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Frequently Asked Questions (click on a question to find the answer)
1. What is
the "Songs of Life Festival" and how do I get more information? 1. What is the "Songs of Life Festival" and how do I get more information?
Songs of Life Festival is a new initiative of the Varna
International Workshop (www.varnaworkshop.com) a professional
organization that arranges musical performance and excursion tours to
Europe and Kalin Tchonev, a native
of
The festival website at
www.SongsofLife.org has complete information about the program,
travel itinerary, performances, and how to apply to apply to participate
in the festival and its activities.
Information on the sponsoring organization and key festival
performers is also provided. 2. Where specifically will the concerts take place? Concert halls in Sofia, Bulgaria and in Petah Tikva, Israel will be the sites for the two major public performances of the festival. Additional performance opportunities are also being arranged in Sofia, Bulgaria and in Jerusalem, Israel to complement the main events. These will be major auditoriums which are usually used for performances of some magnitude and prominence. We are expecting hundreds of performers to be involved.
3.
What music will be performed and how is it obtained?
There will be two performances of the World Premier of an oratorio which tells the story of the Rescue of the Jews of Bulgaria during WWII. Composer: Charles David Osborne. Librettist: Aryeh Finklestein. The score will be obtainable from the publisher in May - June 2010. Each chorister is responsible to obtain his or her own choral score of the oratorio.
4.
How will participants be selected?
Songs
of Life Festival has identified numerous high-quality choral
organizations in the
Yes. We strongly encourage
participation of both individual singers and choirs at the festival.
Individual singers who are currently performing with an invited choir are automatically qualified to perform in the festival.
No recording is required to be sent by individual
singers and there will be no audition required if you meet the condition
just stated.
Individual singers should fill in the fields on the application
describing their experience in choral singing as well as their sight
reading ability.
Individual singers not currently performing with an invited choir
must submit an application and should include a brief written
description of their choral performance experience, overall musical
abilities, and sight reading ability.
Applicants will be notified within 10 days of application if they
have been accepted. If not
accepted into the program, we will return the deposit.
6.
Our choir does not perform Oratorios. Can we still perform as part of the
festival? Yes. The purpose of the festival is to create an opportunity for participation for as many choirs as would like to join. Singing the oratorio is not a requirement for choirs to participate at the festival. Choirs could join in the concerts which will include additional program especially selected by the festival conductors (see the festival page). Additionally, the organizers will provide individual performance opportunities in both Bulgaria and Israel for guest choirs to perform their own repertoires.
7.
How well do I have to know the music prior to
arrival in
The minimum requirement for choirs and individual singers is to be able
to read the music and text of their own part comfortably. During the
first three days of the festival, all festival choirs and
the orchestra will rehearse 5–6 hours daily. During these
rehearsals the orchestral conductor and choral clinicians will prepare
all ensembles for the performances in
8.
What level of musical ability must I have in order
to participate?
Singers who apply to participate at the festival should have sufficient
choral background and experience in order to successfully sing
Sacred Service, which is
comparable in difficulty to other major choral works such as
Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the
Brahms Requiem and others.
9.
Will there be rehearsals in the
Wherever there are groups of people from the same area (choirs or a
number of individual singers), we will connect them with one another so
that they could rehearse together. Individual singers should work
together as a group wherever possible and should try to rehearse in the
10.
How will we get to and from rehearsals and
performances in
Private buses will be arranged to transfer festival participants from the
hotel to the rehearsal and performance halls; for the guided tours; and
for airport transfers as per the festival schedule in
11.
How will we get from
The festival fee includes air travel from
12.
What should I expect for hotel accommodations in
We will supply tourist class accommodations in
13.
I would like to upgrade to
higher category hotels in Yes. Please contact the tour organizers for a special quote.
14.
Is it safe to travel to these places?
In a word: Yes.
The organizers of the festival:
Kalin and Sharon Tchonev are natives of
Both
With respect to the safety of travel in
15.
What non-covered expenses should I expect?
The festival fee does not include the flight from the
Included in the festival fee are:
·
Two meals a day --- all breakfasts and either lunch
or dinner
Participants will be responsible to pay for their third meal daily, tips
and gratuities, travel insurance (approximately $130 per person), and
incidentals.
Auditors will have the unique opportunity to not only enjoy the festival
activities (rehearsals, concerts, dinner celebrations and guided tours),
but will have extra time to explore the environment of these fascinating
cities during the rehearsal times. The organizers of the festival
will be glad to make arrangements for groups of 10 or more auditors for
special activities with a tour guide who could assist the group.
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