ChoirFest Middle East extends youth contest across UAE
UAE winners to compete in World Choir Games 2023 in South Korea
Dubai: ChoirFest Middle East 2023 has joined hands with the Ministry of Education to extend its youth competition across all seven emirates.
Organisers said the festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary by welcoming public schools from across country for the first time. Moreover, the winners of the UAE Youth Choir of the Year will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Gangneung, South Korea, sponsored by the Ministry, to compete in the World Choir Games 2023.
About the event
ChoirFestME sponsors choirs from war-torn or disadvantaged nations, bringing them to the UAE and helping them realise their dreams of having their voices heard by their peers and industry experts. Previous years have seen choirs from Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan.
Founded in 2013 by The Fridge founder and director Shelley Frost and composer Joanna Marsh, ChoirFestME is an event for choir communities in the Middle East and beyond, giving adult and youth choirs the platform to showcase their talent.
ChoirFestME has provided a platform to share the jitters and joys of performing for more than 20,000 choral singers from 500 school choirs, over 90 adult ensembles, and 45 visiting choirs over the past decade.
Contest stages
The upcoming Emirate Youth Choir of the Year competition, which will be held in February 2023, will see junior, middle, and senior choirs compete across all seven emirates.
The winners of each competition will represent their emirate at the National UAE Choir of the Year finals, which will be held in Sharjah in May 2023. For the adult choirs, their competition will centre around a Gala Concert for Choir of the Year at Dubai Opera.
Platform for talent
Frost said: “ChoirFestME reflects the warmth, generosity and values of tolerance that define the UAE. This is more than a choral festival; it is a unique event that uses the power of music to celebrate the cultural diversity of its host nation and the wider Middle East.”
She added: “Our mission is to provide passionate musicians and aspiring vocalists of all ages with a platform to showcase their talents, promoting positive cultural exchange between all sectors of society.
“We are immensely grateful to our partners at the UAE Ministry of Education and the cultural local authorities for facilitating the country-wide expansion of our youth competition, allowing us to reach a larger and more diverse audience than ever before.”
Choirs interested in participating at ChoirFestME 2023 can check its website and register online.