It’s Day 365 of “365 Things to Do in Cincinnati” – what a milestone! And I couldn’t think of a better end to our first year than to tell you all about next summer’s World Choir Games 2012 by highlighting today’s World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012 kick-off event.
Cincinnati is the first city in the western hemisphere to host The World Choir Games. The World Choir games has been dubbed the “Olympics of Choir” and takes place every two years on a different continent. Past host cities include Linz (Upper Austrian capital), Busan (South Korea), Bremen (Germany), Xiamen (China), Graz (Austria), Shaoxing (China). “The idea of the World Choir Games originates from the effort to bring together people and peoples, who are united through singing, in peaceful competition. This way, the coming together of nations also in arts, can be effectively and illustratively demonstrated and continuously challenged.” (from Interkulter).
The opening ceremony for the World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012 will take place on July 4, 2012. It’s estimated that more than 400 choirs from more than 70 coutries will compete over the two weeks that will follow. Competitions will take place all over the city – with possible venues such as Music Hall, The Arnonoff, and Duke Energy Center. Musical categories include children’s choirs, chamber choirs, gospel, male and female choirs, jazz, show choir, and many more.
All of the pictures above were taken today when I was at Fountain Square for the World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012 Kick Off event. The square was jam packed with people. The Fountain Square stage saw lots of action today with choirs and solo artists taking the stage. Today’s event was “emcee-ed” by the very cute Drew Lachey and Whirl (the official World Choir Games mascot).
As you can see from the pictures, lots of people (both on and off the stage) were out singing and waving international flags. It was such a fabulous event – even in the 100 degree heat!
The World Choir Games Cincinnati countdown clock was also unveiled today. It will remain on the square all year and will serve as a great reminder of this amazing event.
The pin trading booth made its debut at the kick off today. There are numerous pins for the World Choir games and they’re hoping you’ll be willing to trade them once the event starts next year. People from all over the world will come equipped with pins to trade while they’re in Cincinnati. And the event itself has a number of pins to get you started…
So be sure to mark your calendars for next July 4-14 (2012). I know we’ll be planning our vacation around the event. Shoot – our vacation may very well BE the event next year!
The World Choir Games Cincinnati 2012 took place all over the city, July 4-14, 2012
