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Our aftermovie is ready

The aftermovie of the 7th edition of the CantaRode international choral festival is ready. Enjoy the beautiful images of the enthousiastic singers and public. Click here.

Enthousiastic reactions

During and after our festival we received many enthousiastic reactions from the choir members, the jury and visitors. Fenna Ograjensek, soloist Feel te Spirit: I really enjoyed this project. It’s nice to feel the energy of everyone and to be inspired by it yourself. Brady Allred, member of the jury: Returning home after a truly…

L1 radio (Blaaskracht) will broadcast our competition rounds

On Sunday evening 18 June between 18:00 – 21:00 hrs, L1 radio (Blaaskracht) will broadcast a part of our competition rounds. Definitely worth listening to and, for many, a chance to enjoy all the high quality singing of the choirs once again.

Final concert VOCES8 icing on the cake of CantaRode festival

The icing on the cake of our festival was the final concert by VOCES8. A packed theater enjoyed the performance of this famous ensemble from London.

Results of the 7th edition of the CantaRode International Choral Festival

1 Samford University A Capella Choir – USA 2 Stockholms Musikgymnasium Youth Choir 2023 – Sweden 3 University of Houston Concert Chorale – USA 4 Chamber Choir Sophia Kiev – Ukraine 5 Eller Girls’ Choir – Estonia 6 Brussels Young Adult Choir – Belgium 7 Nefesch Vokalensemble – Germany 8 Hera Vrouwenkoor – The Netherlands…

Samford University A Cappella Choir wins the seventh edition of the CantaRode International Choir Festival

The Samford University A Cappella Choir won the seventh edition of the CantaRode International Choir Festival. They also won the audience award and their conductor Philip Copeland won the award for best conductor. The second prize was for the Stockholms Musikgymnasium Youth Choir 2023. The University of Houston Concert Chorale came in third. The festival…

So much fun at the Sing Along

The Sing Along in the city centre of Kerkrade was so much fun. The public and the choirs had a great time!

Second day of the competition

At 10 a.m. the second round of the competition started. Tense faces and high concentration before and relief after the performance. Who will win the first prize? The photo: the performance of Usmev Choir from Slovakia. They were the third choir that performed this morning.

L1 Cultuurcafé visits our festival

Live on the air: backstage interview by Jolien Linssen with conductor Philip Copeland and one of the choir members of Samford University a cappella choir and Peter Thomas, chairman CantaRode. Getting ready for their performance is Usmev Choir in stunning national costume.

Successful regional concerts CantaRode

Friday nigth the participating choirs performed at regional concerts in 5 beautiful locations in South Limburg. The concerts were organized by local choirs. The audience enjoyed the high level of choral singing.

Opening concert CantaRode: what an evening!

The opening concert of the CantaRode international choir festival was a party. A full theatre with an audience that enjoyed everything. The young singers who participated in Maria Guinand’s youth clinic were the first to perform. “Granny” Maria, as she introduced herself, stood in front of a group of kids who were visibly enthusiastic and…

Workshop ‘Feel the Spirit’ has started

Last night and today choir members attend the “Feel the Spirit” workshop led by Brady Allred in Rolduc’s Aula Minor. Tonight they will perform during the opening concert.

The choirs are arriving in Kerkrade

After sometimes many ours of travelling, the choirs arrive and report to CantaRode’s Infodesk. Some choirs start rehearsing immediately after arriving. Welcome to Kerkrade, welcome to CantaRode!

On Sunday, May 14, board member John Gubbels was the guest of L1 ‘Blaaskracht’, the radio program of L1. He enthusiastically told about the highlights of our CantaRode International Choir Festival. Blaaskracht – L1

Let the festival begin!

Last Friday the board of CantaRode had their last meeting. The program booklets are ready, the flyer for the next festival in 2025 is printed, the beach flags arrive on Monday, the last press information has been send and the script is finished. In short, the preparations are done, time for action! We wish you…

CantaRode in broadcast Beleef Kerkrade television

Artistic director Dion Ritten talks about the festival’s program in the broadcast of Beleef Kerkrade tv: Watch the entire broadcast or the item from the festival (from 44th minute).

Closing concert VOCES8 sold out!

The closing concert with VOCES8 is sold out! You can subscribe here for the waiting list or contact Parkstad Limburg Theaters via 045-5716607.

Sophia Chamber Choir wins European Grand Prix for choral singing

On Saturday, April 29, the Sophia Chamber Choir from Kiev won the European Grand Prix for choral singing in Debrecen, Hungary. A great achievement of the choir and their conductor Oleksii Shamrytskyi. Congratulations!

Five regional concerts

CantaRode, in cooperation with local choirs, has organized five regional concerts. The concerts will take place in: The monastery in Wittem The Asta Theatre in Beek The Kopermolen in Vaals The Cultuurhuis in Landgraaf The Laurentius Church in Voerendaal Information on participating choirs, tickets and start: https://www.cantarode.nl/programma/concerten/

Pre CantaRode concert in Venray

On Wednesday 17 May, a pre CantaRode concert will take place in Venray in the Sint-Petrus’ Bandenkerk, Monseigneur Goumansplein in Venray. The concert will start at 20:00. Entrance is free; free gift. The concert will be graced by chamber choir Sophia from Kiev (Ukraine) conducted by Oleksii Shamritskyi and by Vocal Group Transparant conducted by…

7th edition of Cantarode International Choral festival largest ever!

With 13 participating choirs from 10 different countries, the 7th edition will be the largest ever in the history of our festival. The large number of singers who have signed up for the workshops shows that many are actively engaged in singing. I am proud of the growth of CantaRode in Kerkrade and its surroundings,”…

13 choirs have registered

It’s obvious that our festival has a good reputation. For this edition 13 choirs applied. The participants competing for the prizes know that they have to set a high standard in this international field of top choirs. The participating choirs are: Usmev Choir – Slowakia University of Houston Concert Chorale – USA Damkören Korallerna – …

CantaRode 2023 registration competition deadline closed

Registration for the competition of the 7th CantaRode International Choral Festival is closed. CantaRode International Choir Festival will take place from 18 – 21 May 2023. More information can be found elsewhere on this site. Also this year there is a wide field of participants with choirs from all over the world. The participants will…

Voces8 comes to CantaRode 2023

The five gentlemen and three ladies have also been called the Rolls-Royce among a cappella ensembles. Their incredible timing and the smooth blending of their eight voices is indeed breathtaking. Since their formation 15 years ago, they have sung in such renowned concert halls as London’s Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Tokyo Opera City and…

A Scalpella wins CantaRode 2022

The Swedish choir A Scalpella won the CantaRode International Choir Festival with a score of 517.8 points from the jury. In addition to a trophy and cash prize, they also won a guest appearance at Musica Sacra in Maastricht. Seven international top choirs provided a varied program during the 6th edition of the festival. The…

SINGER PUR closes CantaRode 2022

The renowned vocal ensemble Singer Pur will close the CantaRode International Choir Festival in Kerkrade on Sunday 29 May. Tickets for the concert are now available. The desire to sing a cappella as a major focus of their lives was clear to the founders of Singer Pur from their school days onwards: shortly after leaving…

Registration period extended until 15 February 2022

The registration period of the CantaRode International Choir Festival has been extended until 15 February 2022. Initially the registration period ended on December 15 of this year, but due to the corona pandemic, many choirs were unable to rehearse for a long time this past year. And because good preparation for a festival like CantaRode…

Workshop ‘New choir repertoire’ cancelled

The workshop ‘New choir repertoire after corona time’ on Saturday, January 22 will not take place. The workshop had already been postponed once, but has now been cancelled altogether. The organization has noticed that due to the recent rise of corona infections, there is less interest in the workshop than previously hoped. The intention of…

Registration festival May 2023 closed

The next edition of the CantaRode International Choral Festival will take place from May 18-21, 2023 in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. Registration for the 2023 festival is closed. Choirs from all over the world are welcome to participate in the competition, workshops and numerous performances. In a short period of time CantaRode has managed to gain…

CantaRode postponed to 2022

The CantaRode International Choral Festival in Kerkrade, scheduled for May next year, will be postponed for one year to the weekend following Ascension Day 2022. That’s what the Board of CantaRode has decided. Due to the current corona pandemic, it is not possible to organize a fully-fledged festival with competition next year. The preparations for…

Cooperation with choral festival Marktoberdorf

CantaRode International Choral Festival has entered into a unique partnership with the well-known chamber choir festival of Marktoberdorf (MOD Festivals) in Germany. The two festivals usually take place one after the other, which makes it interesting for choirs from to register for both festivals. Especially for choirs from outside of Europe, the combination of both…

International toppers in jury CantaRode ’21

Musical toppers from five different countries will form the jury during CantaRode 2021. The sixth edition of the international choral festival will take place from 13 to 16 May 2021 in the Dutch city of Kerkrade. The organization is proud that it has once again succeeded in finding five renowned musicians willing to participate in…

CantaRode invites for May 2021

The CantaRode International Choral Festival invites choirs from all over the world to attend the 6th edition in May 13-16, 2021. The festival will be held in the city of Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Perform at the opening concert, participate in two rounds of competition, give concerts in the region with local choirs, enjoy singing with…

CantaRode four times on L1 radio and tv

The regional broadcaster L1 has made several recordings during CantaRode 2019. They will be broadcast on four different days later this month. The recordings of the opening concert with presentation of all participating choirs and the concert by the Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig will be broadcast on the L1-radio on Sunday 16 June at 7…

CantaRode 2019 was a great success

The fifth edition of the CantaRode International Choral Festival was a great success last weekend. The many concerts and performances, the competition and the workshops could count on a lot of enthusiasm from both the singers and the audience. The festival started well on Thursday May 30 with a fantastic performance by the Calmus Ensemble…

German Chamber Choir from Detmold wins CantaRode 2019

The Chamber Choir of the Detmold Music University in Germany has won CantaRode 2019. That was announced on Sunday afternoon during the closing concert of the International Choir Festival in the church of Rolduc Abbey in Kerkrade. The jury appreciated the performance of the student choir with 930 of the 1000 points to be awarded.…

Jollity during Singalong

After the excitement of the competition, the ‘Singalong’ was a welcome release for all CantaRode singers on Saturday evening. For months they have practiced and rehearsed. They looked out to the festival for weeks. Friday and Saturday were the decisive days on which the choirs could show what they can. Once the competition was over,…

Tough job for jury

Judging the choirs that participated in the CantaRode competition will be a tough one for the jury. On the second day of competition it turned out that the choirs are very well matched. All nine participating choirs sang works from a prescribed period on Friday. They were allowed to organize the Saturday program completely free.…

Good first competition day

The first day of the competition of CantaRode 2019 went very well. The participating choirs are of a very high level. They have all done their best to impress the jury. Special was that the choir ‘Los Cantantes de Manila’ arrived in Kerkrade at a quarter past five in the morning and was already on…

Great opening CantaRode 2019

The International Choral Festival CantaRode 2019 started Thursday MayPictures CantaRode 2019 30 with a great concert. After the opening speech by chairman Peter Thomas of CantaRode and Jos Som the mayor of Kerkrade, eight of the nine choirs that participate in the competition of CantaRode presented themselves. A choir from the Philippines was still on…

International top choirs visit Kerkrade

Fifth Choir Festival CantaRode May 30 – June 2, 2019 During the Choir Festival CantaRode at the end of this month ten international top choirs from all parts of the world will visit Kerkrade. The opening concert will be performed by Calmus, one of Germany’s most famous vocal ensembles from Leipzig. Altogether over 500 singers…

Calmus Ensemble opens CantaRode

One of Germany’s most famous vocal ensembles – the Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig – comes to Kerkrade. On Thursday 30 May the five singers will give the opening concert of the CantaRode International Choir Festival, which is being held for the fifth time this year. During the concert in Theater Kerkrade the choirs who are…

Registration period extended until February

The registration period of the International Choral Festival CantaRode next year has been extended to 1 February 2019. Therefore, CantaRode wants to give more choirs the opportunity to register. The registration for the 2019 festival actually closed on 15 December 2018. A large number of choirs from all parts of the world have already registered.…

Promised: Amaranthe received a prize

Promise is debt. Even if you have to drive a few hundred kilometers. And so on Sunday December 16th, a delegation from the board of CantaRode went to the Flemish city of Oudenaarde, to hand over the deserved prize to the young ladies’ choir Amaranthe. The choir won the first prize of our fourth International…

Royal medal for Toon Peerboom

One of the founding fathers of the International Choral Festival CantaRode – Toon Peerbom – has received a royal medal for his merits for the music. He has been appointed “Knight in the order of Oranje Nassau”, which is a highclass medal, granted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands for people who make special efforts.…

Registration CantaRode 2019 started

5th International Choral Festival CantaRode Next spring the International Choral Festival CantaRode will be held in The Netherlands for the fifth time. Choirs from all over the world who want to participate in this festival, can sign up now. CantaRode 2019 takes place from May 30th– June 2th2019 in the city of Kerkrade in The…

Register now for Choral Festival CantaRode ’19

The end of the registration period for the International Choral Festival CantaRode 2019 is approaching. Choirs who want to participate must register as soon as possible. Subscriptions must in principle be received on December 15, 2018. CantaRode is an international festival for chamber choirs in the Netherlands. The festival takes place from 30 May to…

Preparations Cantarode 2019 started

The preparations for CantaRode 2019 have started. The fifth edition of the international choral festival in the Netherlands will take place next year from Thursday May 30 to Sunday June 2. The organization hopes that many chamber choirs from all parts of the world will come to the Dutch city of Kerkrade to enter into a…