Visitors to Sligo in November are in for a musical treat. The Sligo Choral Music Festival is Ireland’s second largest choral festival and sees national and international choirs converge on the town of Sligo to compete in competitions.
The choral music festival will have all sorts of choirs (male, female, mixed, youth, large and small and of all different ages from various countries) singing a variety of songs and musical styles encompassing everything from sacred classical music to modern barbershop and beyond. And being Sligo the birthplace of Ireland’s most famous poet, there is even a special W.B Yeats inspired competition whereby competing choirs turn the iconic poets many poems into songs set to music.
Sligo is host to the Sligo International Choral Festival from the 14th until the 16th November
With over 50 choirs competing in some hotly contested competitions (12 in all run over 2 days), audiences and people planning a vacation to Ireland and more importantly Sligo, will be treated to some wonderful singing and musical styles from choirs of all ages and groups from Ireland and all over Europe. And aside from sweet choral music emerging from the competitions visitors keen on improving their own singing technique will be happy with the variety of workshops and master classes for both adult and youth choirs.
Running from Friday November the 14th to Sunday November the 16th, it is an action packed three days. Starting off with a grand concert on the Friday night, there is festival club runs each night. One day of the festival will be taken up with choirs performing in the streets, pubs and shopping centres of Sligo and Sunday will see choirs singing at services in every church in the town. All this combined with the two days of competitions and three days of workshops and master classes and you have an educational and entertaining weekend festival.
For those planning a trip to Ireland, this festival presents the perfect opportunity for lovers of all choral music and indeed all musical influences to explore Sligo town and surrounds in the North West of Ireland.