European Youth Choir Festival Basel
The European Youth Choir Festival Basel (EJCF) was launched in 1992 by the Christoph Merian Foundation as an award-winning project of an ideas competition. It takes place in Basel in May during the ascension week from Wednesday to Sunday. The concept of this festival for choirs met with great enthusiasm from the start. The choir festival now attracts more than 22,000 people and has established itself as an event that knows how to inspire people of all generations and from many cultures and bring them together through song . Across Europe, the festival is considered the most renowned meeting point for outstanding children's and youth choirs .
The festival is supported by the association “European Youth Choir Festival Basel”. The association has been chaired by National Councilor Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter since January 2011 . The artistic and organizational management has been in the hands of Kathrin Renggli since 2001 .
Guiding principle
Music
Offering musically high-quality concerts for a wide audience. The festival program is intended to show the diversity of choral singing in Europe and Switzerland and to address current trends in the field of choral music.
Encounter
Promotion of cultural exchange within Switzerland and between Switzerland and other European countries through choral singing and encounters in everyday life.
Education and animation
Promotion of high-performance children's and youth choirs from all regions of Switzerland by giving concerts in an international environment of highly qualified children's and youth choirs. Conveying of musical and music-cultural content in connection with choral music as well as animation of the audience to sing themselves.
program
The varied program includes around 30 concerts, three open singings, music services, advanced training events for professionals and, since 2010, a Swiss choir directors meeting. The concert programs are aimed at a wide audience of all ages. Classical choral music, jazz, pop and rock arrangements, gospels and folk songs, sung at the highest level, as well as costumes and traditional costumes, lighting effects, choreographies and musical ideas suitable for young people ensure unforgettable experiences. A special highlight of the festival is the concert by all the choirs on six stages in Basel's old town on Saturday afternoon. Thousands of listeners let themselves be carried away by the liveliness and happiness of the music on offer.
Choirs
Official participating
choirs 3 youth choirs from the Basel region ( boys 'choir, girls' choir, youth choirs of the Basel Music Academy )
4 children and youth choirs from different regions of Switzerland
10 children and youth choirs from Europe
1 guest choir from a non-European country
As part of the festival,
7 choirs from high schools in the Northwestern
Switzerland region will perform 7 regional children's choirs
In addition to a very high artistic level, the official participating choirs must be able to demonstrate an international concert experience or in a special field, such as B. Jazz, gospel, folk songs with dance, contemporary or old choral music, have outstanding skills. The selection of the choirs is carried out by the artistic advisory board after a thorough examination of current audio documents and precise information about the direction and characteristics of the choirs concerned. A balance with regard to the number of children's, girls ', boys' and mixed youth choirs is sought. In addition to music, the festival also focuses on encounters. The singers are accommodated in host families, sing together with other choirs in workshops and meet for leisure activities in and around Basel.
1992
The 1st EJCF ( initiated by Peter-Michael Loewe , a singer from Cantus Basel , source: Stadtbuch Basel 1992) took place from May 28th to 30th, 1992 in Basel / Switzerland. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Tbilisi, Georgia.
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1995
The 2nd EJCF took place from May 24-27, 1995. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Philadelphia, USA.
1998
The 3rd EJCF took place from May 20th to 24th, 1998. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Cape Town, South Africa.
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2001
The 4th EJCF took place from May 23-27, 2001. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. A non-European guest choir did not take part this time.
2004
The 5th EJCF took place from May 18-23, 2004. A total of 17 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Riversul, Brazil.
2007
The 6th EJCF took place from May 16-20, 2007. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Almaty, Kazakhstan.
2010
The 7th EJCF took place from May 12th to 16th, 2010. A total of 18 youth choirs took part. The non-European guest choir came from Guangzhou, China.
2012
The 8th European Youth Choir Festival Basel took place on the Ascension Day from May 16-20, 2012.