Culture, Ford | Leading Chamber Choir 1st place at Grieghallen. The judge gave them a challenge

On Saturday and Sunday, the SingForOss competition takes place in Grieghallen. In competition with 14 other choirs, it was the Chamber Choir from Førde with conductor Asbjørn Flåm that escaped with first place.

– It was great that this is our anniversary. The chamber choir turns 40 this year, says chamber choirmaster Leif Helge Birkeland in a press letter to Verda.

He has been practicing since the fall

Preparations for the choral competition began last fall. They then test the different arrangements and tribulations in the repertoire – and also the interpretation of the text, phrasing and intonation (that the sounds have the correct pitch in relation to each other).

One of the challenges for the 26 Førde singers is that they cannot supply the choral volumes with sheet music, as is often the case in choir performances. Without a notary, there would be a lot to learn by heart.

– It was difficult to memorize things, but we succeeded. We got a taste of it through opera, when we took part in a production of two operaches in February—we had to free ourselves from the sheet music and even “play with shoes,” says Birkeland.

Good reviews

During SyngForOss, the Førde chamber choir chose to sing classical repertoire, with Thomas Morley’s “Springtime”, the folk songs “Setja meg på sullarkrakk” and “Killebukken”, as well as Nils Lindberg’s “I’ll Compare You to a Summer’s Day”.

The referee’s reactions were very good. We received good reviews, both for timbre, intonation, and articulation (clear pronunciation of words), but also for interaction with the conductor and communication. In particular, we received a challenge from them: that we are a choir that they would like to see take on greater challenges, with a more advanced repertoire. There is something to strive for. Our strength lies in the classical choral tradition, says Birkeland.

The year of the chamber choir will be celebrated with many concerts. Next up is a joint concert with the Ole Bull Chamber Choir on June 8th.