The Report on the activities of the Foundation for 2017
Like every year at this time, we present You with a report on our activities, and ask for feedback on what we can do better.In 2017 the Foundation carried out the following activities:
- Maintaining the web portal Chórtownia
- An evening with Komitas in Gliwice
- A crowdfunding fundraiser for the record „Treasures of Music: Armenia”
- The participation in the Tbilisi Choral Music Festival and the project meeting "Treasures of Music: Armenia" in Yerevan
- Co-organization of the "Rapsodia" choir tour from Chisinau
- The participation in the Festival "Together in the XXI Century" in Kamchia (Bulgaria, 15-30 July 2017)
- Interviews with choristers and conductors - Chórtownia’s initiative
- Closing of the recruitment for the project "Treasures of Music: Armenia"
- Supporting the Mixed Choir KLASTER
- Promoting the World Choir Day (December 7) in Poland.
- Cooperation with the Śpiewak Śląski magazine
- Contests
- Patronages
1. Maintaining the web portal Chórtownia
It is a regular activity of the foundation. The statistics of the portal for the period of January 1st - December 31 2017 are:
-
the portal has been visited 60708 times by 42562 users who have viewed 197018 subpages
-
The visitors have been from 103 countries, top20 of which were: Poland (90%), and subsequently: Germany, the USA, the UK, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Spain, Armenia, the Netherlands, Georgia, Moldova, Sweden, Norway, Belgium and others.
-
At the end of 2017, the portal contained: 6606 users from 25 countries, 1000 choirs (92 choirs of them have updated their profile data in the last year, and 407 choirs have done it in the last five years) 624 festivals (including 94 new ones), 2013 choral scores (including 18 new ones), 1522 choral concerts (including 158 new ones), 1080 news (including 129 new ones)
Besides, we regularly edit and send monthly newsletter called „Chórtownik” in Polish and occasionally in English and Russian.
In November 2017, the official address of the portal was changed to https://chortownia.org
2. An evening with Komitas in Gliwice
Under the project "Treasures of Music: Armenia" Chórtownia along with Petros Tovmasyan organized „An evening with Komitas” on 6 March 2017 in Gliwice, where we presented the profile of this great composer, musicologist and ethnographer as well as some of his works.
3. A crowdfunding fundraiser for the record „Treasures of Music: Armenia”
Because all the applications for financing the record were rejected, we had to announce the fundraiser, during which 42 people supported the project with a total amount of PLN 2017, and after deducting the commission for the crowdfunding platform there was approximately PLN 1700 left. We would like to thank once again to all donors!
4. The participation in the Tbilisi Choral Music Festival and the project meeting "Treasures of Music: Armenia" in Yerevan
This year we participated in the fantastic Tbilisi Choral State Festival as observers (https://chortownia.org/index.php?vaction=newsy&rodzaj=aktualnosci&nid=6618&jezyk=1000), where we had an opportunity to listen to magnificent Georgian choirs (such as our favourite Boys' and Men's Choir Mdzlevari) inside the beautiful interiors of the Tbilisi conservatory, but also a genius Female Choir from Gori conducted by Teony Tsiramua, as well as choirs from Estonia and Moldova - our friendly Youth Chamber Choir Rapsodia Moldova was invited to the festival (which already hosted the Chamber Choir of the Adam Mickiewicz University from Poznań in 2015), which we accompanied on tour. The participation in the festival was a stage of a choral journey also leading through Armenia, which we have fruitful cooperation with. In Yerevan, we worked on the implementation of the project "Treasures of Music: Armenia”. The exchange of choirs initiated by us with these countries is getting wider and wider - in July, the Academic Choir of the University of Warsaw visited Georgia, where performed in Tbilisi and Lagodekhi.
5. Co-organization of the "Rapsodia" choir tour from Chisinau
In June 2017 our regular guest the Youth Chamber Choir Rapsodia Moldova from Chisinau visited Poland in order to participate in the church music festival in Bialystok. Next, the concert tour was led through Garwolin, where the choir was hosted by the Choir of the City of Garwolin, conducted by Radosław Mitura. Next, the choir performed in Kraków and Trzebinia thanks to the commitment of Agnieszka Jochymek-Trela and the Chamber Choir Lege Artis and the Choir "Echo" from Trzebinia. Then, the choir went to Zabrze, where was hosted by the families and gave concert together with the Mixed Choir "Klaster" and the Choir "Risonanza Continua in St. Andrzej Church. There was also Rapsodia’s concert at the castle in Tarnowice Stare in the nearby Tarnowskie Góry. From there, Rapsodia went under the care of Czesłąw Niemen Mixed Choir in Włocławek, conducted by Marian Szczepański. We would like to thank all the choirs for engaging in the organization of this project! The wandering of Rapsodia around Poland restores the idea of direct exchange between choirs, currently poorly used by other choirs.
6. Participation in the Festival (13-18 September 2016)
Chórtownia participated in the festival „Together in XXI century” in Bulgarian Kamczia, coordinating inter alia, the stays of Polish choirs and carrying out individual presentations and trainings of Chórtownia portal for conductors of foreign choirs, including from Romania, Georgia and Russia.
7. Interviews with choristers and conductors - Chórtownia’s initiative
The purpose of the initiative was to present the profiles of conductors and active choristers. Persons that had a journalistic flair were invited to prepare an interview with their conductor or other choristers, who are often a powerhouse of stories.
The action will be continued in the following years.
8. Closing of the recruitment for the project "Treasures of Music: Armenia"
In December 2017 there was a final qualification of the compositions for the album „Treasures of Music: Armenia” and transferring the material for production. 26 compositions performed by 14 choirs, including 9 from Armenia, 2 from Poland and one from Germany, Moldova and Ukraine were chosen for the album. Supplementary materials for the conductors were prepared for the competition (links to the library of compositions and recordings) and consultations with the project coordinator on the Armenian side, Christina Sheroyan, were provided.
Link to materials: http://www.choral.art.pl/index.php?vaction=newsy&rodzaj=aktualnosci&nid=6419&jezyk=1
Press releases: http://www.choral.art.pl/index.php?vaction=newsy&rodzaj=aktualnosci&nid=6430&jezyk=1
9. Supporting the Mixed Choir KLASTER
The first rehearsal of the Mixed Choir KLASTER took place on November 18th 2016 in Gliwice. The idea was to gather former choristers from various choirs and music schools from the Silesian agglomeration in order to conduct amateur music activities. Dr. Barbara Gajek-Kraska was appointed as the conductor of the choir, and the conductor’s assistant is Michalina Kraska. In 2017, there were rehearsals with the participation of 25 people (part of those who came to auditions weren’t accepted) as well as concerts in Zabrze, Ruda Śląska and Gliwice. Klaster took an active part in welcoming the Rapsodia choir from Chisinau and organizing a concert in St. Andrzej Church, including guests. it also participated in the Armenian album project. The choir has rehearsals in Zabrze on Fridays from 6:30pm to 9pm in DEMEX building, which facilitated a room for rehearsals.
10. Promoting the World Choir Day (December 7) in Poland
Until 2014 The World Choir Day wasn’t celebrated in Poland. The Foundation organized a nationwide information campaign with the approval of International Federation of Choral Music, as a result of which, concerts were declared for celebration the World Choir Day. Unfortunately, the list of declared concerts is currently unavailable.
11. Cooperation with the Śpiewak Śląski magazine
In 2017 three issues of the magazine were made available pursuant to the agreement between Chórtownia and Śpiewak Śląski:
12. Contests
In 2017 Chórtownia organized two online contests:
1. A good-night VRC , with the VRC choir album with the same title as a reward.
2. A contest with Marek Raczyński’s album as rewards
13. Patronages
In 2017, Chórtownia gave its patronage to the following undertakings:
-
A Nation-wide Contest of Christmas Carols and Pastorals.
-
Festival concerts Musica Vera in Toruń.
-
The 4th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music Carmen Fidei in Łomża
-
The 20th Łódź Choir Festival "Cantio Lodziensis"
-
A Nation-wide Choral Tournament for the Crystal Heart of Chełm Autumn
-
The International Festival "Per Musicam ad Astra" in Toruń
Translation by e-volunteer Robiert Bieńkowski. Thank you!