Capella Receives Two Third Prize Awards in International Vocal Competition
The Capella of Calvin College and its director, Calvin professor of music Dr Joel Navarro, will be returning to Grand Rapids on Wednesday, June 4 from an international tour of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
And the choir's homecoming will see the Capella having added a prestigious title to its already lofty list of accomplishments since its founding in 1935.
In addition to concerts and church services in the Netherlands and France, the Capella took part in an international vocal competition: the 37th annual Florilege Vocal de Tours Competition, in Tours, France. There 21 choirs from 20 countries competed over three days in a variety of categories.
The youngest choir among the competing adult choirs, the Capella bested far more experienced choirs and earned a pair of third-place medals, being so honored in both the Mixed Choirs category and the Free Program category. This international vocal competition was a first for a Calvin choir, one Navarro described as a great opportunity for the students. "It was an occasion for our students to use their competitive drive and energy to meet higher artistic demands," he said, "to be exposed to standards of excellence from choirs around the world, to engage in cultural exchange, to act more deeply in community, and to discern how their interaction with varied musics and peoples of the world are able to inform and broaden their faith perspectives.”
The Capella is the concert choir of Calvin College and is composed of advanced singers from all areas of study. Check Capella's tour blog for more inforamtion about their tour and the competition.
Release Date: 06/02/2008
