The eighth Mayo International Choral Festival will take place in May of this year and preparations are now in full swing after the closing date for entries was marked on January 31 this week.
The festival takes the form of visiting and local choirs participating in concerts all over Mayo, as well as ‘pop-up’ choir performances on the streets and in public buildings, covering many genres of singing, including A Cappella, Barbershop, Gaelic and Celtic language, Gospel, Musicals, Pop and Sacred Music.
Many of the choirs also take part in competitions, judged by a panel of renowned international adjudicators and all events, including the competitions, are open to a public audience.
Choirs that have participated previously list as their highlights the fantastic historic venues with great acoustics that are peppered all over Mayo, the friendliness of the Mayo people, the stunning scenery, the efficient organisation, the relaxed atmosphere and the highly entertaining Gala Choral concert on the Saturday evening. Choirs also benefit by getting to hear and enjoy other choirs singing over the few days. Participants also enjoy the many fine restaurants, pubs and great value quality accommodation in Mayo.
Festival Producer, Declan Durcan, commented: “Last year was incredible with over 1,600 singers taking part - we are now coming into our eighth year and the huge groundswell of support from participating choirs and our hundreds of volunteers and sponsors has resulted in a festival that continues to blossom and now has International recognition. It is also one of the premier choral festivals in Ireland. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. In addition to May, the festival organisation has become the point of contact for international music groups touring Europe, so much so that a choir from the USA and also two American orchestras will visit Mayo outside of the festival dates later this year.”
Chairman, Frank Murray, stated: “I am delighted to be involved in this dynamic organisation and am overwhelmed by the support that makes it all happen – from our own executive committee to the choirs and our generous sponsors, particularly Mayo County Council and Castlebar Municipal District and many other organisations and businesses. We are also extremely grateful to our loyal and growing public audiences and the support we get from the media."
Full details are available from www.mayochoral.com or [email protected] or by phoning 094 90 2 30 40. The festival runs from May 22 - May 26.
