Verona International Choral Competition: 01 - 05 April 2020

 

General information

DurationDestinationDeparture
5 days and 4 nights
Italy (Verona)
Ireland (Dublin)

Description


Verona International Choral Competition

Price includes 4-nights hotel accommodation and Participation in the competition 

Departing 01 - 05 April 2020

Contact us

01 888 7830 or email

reservations@choircontactireland.ie

for more information and to request quotation for your group

 

The romantic city of Verona was the setting to Shakespeare's classic love story, Romeo and Juliet. Red-roofed and pastel-shaded, Verona lies in a bend of the river Adige as it winds its way south from the Alps. Apart from Rome itself, Verona is Italy's best pre-served Italian city, with a Roman bridge, Roman gates and the famous Roman amphitheatre, the Arena di Verona. Verona is a well preserved Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance city, with beautiful frescoed churches and houses. Rich with tradition, this city is a perfect choral destination.

The Verona Choir Competition

The competition ceremony begins with an opening celebration of the “Days of International Choir Music in Verona” highlighted by a welcome from the hosts, the Associazione Gruppi Corali Verona, after which choirs enjoy a concert performed by a well-known local choir, put together especially for this great event.

The Verona Choir Competition is held in the Mozart Hall of the Teatro Nuovo, where choirs have a maximum of fifteen minutes to perform their chosen pieces, judged by a panel of seven internationally acclaimed adjudicators. After your choir performs, you can enjoy listening to some of the other participating choirs perform and get a taste of the varied choral traditions from countries from around the world.

Choirs also enjoy a Verona sightseeing tour exploring the breathtaking Roman Arena and visit Juliet’s house where the famous scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is reputed to have played out in 1302 and have a full-day excursion to Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world,made up of 118 islands, over 450 bridges and more than 180 canals.

During the competition closing ceremony, trophies are be distributed to all placed choirs, followed by performances by choirs who have received gold medals. Following the performances, participating choir members, judges and guests are invited to attend a reception which give all choirs the opportunity to mix and meet choirs from other nations. The Closing Ceremony ends with a grand procession from the reception through the city of Verona to the Roman Arena, where all guest choirs will join together to perform Va pensiero by G.Verdi, Inno Alla Gioia by L. van Beethoven and Amazing Grace by J.Newton.

The musical history of the city of Verona provides the ideal background for the Days of International Choral Music. As part of this festival, your choir can discover the beauty of Verona, Perform for an international jury, meet choirs from around the world, participate in a friendship concert with an Italian Choir.

 

Testimonials from choirs who attended the festival

“Thank you for helping me to organise a great trip (to Verona). Everyone really enjoyed it, the accommodation was very good and the staff in the hotel were very friendly and helpful. Being awarded silver in the competition was, of course, an added bonus. Our courier for the trip was Miruska Dressel-Bujnicky and she was absolutely fantastic. She did everything she could to make the visit enjoyable for everyone; was very flexible regarding arrangements and yet ensured that we were always in the right place at the right time. When Miruska realised that many people were already very familiar with Verona, she arranged to substitute the walking tour with a trip to Lake Garda. Miruska was also very supportive of us during the competition, during the closing ceremony and for our visit to the Italian choir. I’d really appreciate if you could pass on these comments to Choir International, she really is a treasure. The host choir put on a great night for us and if the bus hadn’t been waiting for us at the end of the night, I don’t think most of our choir would have got home until Monday. Thank you again for all the hard work you put into making the trip a success and I will certainly be recommending to the choir that we use you again when we plan our next trip abroad.”

Úna on behalf of Cantairi Avondale, Ireland

Program

Below is the most popular itinerary of the CCI Family of Choirs who have attended the Verona Choir Competition.

DAY 1

•On arrival in Verona, you will be met by a local guide for transfer by coach to your hotel. Your local guide will be with your choir throughout your stay in Verona to assist you with all choral activities
•Your choir will have free time in the afternoon to explore the Lake Garda area
•You will enjoy a group dinner at your hotel before transferring by coach to the opening ceremony in Teatro Filarmonico in the city of Verona
•At the opening ceremony, all choirs are welcomed by representatives of the city and province of Verona and by the hosts Associazione Gruppi Corali Verona. You will then enjoy a concert organised especially for this festival performed by participants of local choirs
•Coach transfer back to your hotel following the ceremony

DAY 2

•Enjoy breakfast at your hotel in the morning followed by coach transfer with your guide to Verona to perform in the competition at the Teatro Nuovo.
•You will have free time for lunch in Verona following your performance. Your choir can also enjoy listening to some of the other participating choirs perform, and hear choral traditions from around the world.
•In the afternoon, your guide will take you on walking tour of Verona showing you all the main points of interest
•Coach transfer back to Lake Garda in the late afternoon.
•Your choir will have dinner at the hotel restaurant in the evening

DAY 3

•Enjoy breakfast at your hotel in the morning before heading out on a full-day tour to Venice, one of the most unique cities in Europe. During the tour, enjoy a boat ride on the Canale Grande to the San Marco Square and enjoy a short walking tour of the city of Venice - “The city of canals”
•Free time in the afternoon to visit other points of interest in Venice
•Your choir will have dinner at the hotel restaurant in the evening

DAY 4

•Enjoy breakfast at your hotel in the morning followed by coach transfer with your guide to Verona where a reception if organized for all choir directors
•After the choir directors reception, the official closing ceremony takes place at the Teatro Filarmonico.
•The closing ceremony begins with the Awards Ceremony, where trophies and plaques are presented to winning choirs. The presentation is followed by performances of the choirs who have placed in the gold level. All choirs are attend a reception with snacks and beverages. The Closing Ceremony ends with a grand procession through the city of Verona to the Roman Arena, where all choirs will join together to sing Va Pensiero, Inno Alla Gioia and Amazing Grace.
•When the closing ceremony, choirs transfer by coach back to their hotels where dinner is arranged in the hotel restaurant.
•After dinner, head off to a nearby village to participate in a friendship concert with a local Italian choir, giving you the opportunity to meet with the choir members and to exchange cultural values with an Italian Choir
•Transfer back to hotel at end of the evening

DAY 5

•Enjoy breakfast at the hotel in the morning
•Check-out by 11:00 am
•Free time until departure

This is for information purposes only. All final itineraries are tailored to individual choirs requirements.

Price includes

•4 nights in a 3* hotel situated south of Lake Garda (twin room with private bathroom, buffet breakfast and evening meal)
•Participation in the competition including all charges
•Participation in the opening concert
•Half day sightseeing in Verona (excludes any entrance fees payable locally)
•Day trip to Venice including a boat ride
•Reception with an Italian Choir
•Monetary Prize in Category 2
•Closing ceremony with snacks and wine, presentation of certificates for all choirs and a cup for every placed choir
•Translation service throughout the stay

Price does not include

Flights

Choir Contact International experienced travel consultants are able to advise you on the most appropriate flight options and will advise best fares at time of booking.

Once you enquiry with CCI you will be given your own dedicated festival planner, and this planner will also assist you with the booking of flights for your group.

We use the most up-to-date modern technology for searching best fares including low cost carriers, allowing us to book you the best flights at the best fares for a fully co-ordinated service. We use both low-cost internet fares and our long-standing relationships with other carries to ensure that we can secure the best travel option for your choir.

We will advise you on luggage allowance and all details relating to your flight booking.

Airport transfers

CCI are happy to arrange airport-hotel-airport transfers for all choirs who have booked flights with us. Unfortunately, we are unable to arrange airport transfers where flights are not booked as part of the festival package.

Itinerary

Day Overnight Itinerary highlights
1   Dublin, Ireland - Dublin
  Verona, Italy

Accommodations provided in each place

To be advised