California International Choral Festival & Competition

The organization will present a smaller scale “mini-festival” in July 2013, with just three choirs performing without a competition element. Organizers plan to hold a full scale festival and competition in early July of 2016. Ticket to the 2013 festival are available at www.vocalarts.org

The Vocal Arts Ensemble presented a third California International Choral Festival and Competition with great success in June of 2011.  For information on the competing choirs and the winners of the competition, please visit the California International Choral Festival website. http://californiachoral.org/

Prime Note Ensemble-Folk Competition 2011

HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL & COMPETITION

The 2011 California International Choral Festival & Competition (CICFC) returned for a third time with much excitement and new categories for choirs. The festival and competition was established in 2006 by Gary Lamprecht with performances taking place in the summer of 2007. It was decided that the event would take place every other year so that the hosts, the Vocal Arts Ensemble, could travel in even years to competitions and festivals in the US and abroad.

In 2007, eight choirs from the US, Philippines, Uganda, Finland and the Basque region of Spain vied for the top prize in four categories. In the end, the Imusicapella Chamber Choir from Imus, Philippines dazzled audiences with their strong vocals and choral selections, winning the top prize in three of the four categories. The first CICFC was agreat success, selling out all performances.

In 2009, the second California International Choral Festival & Competition audiences were entertained by choirs from Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Congo, the Philippines and the United States. While it was another choir from the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas Singers, that took top prizes, local choir and audience favorite, The Cuesta College Chamber Singers, also received awards, as did the women’s choir from Macedonia.

The organization will present a smaller scale “mini-festival” in July 2013, with just four choirs performing without a competition element. Organizers plan to hold a full scale festival and competition in Summer of 2015.

Check out the Choral Festival’s Facebook page.