Inspired by the singing virus

The European Youth Choir Festival (EJCF), which emerged from an ideas competition organized by the Christoph Merian Foundation in 1992, took place in Basel for the tenth time. Co-founder Beat Raaflaub looks back: "Despite all the changes since the first edition, the core idea has been preserved: the peaceful coexistence of very good youth choirs from Europe and overseas without a competitive character. We conceived the EJCF as a festival of encounters." So no elitism, but an experience full of joie de vivre and the joy of singing.

The choirs from the Bäumlihof, Leonhard, Münsterplatz, Liestal, Münchenstein, Muttenz and Oberwil grammar schools took turns to sing a cappella or with subtle instrumental accompaniment at various locations in Basel. It was amazing how the high school students were able to concentrate in the hustle and bustle of the city. The eleven singers from the Leonhard-Schulhaus managed the songs formidably under the baton of their singing director. Some of them hummed their pulses, while two particularly talented singers performed solos. Children sat on the floor in front of the youngsters and listened spellbound, older passers-by stopped and swayed to the rhythm. The large choirs from Liestal and Muttenz secondary schools were also very popular. With the indestructible Zogä am Bogä they captured the hearts of the audience, humming along was compulsory.

Own and foreign folk songs
There was no sign of musical fatigue, of "no desire to sing"; the standard of the 18 participating choirs from all over Europe was very high, as the opening concert showed. Here, the participating choirs met on a musical level after their preparation in their home countries, in keeping with the aim of the festival. Each choir had spent the morning learning a folk song from a partner choir from their own culture, and the songs were presented to the audience together in the Casino Hall in the evening.

The performances were colorful, the atmosphere in the packed hall was cheerful and lively, and there was a lot to discover. The idea of meeting foreign cultures through singing bore fruit and led to constant smiles. For example, there was the program of the phenomenal youth choir Tutarchela from Georgia. In their colorful traditional costumes, they sang folk songs from their homeland, first slowly, polyphonically and in perfect harmony, followed by a fast-paced part, accompanied by dancing. The men's choir Zero8ʼs Youth Choir from Sweden, which specializes in barbershop singing, was then introduced to Georgian folk music, with one of the young men dancing with a Georgian girl to the delight of the audience.

Swiss formations were also present, such as the two boys' choirs from Basel and Solothurn. The Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió from Spain was arousing great enthusiasm: Singing, sounds and movements with arms and legs were performed with virtuoso perfection, rhythmically tricky due to syncopation and changing registers. An inspiring evening!