Opening of the III International Chorus Festival CHORUS GALA

The III International Choral Festival in St Petersburg, dedicated to the official State celebration of Russia Day, runs from 27 May to 15 June 2009. The festival is being run by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation with the support of the Administration of the Russian President and the St Petersburg City Government and is Russia’s most evocative international choral forum. It is held during St Petersburg’s famous White Nights and brings together the finest choruses from all across the globe. One unfailing festival participant is the Mariinsky Theatre Chorus, which sets a high standard for guest ensembles to match. The festival is justifiably proud of the guests it invites: festival participants from past years have included the Kuban Cossack Chorus, the Northern, Urals, Siberian and Volga State Academic Russian Folk Choruses as well as the Male Chorus of the Sretensky Stavropegial Monastery, the Old Russian Chant chorus under Anatoly Grindenko, the Latvia State Chorus, Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble, London’s Gospel Choir, the Male Basque Chorus from San Sebastian and Paris’ Gregorian Choir to name but a few. The third festival is being held during the Year of Youth and brings together, first and foremost, children’s and young people’s choruses. Festival concerts hels at the Great Hall of the Philharmonic, at the Alexandrinsky Theatre, in the Heraldry Hall of the State Hermitage and in the Mikhailovsky Garden of the Russian Museum. In the festival take part choruses from Russia’s oldest universities – from Moscow, St Petersburg and Nizhny-Novgorod, the Academic Chorus of the Mitskevich University of Poznań and the Chorus of Pupils of St Petersburg Children’s Homes in addition to professional ensembles – the Youth Chamber Chorus of the St Petersburg Philharmonic Society, the UK’s Il Suono ensemble, Stuttgart’s Solistenensemble (Germany), the Moscow baroque orchestra Pratum Integrum, the Mikhailovsky and Mariinsky Theatre Choruses and the Gardemarine Cadets’ Chorus. The opening of the III International Choral Festival features appearances by the Mariinsky Theatre Chorus, the St Petersburg Chamber Chorus, Smolny Cathedral Chamber Chorus and the Student Chorus of the St Petersburg State Conservatoire.