International Federation for Choral Music

The World Youth Choir is back home after an incredible Alumni Session 2024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, hosted by HarbourVOICES! International Festival of Collective Singing Traditions. 

The choir, featuring 32 talented singers from 24 countries (Argentina, Canada, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Taiwan, United States of America, and Venezuela), performed under the artistic direction of Cecilia Rydinger (Sweden). Cecilia reflects on the session:

One of the most fantastic experiences and collaborations throughout my entire life as a choral conductor. Us all sharing great music making and strong expressions, together with lots of joy and laughter, during this amazing festival, with its theme of inclusiveness and humanity in the foreground. Thank you so much Mr Ki Adams, President of the WYC Foundation and one of the Artistic Directors for the festival, for bringing us there. Unforgettable!

The choir showcased celebrated classical choral works and explored rich musical traditions from Scandinavian and Canadian Indigenous cultures. The singers were honored to meet and learn from Andrew Balfour, Hussein Janmohamed, and André de Quadros, who shared powerful stories of overcoming exclusion and hardship. A highlight of this session was collaborating with the Indigenous children of Ullugiâgatsuk Youth Choir (Labrador) on Andrew Balfour's "Four Directions" piece. The festival's headliner, Jacob Collier, led a fantastic 3-hour workshop on his piece "World, O World," culminating in an unforgettable performance at the Gala Concert where the 1400 singers were conducted by Jacob himself! What an inspiring and transformative experience!