From June 8-17, 2019, the Denver Children’s Choir traveled to Europe for a 3-country tour culminating in the choir’s participation in the International Choir Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The tour started in Budapest, Hungary, and included a stop in Vienna, Austria before traveling to Bratislava for the competition. The singers performed at St. Peter’s Church, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and House of Music in Vienna; and St. Columba Church in Budapest. In between performances the choir had the opportunity to take an evening cruise on the Danube, visit historic monuments and participate in cultural exchange with the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir. According to DCC’s Music Director, Lisa Cameron, “This is a wonderful opportunity for our singers to perform for enthusiastic European audiences and experience different cultures!”
The DCC’s bi-annual tour program offers important opportunities for meaningful cultural exchange and collaboration. For many of our singers, these tours are the first opportunities they have had to travel outside of the Denver metro area, and tuition assistance is made available to any child who needs it to participate. Past tours have included a Civil Rights tour of the Deep South, along with visits to New York, Iowa, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Canada, Cambodia, France, and Germany. In addition to performing independently and with local children’s choirs on these tours, our singers sightsee, stay with local host families, and experience for themselves the truly universal language of music.
The European tour included our Fourteeners (advanced female choir) and Mountain Aires (advanced male choir). Together, these two groups are known as Thin Air, our advanced ensemble performing a diverse repertoire for mixed voices. The singers are 12-18 years old, have strong backgrounds in choral singing, excellent vocal technique, and advanced sight-singing and musicianship skills.
The mission of the Denver Children’s Choir is as important today as it was when we began in 1995. Each year, we deliver choral programs in select schools and community-based settings throughout Denver to children ages 7-18 of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Children learn to sing and read music while they develop self-confidence, build relationships, strive for excellence, and gain appreciation and respect for one another.