Contemporary Music Centre award: City of Derry International Choir Festival

First held in 2013, the City of Derry International Choir Festival is now established as a major event in the musical life of Northern Ireland and as the only international choir festival of its kind in the UK. Conceived as a joyous celebration of all that choral singing has to offer, its activities include concerts by world-renowned vocal groups, competitions for choirs, workshops and educational events for singers and conductors, and community concerts and choral trails in landmark locations across Derry and the surrounding area.

The festival welcomes more than 60 choirs each year and recent festivals have welcomed groups from Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales. Choirs range from local and school groups to vocal ensembles, adult, community and gospel choirs. Internationally acclaimed professional groups featuring in our guest concerts have included The Sixteen, Tenebrae, The King’s Singers, Chanticleer, The Real Group, VOCES8, SLIXS, the Swingle Singers and Rajaton. The inclusion of such outstanding artists is a benchmark of the event’s high artistic quality.

The Festival is delighted to award a number of special prizes to participating choirs. The special awards will be announced at the Closing Gala Concert & Award Ceremony on the final night of the festival – Sunday 26 October. the Contemporary Music Centre award is given for the best performance of a piece by a composer from Ireland. Only choral works found in the CMC’s online library will be eligible for consideration. Choirs searching for repertoire for City of Derry International Choir Festival can explore selected repertoire here.