President`s noteDear friends of Eurojumelages,
The first-ever international choir singing event was organised between 8th and 14th September 2024 within the beautiful ambience of Engers Castle in Neuwied-Engers,
It was the intention of the two organisers, Rita Caumettes and Michaela Alber, to experience the language of music together, with choristers from several European countries who also enjoy singing together, during the international singing week.
Within the context of the choir project, the participants also rehearsed and sang the Eurojumelages anthem (which is based on the melody of Beethoven's 9th Symphony) in high musical quality with the aim of producing a music video which will be available on the Eurojumelages website.
At the choir's final performance, together with numerous other guests from the Koblenz and Bonn sections I was able to witness how successful the one-week Eurojumelages choir project was.
I was so impressed by the concert that I am happy to include the international choral singing event as a permanent fixture in the Eurojumelages' list of activities. In consonance with the dictum that ‘Music connects people across all borders’, international choral singing should certainly be an avenue to enrich the Eurojumelages programme in the future.
International choir singing in Neuwied-Engers
from 8th to 14th September 2024
“We came as individual voices and left as a choir!”
In the State Music Academy of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the picturesque Engers Castle, located directly on the Rhine, 19 jumeleurs from 4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland) met with a choirmaster to sing together for a week and experience the Rhineland culture.
It was a premiere within Eurojumelages, a meeting just for singing. Everyone was willing to take part in the experiment: The jumeleurs with their different voices and the choirmaster who was to mould them into a melodious choir. The historic castle with its rehearsal rooms, guest rooms and Rhine terrace was the ideal location for this ambitious project.