Diversity of Voices
Sat, 1 July – Sun, 2 July 2023
| 1st and 2nd July 2023 - Choir concerts, workshops, SING DELA SING sing-along concert |
| Humboldt Forum |
Concerts
At the beginning of July, the Humboldt Forum will be transformed into an oversized body of sound: for one weekend, the house will be ‘sung to’. For this purpose, 12 very different choirs from Berlin were invited and asked to explore the house and the collections, to be musically inspired by and to develop a short program from them. The results of these explorations will be presented by the choirs on July 1 and 2, distributed throughout the building: on the stairs, corridors and balconies, in the exhibition rooms, laboratories and courtyards of the Humboldt Forum. On both days at 4 p.m., all choirs will gather under the motto “200 voices” for a powerful joint performance in the Foyer.
As a Berlin resident who loves to sing, you are cordially invited to join in the singing of the house! The sing-along masters of “SING DELA SING” will set out on a collective musical journey around the world on Saturday evening in the Schlüterhof and are counting on numerous enthusiastic fellow singers. As an ‘opening act,’ the inclusive choir of the Nogat Singers from Neukölln will ensure an infectiously good mood.
Whether church choir, shanty choir, fan club, gospel choir or pub choir: Choral singing connects people, lets them come together and become creative together. Worldwide, singing together is one of the most popular and widespread forms of human artistic expression. Choral singing creates spaces: spaces of sound, but also spaces of encounter. In Berlin alone, more than 1,000 choirs meet very regularly to sing together. A small selection of these choirs will musically conquer the Humboldt Forum this weekend and make it resound.
The choirs
Kammerchor Canzoneo
Who are you?
Chamber choir Canzoneo from Berlin-Lichtenberg
What do you sing?
Chamber choir repertoire from renaissance to contemporary without the strict separation of serious and popular music.
Why are you participating in this project, what do you hope to achieve?
We would like to motivate Berliners and guests to visit the Humboldt Forum, to deal with the castle and its musical traces and to present our singing.
You can find more information here:
JazzVocals e.V.
Who are you?
We are the JazzVocals, a chaotic-creative collection of individualists who all have one thing in common – the love of a cappella music in choir. We are about 30 people and rehearse once a week at the Béla Bartók Music School in Pankow-Weißensee under the direction of Matthias Knoche.
What do you sing?
Our repertoire ranges from jazz standards to folk and rock arrangements to hip-hop tunes. We like to travel and exchange ideas with other groups internationally – that’s what we want you to hear. The program will be loosened up and rounded off with improvisations, vocal percussion and other experiments with the voice.
Why are you taking part in the project, what do you hope to achieve?
Singing together is already a lot of fun – to do this in very special places gives the music even more expression, power and emotion and enchants the audience. When we heard about the possibility to be a part of the “Singing of the Humboldt Forum”, our answer was already clear.
You can find more information here:
Ensemble Polynushka
Who are you?
Polynushka, founded in July 2004 in Berlin, is the first vocal ensemble for authentic Russian and Ukrainian folklore in Germany. We singers were born in different countries (Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Moldova and Lithuania) and each of us is intensively engaged in the Eastern European musical traditions. We founded the ensemble with the intention to counteract the disappearance of this unique vocal tradition.
What do you sing?
Authentic Russian and Ukrainian folklore in Germany.
Why do you participate in the project, what do you hope to achieve?
We try to live on with these songs, as far as it is possible for us in the urban context, to adapt them and present them to a wide audience, to share the beauty and depth of village singing with others. Many folklore ensembles imitate village songs with their voices. Our ensemble, on the other hand, uses technique and dialect, but each*person maintains their own timbre. That is why Polynushka sounds like an ensemble of the present, and they also always create situations that were experienced in the village a hundred years ago.
We enjoy it.
NO WAR, BUT MUSIC!
Where politics fails, we continue to sing. We sing our perspectives, we sing what we are speechless about, we don’t allow ourselves to be ordered into enmity, we live together here in Berlin and we talk and dream together of a future in which not only we but also our children can live free of fear and hatred – in an undisguised authentic closeness. We dream that from now on conflicts may only be fought out musically or in sports and all other people focus on the important challenges that our environment poses to us NOW and on our future togetherness – we as social beings who want to communicate aesthetically with our minds and emotions through our singing. We sing against this war. We want to put an immediate end to it. We sing for a possible common world without hate and with unlimited freedom:
VIVA la LIBERTÁ!
You can find more information here:
Vokalensemble Sakura
Who are you?
Sakura vocal ensemble
What do you sing?
Japanese folk songs and art songs, international songs
Why are you participating in this project, what do you hope to achieve?
A close relationship with the East Asian collections of the Museum of Asian Art (already since the Dahlem period).
It is an honor for us, if we can support the Humboldt Forum through this.
Vokalensemble Sakura ~ German-Japanese music in Berlin.
You can find more information here:
Concentus Neukölln
Who are you?
The vocal ensemble Concentus Neukölln was founded in 2015 and is directed by Thomas Hennig. In 2016, Concentus cooperated with Capella Vocale Berlin in concerts featuring Bruckner’s E minor Mass. Works by Brahms, Vasks and Rautavaara were performed in 2017 and 2019 as part of the Berlin Sunday Concert Series. This was followed by an invitation from the international choral festival Chor@Berlin at the Radialsystem in 2017 to premiere Harald Weiss’ ‘Ode to the Night’ together with the Kammerchor Berlin and the Mädchenchor Berlin. In 2018 we accepted the invitation of the city of Leuven/Belgium as part of the commemorative concert.
What do you sing?
We sing mainly a cappella works or works with chamber instrumental accompaniment, with a special focus on the repertoire of so-called “early” music, again with a current focus on Heinrich Schütz, but also choral works of the Romantic period. An additional focus is the development of contemporary music and the preparation for world premieres.
Why are you participating in the project, what do you hope to achieve?
We are very happy to participate in the project at the Humboldt Forum, on the one hand because it opens up new possibilities of presentation for us, also with regard to the public insight into the rehearsal work, but also through the contact to new potential listeners, who are not only resident in Berlin. The cultural context of the Humboldt Forum, the history of the building and the related mirror of our Berlin urban society is also an appealing place that may create new perspectives in connection with the choral works we are working on.
Ayabás Frauenchor Berlin
Who are you?
Ayabás Choir Berlin is part of the Brazilian music program of the Music School City West, directed by Andrea Huguenin Botelho. The choir is an innovative music project that combines decolonialist, feminist and intercultural themes in choral music.
What do you sing?
The repertoire of the choir includes Brazilian songs and it sings not only in the Portuguese language, but also in the many invisible languages of Brazil, of which there are more than 160.
Why are you participating in the project, what do you hope to achieve?
The concept of Ayabás Chor Berlin corresponds to the concept of the Humboldt Forum. It will be an enriching experience and a unique opportunity to spread this work, which we dare to say is unique in the world.
You can find more information here:
Nogat Singers
Who are you?
We are the Nogat Singers from Neukölln. Founded by Lebenshilfe Berlin, we are one of the oldest and most successful inclusive choirs in Berlin.
What do you sing?
We sing pop songs, folk songs, classical music, 20s, film music (even English), ballads and of course Christmas songs.
Why do you participate in the project, what do you hope for?
We are attracted by the concept and the space of the Humboldt Forum, the cooperation with other choirs and artists, and always trying something new.
You can find more information here:
Deutsch-polnischer Chor „Spotkanie“
Who are you?
More than 30 years ago Poles and Germans met in Berlin-Steglitz, who wanted to cultivate the encounter (Polish: Spotkanie) and understanding of the two peoples together and with music. This is how the German-Polish Choir Berlin came into being. Spotkanie is an extraordinary choir that still lives up to its motto today on its travels and at events.
The choir is supported by the Leo-Borchard-Music-School Steglitz-Zehlendorf.
What do you sing?
The repertoire of the choir includes secular and sacred songs (mostly 3- or 4-part) mainly in German or Polish. We also sing in Latin, English and Hebrew and recently also in Yiddish.
Why are you participating in the project, what do you hope to gain from it?
In July 2019, we were able to participate in an international choir festival in Koszalin for a week. In addition to various workshops and smaller performances, we rehearsed under the direction of Prof. Przemysław Pałka together with Polish choirs from France, Ukraine, Russia and Poland for a final performance in the Philharmonic Hall of Koszalin. Thereby we could learn a lot of new things for our choir, which we still remember with pleasure.
We hope for similar encounters and experiences from this project.
You can find more information here:
YouTube projects during Corona together with other choir singers:
Fall 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RunA9Q8xAF0 – German
Christmas 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLIGQ8DKo_k – polish
At the end of the war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUYf8AtH4f8 – polish
Männerchor Eintracht 1892 e.V. Berlin Mahlsdorf
Who are you?
Our choir was founded in 1892 as the Gesangverein Eintracht in Mahlsdorf an der Ostbahn, making it the oldest club still existing in the village and certainly one of the oldest in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district of Berlin.
The choir is a pure a cappella choir, i.e. it sings almost exclusively as a vocal ensemble in the four-part instrumentation tenor 1, tenor 2, bass 1, bass 2. The choir currently consists of about 25 active singers.
The choir is directed by Mr. Marcus Crome.
What do you sing?
The repertoire of the choir is versatile. It includes German and European folk songs, works of the male choir literature by Schubert, Silcher, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Dvorak and contemporary composers.
Why are you participating in this project, what do you hope to achieve?
The Humboldt Forum as a historical place in the center of Berlin offers a good opportunity to draw attention to our work and to enrich the building with a facet.
You can find more information here:
inspired! Gospel Berlin
Who are you?
Modern gospel, groove, feeling – inspired! sings of faith in a God who inspires. Under the direction of Rebecca Tjimbawe, our group of about 25 singers sings at concerts and festivals, church services and other special events.
What do you sing?
We sing modern gospel – music with an approach to Christian spirituality – grown from spirituals and traditional gospel, with influences from jazz, R&B, pop and soul.
Why are you involved in this project, what do you hope to achieve?
We are looking forward to exploring the Humboldt Forum sonically and experiencing the interactions between our music and this special place with its visitors, its cultural diversity, its history and architecture. We enjoy the musical exchange with other choirs and look forward to making Berlin’s gospel scene visible at this place of urban culture, thus contributing our part to the musical sound diversity of the city.
You can find more information here:
Diplomatic Choir of Berlin
Who are you?
The Diplomatic Choir Berlin was initiated by American Barbra Leifer in 2013 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The choir members come from 28 nations and work in the different diplomatic missions and federal ministries in Berlin. Since April 2022, 10 Ukrainian refugee singers have been rehearsing with us.
What do you sing?
The program in the ‘Concerts without Borders’ consists of a repertoire that has the claim to be intercultural and interreligious. Hebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian songs are mixed in the programs with classical works by Beethoven, Mozart, Verdi, or Handel.
Why do you participate in the project, what do you hope to achieve?
The goal of the diplomatic choir to bring people together corresponds with the concept of the Humboldt Forum. We expect an eventful sounding weekend at the Forum
You can find more information here:
Homepage Diplomatic Choir Berlin
Harry Curtis was born in Cambridge and began his musical career as a choirboy at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he frequently sang for Queen Elizabeth II. He studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the UdK Berlin. In 2002 Harry Curtis was a prize winner of the Leeds Conducting Competition. He has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, the Stavanger Symfoniorkest, the English Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Opera North, among others. He has also appeared at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and at the Battersea Arts Festival in London, where he conducted a production of Maxwell Davies The Lighthouse. In 1996 Harry Curtis took over the direction of the London Chamber Group and in 2001 he was appointed director of the London Pergolesi Sinfonietta. Harry Curtis also performs frequently at international music festivals. He was the second conductor at the Ruhrtriennale to conduct the Zimmermann opera “The Soldiers” (directed by David Pountney), and also made a guest appearance with it at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York. He conducted at the Norwegian Stavanger International Chamber Music Festival and at the USA Spoleto Festival. He also conducted the musical rehearsal of John Cage’s operas Europeras 1 & 2 (directed by Heiner Goebbels) for the Ruhrtriennale.
From 2005 to 2013 he worked as a permanent conductor with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, conducting numerous symphony and special concerts there and collaborating with renowned artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Radu Lupu, Frank Peter Zimmermann and Sol Gabetta. In addition, Harry Curtis conducted the 120-member Philharmonic Choir of Bochum, which is affiliated with the orchestra. As a choral conductor, he has also led the London University Chorus, the Bristol University Chamber Choir, Goldsmiths College Choir, Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus and Brighton Festival Chorus, among others. He rehearsed the choir for Lorin Maazel for a performance with 1400 performers of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand as part of the 2010 Capital of Culture Year.
Harry Curtis is Professor of Conducting at the UdK Berlin, where he has taught conducting, university orchestra and church music since 2013. As a teacher, he frequently collaborates with the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt, the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, the Chamber Academy Potsdam, the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra, the Prussian Chamber Orchestra Prenzlau and the Theater Magdeburg.
In 2017 he was awarded the title of Associate of the Royal Academy of Music London for his services to classical music.
Kaspar von Erffa studied acting and directing at the Salzburg ‘Mozarteum’ and was assistant director at the Burgtheater Vienna, among others with Jürgen Flimm, Peter Zadek and Claus Peymann. Since 1996 he has been a freelance director and scriptwriter. In 2008 he founded the Höfische Festspiele Potsdam, in 2016 the Integrationstheater of the University of Potsdam. Since 2021, he has directed the Inselbühne Potsdam. He is a tenor and has been singing in the choir for 44 years.
The Chorverband Berlin e.V. is the largest amateur music organization in the capital and the most important forum for Berlin’s amateur choral scene.
With its diverse activities, it provides intensive grassroots, mass and young talent work as a professional association, organizer and funder, and creates the necessary conditions for top performances from its own ranks.
