International choir singing in Neuwied-Engers
from 8th to 14th September 2024
“We came as individual voices and left as a choir!”
In the State Music Academy of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the picturesque Engers Castle, located directly on the Rhine, 19 jumeleurs from 4 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland) met with a choirmaster to sing together for a week and experience the Rhineland culture.
It was a premiere within Eurojumelages, a meeting just for singing. Everyone was willing to take part in the experiment: The jumeleurs with their different voices and the choirmaster who was to mould them into a melodious choir. The historic castle with its rehearsal rooms, guest rooms and Rhine terrace was the ideal location for this ambitious project.
As soon as we arrived in the glorious sunshine, the mood among the 19 jumeleurs, some of whom had never met before, was excellent. In the evening, under the expert direction of the experienced choirmaster Willi Becker, the expectant community of jumelage singers came together to form a polyphonic choir. Everyone had found their right place in the choir with their voice soprano – alto – tenor – bass.
Under the motto ▶“Why we sing“ the piece of the same name by Greg Gilpin was rehearsed with great joy and vigour in the following days under Willi's direction ▶The anthem of Eurojumelages - based on the melody of Beethoven's 9th symphony - was realised in German, French and Italian in 4 voices.
Other pieces, such as Brahms' ▶“Erlaube mir feins Mädchen“, , in accordance with 
the Rhine ▶"Loreley“ and ▶“Bridge over troubled water“ were a lot of fun to perform. Of course, “Aux Champs Elysées” was not to be missed. Other short pieces such as ▶"Amazing Grace" enriched the repertoire.
Willi’s warm-up and vocal training exercises at the beginning of each rehearsal ensured a relaxed atmosphere and a successful start to each new day.
Although the choir rehearsed intensively all day, singers of the different vocal ranges met for individual rehearsals during the breaks and supported each other in pronunciation. The music soon resounded not only from the large garden hall, but also from the numerous rehearsal rooms, sometimes with piano accompaniment. The samples were even taken out onto the Rhine promenade and delighted passing walkers.
Individual passages from Loreley „Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt und ruhig fließt der Rhein“ (The air is cool and it is getting dark and the Rhine flows quietly) were quoted on the Rhine terrace of the castle to suit the situation and provided hilarity.
The highlight on Friday was the presentation of the result of our collaboration with the choirmaster, musically supported by the Duo W (piano and violin), to the members of the Koblenz and Bonn associations as listening guests in the garden hall of the castle. Afterwards they had the opportunity to sing, too.
Peter Backes expressed his thanks for the successful choir experiment and presented the two organisers, Rita and Michaela, with a bouquet of flowers each.
In addition to the choir rehearsals, there were also 2 excursions to the Rhineland region. In Koblenz, the programme included a visit to the Deutsches Eck, a boat trip on the Rhine, a cable car ride up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and a short guided tour of the city by our choirmaster Willi Becker.
On the trip to Bonn we were accompanied by the jumeleuse Carola from Bonn. So we stopped for a walk through the small idyllic town of Königswinter. In Bonn, Carola gave us an entertaining tour of the city and its sights (Simone also provided a French translation). The visit to Beethoven’s birthplace established the connection to our anthem.
After the visits, the participants enjoyed dinner together in a typical local restaurant.
What can be achieved with voices after years of practice was presented to us in the magnificent Diana Hall of the castle by the world-famous acapella quintet “Amarcord”, who were guests at the castle at the same time and gave concerts in the surrounding area.
We will particularly remember the evenings in the castle's vaulted cellar. There was a convivial musical get-together with songs from many countries until late into the night. This was made possible by the atmospheric accompaniment of Franco with his guitar and Willi Elz with his accordion.
"We came as individual voices and left as a choir!”
All participants agreed that together they had created a great musical experience, which from now on should find a permanent place in Eurojumelages alongside the cultural, linguistic and sporting events. New friendships were realised across borders thanks to the international language of music! You could see the participants' enthusiasm right to the end and the visit will remain an ▶emotional memory for everyone.
Katrin Lautenbach
association of Bonn
Germany
