Italian job done for Peterborough choir

The city's multi award-winning Peterborough Male Voice Choir has returned from Italy after competing in the eighth Interkultur Isola del Sole International Choral Competition and Festival which took place in Grado between September 28 and October 2.
PMVC in GradoPMVC in Grado
PMVC in Grado

Located between Venice and Trieste, the “Isola del Sole” or “sunny island” is a popular tourist destination but the choir had little time for sightseeing, competing and performing over five days as one of 28 participating choirs from 15 countries worldwide including Austria, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, UK, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Demark Czech Republic and - further afield - from China and Indonesia.

The high-profile competition took place in Grado’s Palazzo dei Congressi and in the stunning Basilica di Sant’Eufemia and Peterborough Male Voice Choir were delighted to be awarded silver medals in both their competition categories, Sacred Music and Secular Music.

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As well as participating in their competition classes, the choir were privileged to perform in the International Friendship Concert with choirs from Slovenia, China, Norway and Sweden.

Competitions form an important part of Peterborough Male Voice Choir’s programme: in 2014 they won a hat trick of trophies at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts.

On the international circuit, they achieved third place in their class at the 2011 Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival which they were successful in maintaining against strong overseas competition in May 2013.

“Competitions are an important way of gauging where we’re at as a choir” says Director William Prideaux. “This has been a fantastic opportunity to see what we’re doing right and - equally as important – to see what we can do even better, what we can achieve next! It has been a real privilege to experience, and to be an integral part of, an amazingly talented choral community from around the world, a truly global community. Through the competition we have established relationships with several excellent choirs worldwide, and we’ll certainly be back for more.”