City of Derry International Choir Festival 2021

First held in 2013, the City of Derry International Choir Festival, artistic director Dónal Doherty, returns to live performances with audiences for this year's festival. 

Running from 20 to 24 October 2021 in venues in and around Derry, the festival has been carefully planned to include a synchronised mix of in-person and virtual events throughout the city as part of an immersive programme of live and digital concerts, performances, workshops, podcasts, and other events.

The festival is opened with a concert from local choirs and singers plus members of the Ulster Orchestra performing Bob Chilcott's The Voyage conducted by the composer, plus premiere of A Topography of Love, Part 3 by Brian Irvine and John McIlduff from Belfast creative production company Dumbworld. 

Other performers at the festival include Tenebrae and the Derry-based choir Codetta which will be giving the premiere of a new work by Eoghan Desmond, whilst the American ensemble Chanticleer will be presenting a live Zoom workshop and a bespoke recorded concert. 

There will be school performances with a non-competitive format for primary years encouraging children and teachers to take part in the fun and community-spirited Primary Big Sing event on Thursday 21 October including a workshop led by music education expert Lucinda Geoghegan ​and a specially composed piece for young voices by Catalan composer and conductor, Josep Vila i Casañas. Post-primary schools will return for a day of competitions and a senior Big Sing on Friday 22 October. 

The Festival is also hopeful that choirs throughout the island of Ireland will return for a day of competitions in various categories including mixed voice, equal voice, youth, sacred, pop, jazz and gospel, culminating in the brand-new Choir of the Festival competition. 

Full details from the festival's website.