ulster University Professor Brian Irvine MBE, Ulster University Stewart Smith, Ulster University Anne Bergin, EA Music Service Michelle Ramsay, Principal, Model Primary School Caroline Cutliffe, Festival Accompanist Ben McGonigle, Festival Chorus rehearsal pianist Patricia McCormack, Flowers FESTIVAL STAFF Dónal Doherty, Artistic Director Matthew Greenall, Executive Director, Walled City Music Fiona Crosbie, Festival Manager Gráinne Stevenson, Festival Manager (Maternity Cover) Bronagh Deeny, Festival Assistant

FESTIVAL BOARD Philip Gilliland, Chair OF DIRECTORS Anthony McGurk Colm Rainey Joy Tennis Martin White

EVERY VOICE FESTIVAL Maurice Kelly, Creative Director FRINGE STAFF Margaret Kelly, Festival Manager Rachel Tennis, Festival Manager Naiomh Ashford, Festival Coordinator Emmet Doherty, Ríana Lynch, Julie McLaughlin, Tina McPhillips, Naoimh Moore, Paddy Quinn, Festival Engagement Team

VOLUNTEERS

Aaron Slattery Aaron McGlinchey Aisling Armstrong Aisling McCorkell Angela Tourish Betty Bradley Brendan Doherty Bríd McGinley Bridgeen Tully Chris Kerrigan Chris Rodgers Cillian Doherty Claire McGirr Colm Doherty Dermot O’Donnell Des Rainey Eamonn Boast Eimear O’Gorman Emer Dunne Emma Barr Emma Hutton Eoghan Doherty Fidelma Legge Gaye Grant Gerard Kelly Gráinne Doherty Hayley McGivern Helen O’Hare Jacqui Armstrong James Cooke Jenny O’Donnell Jenny Huey Jill Flanagan John Huw Cleghorn Judith O’Hare Julia McIvor Kate Deeny Kathryn O’Callaghan Kerri O’Kane Kerry Stamp Kevin Healy Linda Morgan Louis Fields Maeve Doherty Maeve Byrne Mairéad Nic Bhloscaidh Majella Coyle Margaret Hannaway Margaret McCay Margaret Ross Maria Cutliffe Marie Humphreys Martin Flanagan Mary Furey Maurice Kelly Megan Ryan Niamh McGowan Nicky Fallon Nicky Morton Nicole McClintock Olivia Goodman Paddy Quinn Pat Crosbie Peter O’Donnell Rachel Coyle Rachel Tennis Rebecca Tennis Rebecca O’Doherty Roisin Rice Sadie Bergin Seán Doherty Stephanie Warne Stewart Smith Tina Cassidy Ursula Doherty