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Ensemble · History | de | en |
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History
The ensemble was founded in 1984 and has been making music since 1990 with between 18 and 20 singers (male and female), performing two concert programmes per year. Their repertoire ranges from the sacred to the profane and concentrates predominantly on the renaissance and baroque musical periods. In addition to contemplative and serious works the ensemble performs works which are both witty and bright. They sing mostly acappella and in six-part harmony; from time to time they are accompanied by period instruments. Concert tours took the ensemble to Holland in 1995, to France in 1997 and in 1999 to Italy. Highlights of the Italian tour were concerts in the cathedral of the City of Pieve, Montepulciano, Perugia and appearances in the Basilica of San Lorenzo and Florence Cathedral. In August 2000 the ensemble took part in the Concorso Polifonico Guido d'Arezzo and in the festival "Rassegna Corale Internationale di Musica Sacra" in Arezzo Italy. In May and June 2001 the Winterthurer Vokalensemble performed Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt. In 2002 the Winterthurer Vokalensemble sang his program Song of Songs in severals beautiful churches in Switzerland and the Netherlands (Middelburg, Amsterdam, Goes). Sustained applause greeted the world première of Isconsolada, setting texts for Holy Week in Greek and Sardinian, was given by theWinterthur Vocal Ensemble, under the composer IVAN MOODY's direction, at the St Arbogastkirche in Oberwinterthur, Switzerland, on 13th May 2003.The work was part of a programme centred around Victoria's Requiem. The concert was repeated on 15th May at the magnificent baroque church at Rheinau and in November at the Cathedral of St.Gallen and Zurich Minster. Further collaborations with the Winterthur Vocal Ensemble are planned for the future. The programme 2004 was called "What
is our life" (pdf, 302kb, german).
Texts came from Sir Walter Raleigh, Petrarca, Tasso and others. Wonderful
concerts took place in the neighbourhood of Winterthur and in Zurich. In March/April, in August and in October 2005 the programme
"What
is our life" (pdf, 149kb, german)
was resumed, however, a third dimension was added to the music through
a contemporary dance performance. The local dancing company aha!tanzt
interpreted the programme through motion and included the Vocal Ensemble
scenically and in grand costume to its choreography.
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