Hull to host first INTERKULTUR event in UK in 2023

From 27 April to 1 May 2023 international singers will for the first time have the opportunity to experience an INTERKULTUR competition on English soil, when the Hull International Choir Competition takes place. With a rich choral history, from early church music to modern initiatives focussing on outreach and inclusivity, Hull is known as a ‘singing city’, making it the perfect host for an international choral event.

Councillor Rosemary Pantelakis, the city’s portfolio holder for corporate services, museums & cultural assets, said, ‘We are delighted to announce this news after months of hard work behind the scenes, and we’re looking forward to welcoming choirs from around the world to our ‘singing city’. As well as bringing our streets, squares and community spaces alive with the sound of music, the five-day multi-event will be great for Hull’s hospitality industry’.

There will be many ways for singers and choirs to get involved in INTERKULTUR’s first UK event, including competitions for mixed and equal voice choirs, children’s and youth choirs and groups with a special focus on sacred, pop, jazz or gospel repertoire. Additional Friendship Concerts will offer participating groups the chance to meet other international choirs, to exchange ideas and to sing for each other.

Visiting choirs can look forward to performances in historic civic buildings, places of worship and public squares in the heart of Hull’s cultural communities.

INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch said, ‘Choirs from all over Britain have been travelling to our international choir events for many, many years. So it’s our huge pleasure that now we will be finally able to bring the world to them. I’m sure that Hull will be an attractive destination for many choirs from abroad, which gives English choirs the opportunity to get in touch with choral music and traditions from other countries, learn from them and make new friendships for a lifetime.

‘My huge thanks go to our fantastic partners in the city of Hull, who have already been highly engaged with the preparations for this event. I am sure that thanks to them, each and every singer will feel warmly welcomed – like a visit at a good friend’s home!’