TO: Choirs and Choir Directors — Atlantic Canada
The Recruiting Committee of the High Cs In Digby Choral Festival are requesting letters of interest from choirs that would like to participate as Guest Choirs and participate in the weekend festivities. This year’s High Cs Festival is planned for the Friday to Sunday of the Victoria Day weekend – May 20-22, 2011. We hope your choir is interested in participating and will contact us.
2011 will be our fourth festival which is becoming a popular way to wrap up the season – with a fun, relaxing weekend of singing and friends in the beautiful Digby Pines Resort & Spa. Along with the wine & cheese on Friday night and the banquet on Saturday, the rehearsals and workshops lead to a concert in the beautiful, gothic stone church in St. Bernard. The weekend is fun AND challenging. We have a goal of 200 singers in the Mass Choir on Sunday. The festival committee also invites one or two choirs to join the Sunday Program with a presentation of selections from their Spring Program or favourites from their repertoire.
Interested choirs should provide some background on the choir, a short video clip of a performance, the date and location of 2010 planned performances and the count of the voices (SATB) that are committed to attend the entire weekend. While only a maximum of two Guest Choirs can be invited, we are expanding our planning to a three year horizon – if your choir cannot attend in 2011, we are thinking 2012-2014 too!
The Guest Director will be announced in early January with the selection of the mass choir music to follow shortly thereafter. Choirs interested in participating are asked to advise us, by the end of the year, of at least three pieces they could sing to enhance the Sunday High Cs Concert. The invited choirs will be notified as soon as possible in January and will be provided the mass choir music in late March, 2011.
With the help of local sponsors and the support of the Digby Pines Resort and Spa, we have been able to keep participant costs low. The weekend attendance includes the mass choir and workshop along with the Harmony Harbour Wine & Cheese on Friday, snacks during Saturday’s rehearsal, the Conductors Appreciation Night banquet Saturday evening and a Picnic by the Bay on Sunday between the rehearsal and the performance. The Digby Pines offer a special rate for participants based on $37.50 per person with double occupancy (can be spouse) – included in their festival rate is a 15% discount on their services – including golfing! Other accommodations are also available in Digby.
Please consider participating and contact:
Charles Haliburton
PO Box 280 Digby, NS B0V1A0
chaliburton@ns.sympatico.ca
Joanne Buckmaster, publicity
Hi Cs in Digby Choral Festival