The 62nd Cork International Choral Festival presents a Choral Symposium and Symposium Fringe over three days.

A new style of presentation will offer symposium attendees a more relevant and engaging approach to how texts are selected, the related process of composing music appropriate to the text, and the input of the singers as to its accessibility. Two new works will be featured, and given their world premieres in Cork – A Half Darkness – text by Aoife Mannix and music by Stephen McNeff (jointly commissioned by CICF and CCI), and Changed Utterly by the winner of this year’s Sean O Riada Competition, Amanda Feery (supported by the O Riada family). The premiere performances of both works are integrated into CCI’s Friday evening’s concert programme. Session II

In the second of two sessions curated by Paul Hillier and turning attention to the Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition, Paul Hillier, Stephen McNeff, and the singers of Chamber Choir Ireland will discuss the subject of writing choral music today considering the needs and limitations of writing effectively for the voice in a choral context. The choir will give readings of two further selected composers of the Composition Competition – Criostóir Ó Loingsigh with his piece Fornocht do chonac thú and Peter Moran with his piece The Four Noble Truths, as well as further reflection on the winning entry.

Stack Theatre, CIT Cork School of Music

Admission: FREE