The World Festival Choir

The World Festival Choir was originally formed in 1984 by Bjorn E. Simensen, then director of the Symphony Orchestra in Gothenborg, Sweden, and by Jan Jensen, then Director of the Vestfold County Choral and Music Association in Norway. First known as the Norwegian Festival Choir, the groups initial goal was to build on the potential of 120 singers to evolve a choir capable of a festival performance of Haendel's Messiah to mark the tercentennial of the composer's birth the following year, in Gothenburg. Response outstripped expectation: at the premiere performance in January 1985 under the direction of Charles Farncombe, the Choir was 2500 voices strong and ovations and engagements to sing elsewhere followed.

In 1986 and twice thereafter, the Choir performed in the Royal Albert Hall with 800 voices, in joint performances with the Malcolm Sargent Festival Choir in Haendel's Messiah and Verdi's Requiem. A performing tour to Sydney (Easter Chorale, bicentennial) and Singapore followed in 1988 with the repertoire expended to include Berlioz Requiem in 1989. The repertoire will again expand, to include Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Mahler's 8th symphony. World Festival Choir is organised as a non - profit foundation according to Norwegian laws. That means that possible excess from any project goes back to WFC in order to be used in future projects.

The biggest project so far was "The world sings Verdi in Verona" in August 1990. 3000 voices from 11 nations together with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lorin Maazel and with Luciano Pavarotti as the leading soloist performed Verdi Requiem at the old Roman amphitheatre in Verona. At the two concerts 32.000 people listened to the performance. Prior to the Verona Event, WFC arranged rehearsals in 23 cities in 11 nations (180 rehearsals altogether!) Thus it was proved that our rehearsal model, developed by WFC, really works. In addition to the rehearsals, all singers receive special rehearsal cassettes, specially recorded for each work we are rehearsing.

The basic concept of the World Festival Choir remains unchanged: as its name denotes, it is a choir dedicated to major performances of the scope and extent of those at music festivals.

Underlying that purpose is the philosophy that choral music transcends national borders and unites performers in song.