WOMEN CHOIRS

Women choirs and soprano and alto sections of mixed choirs are especially invited to the competition because Brahms built up and conducted a women choir as a young man in his native Hamburg. It all began like this:

At a wedding, where apparently several ladies sang, Brahms had the idea to have his "Ave Maria" performed by a group of young ladies. Out of this he formed a regular choir and wrote to Miss von Meysenburg: "I am here (in Hamburg) and will most likely stay here, until I go to Detmold. Some of my very pleasant female students keep me here and especially the "Frauenverein" (women´s association) which sings under my direction what I am composing for them. I extraordinarily love the high and silverlike sound. In the church and specifically together with the organ the female voices sound wholly charming."

If your choir sings "silverlike and charmingly", please do come to the "Brahms Vienna International Choir Competition".

Brahms wants to hear this special sound again, especially when you bring along flowers and intonate one of his "Lieder" or "Adoramus te" at his grave. You sort of owe him this gracious gesture and the choir will never forget this unique thrill.

Mandatory pieces:

* Sacred or secular piece of the choirs´ choice of the Renaissance period

* Johannes Brahms "Adoramus te" from opus 37 (Drei geistliche Chöre)

* "Das kleine Hallelujah" by Herwig Reiter (2003)