CHORAL FESTIVAL RETURNS
Bangor International Choral Festival has returned, bringing choirs from around the Province and UK to Bangor to compete but also in celebration of song after two long years of no choral activity. It was an emotional but joyous day as choirs returned to the stage to perform once more and left us all with a wonderful sense of feeling that choral performance is back!
Our province wide choirs were on top form as usual but we also had a fabulous choir, Cor Y Gleision, who travelled from Cardiff. A mixed choir of around 70 people who raised the venue roof with their performances in the afternoon and evening. What a glorious sound they made!
Donaghadee Male Voice Choir returning to the Festival stage competed in the Male Voice Choir class and were just pipped at the post by Portadown Male Voice Choir, but what marvellous male voice renditions from both choirs. It made for a very difficult decision from the Adjudicator, BBC Northern Ireland’s Richard Yarr, a staunch supporter of the Festival and an amazing Adjudicator, giving great encouragement to all competing choirs.
Open Arts Community Choir performed some beautiful pieces and as always carried the audience with them on their choral journeys. A small choral group with magnificent voices.
All in all a wonderful festival to be part of and to be proud of. The Mayor, Councillor Mark Brooks, officiated both at the opening and at the Prizegiving and the Festival Committee are indebted to Sponsors, Ards and North Down Borough Council Arts Section, Melville Morgan Ltd., The Signature Works and Guillemot Café, Bangor, for their financial support. Without these businesses and indeed our volunteers, the Festival could not have been delivered.
We look forward to 2023 when the Choral Festival will celebrate the 30th Anniversary and we hope to deliver a 4 day event again when our school choirs as well as adult choirs will be able to participate. Dates for this event are 26-29 April 2023. Please visit our website for further details – www.bicf.co.uk
Festival 2022 Results below:
Female Voice Choir - Joan Houston Cup
Winners: Portadown Ladies Choir
Male Voice Choir: Bolsterstone MVC Cup
Winners: Portadown Male Voice Choir
Mixed Voice Choir: The Dunlop Shield
Winners: Cor Y Gleision, Cardiff, Wales
Sacred Music: McLarnon Trophy
Winners: Cor Y Gleision, Cardiff, Wales
Light Entertainment:
Winners: Open Arts Community Choir, Belfast
Festival Recovery Award: The Da capo cup presented by Richard Yarr
Cor Y Gleision, Cardiff, Wales
Isobel Reid Rose bowl
Winners: Cor Y Gleision
Marine Court Shield for best single performance awarded to:
Open Arts Communty Choir for their performance in the Light Entertainment Competition
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