Association "The Choir of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia"
The Choir of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
The Choir was founded in October 2001 as a cultural activity promoted by the students. Since April 2002 the Choir has been officially constituted as a Student Society, including several students and staff from the University, among its founding members.
The society objects are:
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to promote public education in appreciation of the art of choral music by performing public concerts;
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to provide a centre for community and social activities;
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to promote exchange visits and develop links with university choirs in Italy and around Europe ;
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to contribute to the musical and cultural life of the local community.
The Choir always welcomes new singers and continues to grow in size. It has currently over 50 members, including students of the University, Erasmus students and staff members of the University, and it is open to anyone with a love of music and singing. Moreover, in performance the Choir is joined and accompanied by an instrument ensemble.
The repertoire is hugely varied. It covers a wide range of music, from classical choral works to modern and contemporary pieces, which include also choral arrangements of film scores and popular music.
During its first 10 years of activity the Choir has given more than 100 concerts. It plays a prominent part in the cultural life of the university, performing at various events, such as the annual ceremony for the opening of the academic year. It is regularly invited to perform for local institutions and charities, and every year it is involved in the Christmas concert featuring traditional and modern Christmas carols.
Over the past years the choir has developed links with many university choirs around Europe and several exchange visits have taken place every year. Among these, in Italy the Choir has collaborated with the choirs of the University of Pavia, Pisa, Palermo, Perugia, Ferrara, Parma, Genova, Salerno, Sassari, Camerino, Milano Bocconi, Milano Bicocca, Verona, Napoli l'Orientale, Roma Tor Vergata, Venezia and Torino.
Just to mention the most recent concerts, in 2012 the Choir has promoted a major concert in the 'Auditorium della Conciliazione' in Rome (“Grande Concerto degli Universitari”), which saw more than 400 members of university choirs come together for a joint performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. In July 2013 the Choir has given two important concerts for charitable purposes, performing Mozart's Requiem in San Leo (Rimini) at the “San Leo Festival” and in the Cathedral in Reggio Emilia. The Choir was then selected to perform at the Arena di Verona in September 2014, during the big operatic concert "L'opera č...la grande bellezza!". Recently the Choir has partecipated in two big events which gathered many other Italian and European choirs: International Festival of University Choirs “Unincanto” held in Florence in May 2015 and the First International Symposium of University Choirs and Orchestras at the Free University of Bozen in November 2015.
Since its foundation the Choir has been conducted by M. Antonella Coppi.