Idaho International Choral Festival
TICKETS July 12-16, 2023
Schedule in Pocatello, ID

Montana International Choral Festival
TICKETS July 19-22, 2023
Schedule in Missoula, MT

This event is recommended by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

The Poznań Boys’ Choir is embarking on a journey to the USA, where it will be the only Polish ensemble participating in two major choral festivals on the West Coast of the United States – the Idaho International Choral Festival  and the Montana International Choral Festival. Jacek Sykulski’s ensemble will start their journey in Pocatello, Idaho, where they will perform alongside seven other choirs from the USA, Costa Rica, China, and Spain. Then, the Poznań Boys’ Choir will travel to Missoula, Montana, where they will sing among representatives from five continents – Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. 

During both events, the Poznań Boys’ Choir will perform a total of 15 times, presenting a program divided into three parts. The first part, titled “Pearls of Polish Sacred Music,” will include works by the most eminent Polish composers, ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary music. Audiences will have the opportunity to hear compositions e.g. by Mikołaj Zieleński, Feliks Nowowiejski, Z. Preisner, M.K. Ogiński, and Jacek Sykulski. The next segment of the repertoire will be “Voices from the Past,” a program prepared to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 2023. The main aim of presenting this repertoire is to raise international awareness of the tragic history of Polish Jews persecuted during World War II, with a particular focus on their lives in the Warsaw Ghetto, and to pay a musical tribute to the fallen fighters. English-language brochures providing historical background information about the performed repertoire will accompany the musical presentations. The third and final part of the Poznan Boys’ Choir’s presentation will consist of slightly lighter genre pieces, which will appear in the last phase of each concert or be presented as encores. These will include various arrangements of classical and popular music hits.

The participation of the Poznań Boys’ Choir in these festivals will be an opportunity to creatively summarize the ensemble’s twenty-year history under the direction of Jacek Sykulski, during which the choir has become a recognizable brand not only in Poland but also in many countries around the world.

The Idaho International Choral Festival has been taking place every three years in the city of Pocatello, United States of America, since 1999. The aim of the event is to showcase the universal language of music while presenting the cultural diversity of choirs from around the world. The organizers want to emphasize that music brings people together and allows for the building of interpersonal bonds based on friendship and mutual understanding. In the 2023 edition, eight choirs from around the world will perform, representing five continents. The Poznan Boys’ Choir is one of two European groups and the only choir from Poland. The choir has previously visited Idaho in 2016, and participating in the upcoming festival will make them part of a small group of choirs that have performed in more than one edition. The festival will feature concerts held in indoor venues or outdoors on the Idaho State University campus and at the Stephens Performing Arts Center. The grand finale of the event will be a gala concert, where each choir will showcase their national or regional music, followed by a joint performance by all participants.

Participating choirs:
Coro Intermezzo – Costa Rica
Pan African Choir – Uganda
Portneuf Chamber Singers – United States of America
Poznań Boys’ Choir – Poland
Regional High School Honor Choir – United States of America
Spring Women’s Choir – United States of America
Tiantai Buddhism Conservatory Dawn Choir – China
Veus – Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió – Catalonia

The International Choral Festival in Missoula was the first event of its kind in the United States. The festival has been held since 1987. Its mission is to promote universal understanding on an international platform through choral music. Every three years, selected world-class choirs from around the globe are invited to the city of Missoula, Montana, to participate in public concerts and community-building activities. The festival enjoys a high reputation worldwide due to its commitment to performance quality during concerts and its support of musical cultural traditions from different parts of the world. It serves as a showcase for such choral gatherings on the international stage. Similarly to the festival in Idaho, during the event in Montana, the Poznan Boys’ Choir will be the sole representative of Poland. In addition to the Poznan Boys’ Choir, 10 other ensembles from the United States, Uganda, Taiwan, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Estonia, Georgia, and Costa Rica will also participate in the festival.

Participating Choirs
Coro Intermezzo – Costa Rica
E Studio Girls’ Choir – Estonia
E. Mikeladze Central Music School – Georgia
ChorWerk Saar Chamber Choir – Germany
Children’s Choir Ugnele – Lithuania
Poznań Boys’ Choir – Poland
Veus-Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió – Catalonia
Formosa Singers – Taiwan
Pan African Choir – Uganda
Sunday Night Singers – USA California
Salt Lake Vocal Artists – USA Utah

Co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund, Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the City of Poznań.