The bright, warm and long evenings during the month of May are very much on the minds of choirs this month as the countdown to the choir entry deadline of Wednesday January 31 draws near. The organisers of the now well-established Mayo International Choral Festival have been inundated with inquiries for this May, with many returning choirs, which is most unusual considering that choirs tend to visit a different location each year.
Festival producer, Declan Durcan, said: “We are thrilled to see yet again a high level of interest – and we expect even more entries by the closing date. It is heartening and is a testament to the work that goes on behind the scenes and the huge groundswell of support from our hundreds of volunteers and sponsors. Two new competition categories introduced for May this year for smaller choral groups of between four to eight choir members is proving very popular. We are also seeing that the festival has now become the point of contact for International music groups touring Europe and we’ve had great reports back from the Netherlands from the amazing Popkoor choir and travelling guests that we hosted in October last. This March we host and facilitate two large music groups from the USA, and their visits include a school exchange and concerts."
Chairman Frank Murray said: “I am looking forward to my second year as Chairman of the Mayo International Choral Festival, and am overwhelmed by the support that makes it all happen – from our own executive committee, to the members of all the choirs in Mayo, and our generous sponsors, particularly Mayo County Council, Castlebar Municipal District Council, Fáilte Ireland, Ashford Castle, and many other Mayo businesses. We are also extremely grateful to our loyal and growing public audiences, and the support we get from local media.” As well as the festival at the end of May, other events for 2018 include a festival fundraising quiz night at 8.30pm on Friday, February 2, in The Connaught Inn, Castlebar. Entry forms and details are available from www.mayochoral.com or [email protected] or by phoning (094 ) 9023040.
