Preparations Begin for Nordic-Baltic Male Choirs Festival
The Estonian Male Choir Association is preparing for the upcoming Nordic-Baltic Male Choirs Festival, which will bring over 4,700 singers to Tartu, the birthplace of Estonian Song Festivals, this summer.
The three-day event starts on June 15, with the main concert to be held on June 16 at the Tartu Festival Arena. According to the organizers, over 2,000 singers are expected to arrive from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Latvia, with the rest representing Estonian male and boys choirs.
The program for the host country's choirs, put together by the festival's artistic director Jüri Rent, will give all the opportunity to perform a variety of songs from golden oldies to the newest Estonian compositions.
For instance, the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” from Giuseppe Verdi’s "Nabbuco" or Jean Sibelius’s "Finlandia", will be performed first time ever by a super-choir of over 3,000 singers, probably for the first time in musical history, the association said in a statement.
Other participants include the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra and the orchestras of the Defense Forces and the Police and Border Guard Board.
The event was first organized in Tallinn in 2006 and brought together over 2,500 singers.
Ingrid Teesalu