In the days 11.-14. October 2023, in various places of the city of Žilina, human voices resounded in harmonies that brought a feeling of beauty, peace and joy. This is also the mission of choral singing and art in general. During the festival, we welcomed exceptional choirs from abroad, as the festival proudly carries the title of international. They were the Sol Oriens mixed choir from Hungary and the Severáček Children’s Choir from the Czech Republic. The guests of the festival were also the Slovak Teachers’ Choir and the chamber choir Cantica Collegium Musicum from Martin.
As part of the Voce Magna festival, five Žilina children’s choirs performed on stage. They were the Žiliňáčik, Brioso, Briossino, Árvayček and Margarétka choirs. The aforementioned children’s choirs filled the Evangelical Church in Žilina with their voices, which was filled to capacity on Wednesday, October 11. The final joint song performed by all five children’s choirs gives us hope that choral singing in Žilina has a great future ahead of it. The concert was aptly titled Voce Magna Žilina Hopes.
On Friday, elementary school students from Žilina and the surrounding area met at the Fatra House of Art in Žilina. The Severáček Children’s Choir from Liberec prepared a pleasant moment for them, in the form of an educational concert, they presented part of their repertoire with which they successfully represent their country at various competitions at home and abroad. The evening in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Žilina belonged to the Sol Oriens Choir, the Slovak Teachers’ Choir and the Severáček Choir. For those who couldn’t make it, there is an opportunity to watch the live stream, which you can find on the YouTube channel. /CLICK HERE/
The culmination of the entire festival was the Voce Magna Gala Concert 2023. On Saturday evening, the Žilina Mixed Choir, Cantica Collegium Musicum, Sol Oriens, Slovak Teachers’ Choir and Severáček spoke to the audience in the universal language of music at the Fatra House of Arts. The concert was dedicated to Prof. Štefan Sedlický, who in the corridors is called the “The guru of choral singing“ and whose life jubilee was commemorated in this way by all his choirs together with the festival choirs.
We thank everyone who was part of this celebration of choral art in any way. The entire project was financed from the public resources of the Art Support Fund and was held under the auspices of the mayor of Žilina, Peter Fiabáne.
We are looking forward to the next edition of the Voce Magna Žilina International Festival and Competition.
