Doha: Qatar Youth Choir is heading to Lisbon to perform at the World Choral Expo as part of a process that will determine who will host the World Symposium of Choral Music in 2023. The singing group are one of just eight world youth choirs to be invited and will perform at various venues over the course of the 5-day event.

The World Symposium of Choral Music, held once every three years, would attract 2000-4000 international delegates to Qatar and reinforce the country’s position as a hub for cultural events.

The bid has been driven primarily by Qatar Concert Choir Director Giovanni Pasini and Jennifer Taynen, and Alena Pyne will be the Choral Adviser for the Symposium should Qatar be successful. This team has been extensively supported by Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and other partners of the State of Qatar including Qatar Airways. As part of the bidding process, the President Emily Kuo Vong and Vice-President Gábor Móczár from the International Federation for Choral Music visited Qatar in April.

“Attracting large scale conferences and events such as the World Choral Symposium is a key driver for the tourism industry’s growth, and QNTC is committed to supporting bids to win the rights for hosting such events across various fields. We are confident that the passion, energy and skill of Qatar Youth Choir will impress the delegates and the board at IFCM. We are delighted to support this talented group and wish them every success with their performance and their bid,” said Rashed AlQurese, Chief Marketing Officer at QNTC.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Salam Al Shawa said: “We are delighted to support the Qatar Youth Choir’s trip to Lisbon and enable them to represent Qatar on the global stage by showcasing their incredible choral talent to the world. This sponsorship is an expression of our confidence in Qatar Youth Choir’s ability to impress this important audience, and in the ability of Qatar’s organizing committee and wider business community to attract and deliver an outstanding World Choral Symposium in 2023.”

Qatar Youth Choir’s Director Alena Pyne expressed how important this sponsorship and vote of confidence is to Qatar Youth Choir, which is just 5 years old. She and these teenage singers, aged 14 to 18 years auditioned from across the community of Qatar, work extremely hard to take their performance to the next level.

She added, “We are passionate, have immense drive and commitment and deserve the confidence and support of Qatar’s business community. We are so grateful to our longtime partners Yamaha Fifty One East (Music Square & FNAC), Millennium Hotel Al Saad, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Swiss International School Qatar, and the German Embassy of Doha who have loyally supported us all this time. Their continued support is vital to us.”

Source: Peninsula