Choral Olympics Comes to Cincinnati

2012 World Choir Games poster by C.F. Payne

Cincinnati will have more than fireworks on the Fourth of July.

That’s the day the 7th World Choir Games begins, and for the next ten days, the hills will be alive with music.  Specifically choral music, with 362 choirs in town to compete in the “Olympics” of choral music.

Founded by INTERKULTUR, a non-profit organization based in Germany dedicated to bringing people together through musical competitions, the biennial World Choir Games is the largest international choral competition in the world.  Previous Games have been held in Austria, China, Germany and South Korea. This is the first time they have been held in the United States.

There will be choirs from 64 countries and 22 states -- over 15,000 participants in all.  They will compete in 23 categories, with rounds divided into two five-day periods.  The categories are:  Barbershop (male or female), Children’s Choirs (ages 10-16),  Female Chamber Choirs, Female Choirs, Folklore, Gospel, Jazz, Male Chamber Choirs, Male Choirs, Mixed Boys Choirs (ages 8-24), Mixed Chamber Choirs, Mixed Choirs, Mixed Youth Choirs (ages 12-21), Music of Religions, Musica Contemporanes (20th and 21st-century music), Musica Sacra (Christian sacred music), Popular Choral Music (pop, rock and light entertainment music of the 20th and 21st centuries, excluding jazz and folklore), Scenic Folklore (folklore with choreography), Show Choir (performed with heavy choreography), Spiritual (traditional African-American religious music), Young Children’s Choirs (ages 6-12), Youth Choirs of Equal Voices (girls and boys, ages 12-21, either soprano and alto or tenor and bass) and Young Male Choirs (ages 14-24).

There will be eight special Celebration Concerts, two Champions Concerts, four Awards Ceremonies and official Opening and Closing Ceremonies.  In addition to the official WCG events, there will be more than 60 Friendship Concerts, free public performances by World Choir Games participants in city squares, public venues, parks, streets and malls.  Friendship Concerts are listed on the detailed schedule of events at www.2012worldchoirgames.com.

All events will take place at downtown venues within a walk-able grid extending from Music Hall in Over-the-Rhine to U.S. Bank Arena on the river, with the exception of the July 5 Musica Sacra Celebration Concert, which will performed in the Cathedral Basilica in Covington, Kentucky.  There will be special shuttle buses and extra Metro bus routes to facilitate transportation.  The Duke Energy Convention Center is home base for the Games, with rest areas, food service and a medical clinic. Volunteer guides and interpreters will be on hand downtown to assist visitors.

The Games begin at 5 p.m. July 4 with a procession of choirs from the main entrance of Great American Ball Park to U.S. Bank Arena, where the Opening Ceremony will follow at 7 p.m.  The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and May Festival Chorus led by Pops conductor John Morris Russell will perform.  The specially commissioned WCG Peace Bell will be rung, and the official song for the 2012 Games, “I Can” by gospel star Kirk Franklin, will be sung by Franklin and the Cincinnati One in Song Choir.
 
Competitions will be held July 5-7 and 11-13 at downtown venues including the Aronoff Center, Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati Masonic Center, School for Creative and Performing Arts and Music Hall.  Awards Ceremonies will take place at 7:30 p.m. July 7, 10 a.m. July 8, 7:30 p.m. July 13 and 10 a.m. July 14 at U.S. Bank Arena.

 There will be themed Celebration Concerts July 5-6, 8 and 11-12, all at 7:30 p.m. in various locations:
 

• July 5. “Musica Sacra.” Cathedral Basilica, Covington. Sacred Christian  music.
• “Global Harmony.” Cincinnati Masonic Center. Various musical genres.
• July 6.  “Pop the Night Away.” Aronoff Center. Popular music and jazz.  Special guest, Australian doo-wop group, Human Nature.
• “Voices of Gold.” SCPA. Previous gold medalists. Various musical genres.
• July 8.  “Energy of Youth.” Aronoff Center. Youth choirs from around the world, including Cincinnati Public Schools Honor Choir and Cincinnati Children’s Choir.
• July 11. “Music of the World.” Aronoff Center. Collegiate choirs, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, international choirs. Special guest, composer Morten Lauridsen.
• July 12. “Cultural Showcase.” Aronoff Center. Folklore of the world.   Choral performances with choreography.
• “Gospel and Spiritual.” Music Hall. Gospel and traditional spiritual music.

Drew Lachey, of “Dancing with the Stars” fame, will host the Champions Concerts, featuring newly crowned champions of the 2012 Games.  Concerts are at 2 p.m. July 8 at the Aronoff Center and 2 p.m. July 14 at Music Hall.

Grand Marshals Bootsy Collins and Mayor Mark Mallory will lead a Celebration of Nations Parade at 6 p.m. July 10 from Duke Energy Center to Fountain Square, followed by a free party on Fountain Square.

The WCG Closing Ceremony will be at 7 p.m. July 14 at U.S. Bank Arena with Russell, the Pops, May Festival Chorus and guest artists Irina Menzel and Marvin Winans.  It will conclude with a mass choir of WCG participants.
 
Tickets for WCG events are available at www.2012worldchoirgames.com/tickets as follows:  $25-$150 for the Opening Ceremony, $28-$42 for Celebration Concerts, $35-$60 for Champions Concerts, $15 and $20 for Awards Ceremonies and $20-$50 for the Closing Ceremony.  Admission to the Competitions is by Flex Pass, $15 for one-day and $40 for three-days.

For a complete schedule, visit www.2012worldchoirgames.com