 GENERAL INFORMATION
The “Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival" is a non competitive musical event which takes places in Val Pusteria (Alto Adige - Südtirol, Italy). Born in 1998, in thirteen editions it recorded the presence of 800 choirs and more than 33.000 singers. For the extraordinary variety of the venues and the wide performed repertoire it is one of the most spectacular European choral music events.
It takes place once a year and its programme is usually scheduled in five days - from Wednesday to Sunday - during the last week of June.
PERFORMANCES: CONCERTS, OPEN AIR REVIEWS, MEETING-DAYS
The Festival provides for about sixty performances scheduled in Concerts, Open Air Reviews, Meeting-Days.
CONCERTS during concerts, two to four choirs make their performance; they are scheduled during the whole day and take place not only in churches and concert halls, but also in Alpine huts, music pavilions and castles.
OPEN AIR REVIEWS are open air concerts, in which five to eight choirs perform. Each Review is dedicated to a specific choral genre and takes place in a natural particularly evocative context, typical of Val Pusteria. For the beauty of the natural scenery and the number of performing choristers, Reviews are, together with the great “Choirs’ Parade”, the most spectacular event of the Festival.
Besides the Reviews, the festival offers some other important open air exhibitions:
“Cori in Piazza” are concerts taking place in the historical centres of the valley, inside pedestrian areas. “Choirs’ Nights" are night performances taking place in the towns’ squares, after evening concerts.
MEETING-DAYS scheduled in the biggest halls of the valley, they represent, artistically speaking, the highlight of the Festival. During these concerts, eight to twelve choirs perform, on after the other, grouped together depending on the belonging section.
 REPERTOIRE
The repertoire is completely free: there are no compulsory pieces, and all musical periods and genres are welcomed. Indeed because of the variety of the participating choirs the Festival is divided into six main sections:
| a) |
Sacred – religious repertoire |
| b) |
Cultivated secular poliphony |
| c) |
Folk choral music |
| d) |
Opera singing |
| e) |
Spiritual, Gospel, Jazz |
| f) |
Original choral arrangements |
For further information on repertoire click here
 CONCERT VENUES
For 2011 edition 40 venues will be used, located in the eleven towns of Val Pusteria, from Brunico up to Sillian, just bejond the border between Italy and Austria.
Beyond the towns, concerts will take place at Braies Lake and Anterselva lake, in the medieval castles of Monguelfo, Brunico and Heinfels, in Landro Valley and Villgratten Valley and in all Alpine huts of Alta Pusteria in the hearts of the Dolomites
For detailed information, you can visit the page Concert venues .
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
The definitive calendar of the Festival is made official 20 days before the beginning of the event, informing on locations, times and number of choirs taking part in each performance. It is processed by the artistic direction taking in consideration the belonging section and the presented repertoire of each choir, with the aim, as much as possible, of giving prominence to the repertoire presented by each choir through the choice of the most suitable venue for the performance.
 THE THREE “CHOIRS’ FEAST”
They are the three important moments during which all participants have the chance to meet and enjoy the feast out of a formal concert context.
The feasts usually take place in the last three days of the festival.
“Big Tyrolese Feast” is scheduled in Villabassa during the whole day of Friday.
“Choirs’ Parade” takes place in San Candido on Saturday afternoon. It’s the most spectacular event of the festival: all participant choirs in uniform will parade along the town’s streets gathering in the central square “Piazza del Magistrato" to perform some songs all together.
“Festa dell’Arrivederci” scheduled in Sesto for Sunday morning, it is closing ceremony of the festival.
 ON LINE YEAR-BOOK
It is filled in on the bases of the material sent to the festival Secretariat. It contains photos, a brief introduction and performances – reviews, competitions, festivals – organized by each choral association. The year-book pages are inserted in this website, where all choirs are present online for one year.
2011
EDITION
The 14th edition of the Festival will take place from June 22 to June 26 2011.
Participation is open to any choir or vocal ensemble. Please make your request by filling in and forwarding the application form by February 15 2011.
The application form, enclosed with the festival presentation brochure with condition of participation and detailed information on the programme, can be requested to the Festival Secretariat.
DATES OF THE NEXT EDITIONS OF THE FESTIVAL
14th Edition: Wednesday June 22 – Sunday June 26, 2011
15th Edition: Wednesday June 20 – Sunday June 24, 2012
16th Edition: Wednesday June 19 – Sunday June 23, 2013
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