Čarobna frula and INTERKULTUR - World Choir Games in Cincinnati 2012

By Marijan Milić (President of Croatian Music Society Čarobna frula, Conductor of youth choir Čarobna frula)

When I saw on web the announcement for the 1st Choir Olympics in Linz 2000, I said to myself: That’s it! We want to be there! It was the first competition ever for the children choir Vrapčići and the youth choir Čarobna frula. Still remember the scream of my singers when we got a green light from the Art Committee to go to the 1st Choir Olympics, the "Little Sparrow" (that’s the meaning of the name Vrapčići in English) Diary from a girl chorister named Tena and the great feeling of belonging to the world choir movement.

Until then, Vrapčići and/or Čarobna frula have been in Busan, Bremen, Xiamen, Graz, Shaoxing… We have never missed any of the World Choir Games issues (!) – And now we are preparing for Cincinnati 2012. It’s still so exciting!

It was always very difficult and stressful to organize the trip, especially to far East destinations in Korea and China, but somehow we managed to do it. Mainly because we wanted it so much, that we have never thought of giving up. Sometimes we had only 7 singers (like in Busan 2002), in Xiamen we had an epic journey from Zagreb to Moscow, from Moscow to Hong Kong, and then (as the only international choir!) by bus (12 hours) to Xiamen. It was altogether 6 days on air or road, two nights sleeping on airports, but now we remember only the good things from our first visit in China.

Make it simple: We love to sing, to meet new people, we are curious about other countries, costumes and cultures. When we’re a part of those positive, good vibrating events like the World Choir Games, the whole year’s work in music school, all those countless rehearsals in our musical society, get a meaning, no matter if we get a bronze, silver, or gold medal.

In the year 2010 in Shaoxing Čarobna frula has been part of the international choir conducted by Gábor Hollerung. We’ll never forget the wonderful feeling of satisfaction and joy after the "We Are The World" concert at Shanghai’s EXPO, when we sang with a Philharmonic orchestra and about 2000 Chinese singers, the enthusiasm on faces of ordinary Chinese people saying hello and expressing their gratitude and thrill for such a rare opportunity of meeting Western music cultural heritage.

As the World Choir Games is growing from one edition to another, we are full of expectation for the next one in Cincinnati, looking forward to be part of another great musical celebration and moments to remember. We’ll compete in three categories: Musica Sacra, Jazz and Folklore. My singers' favorite category is Folklore, and (at the moment) the song Sing, Sing Sing by Louis Prima.

In order to make money for the trip, we’ll try to give as many concerts as possible, so we prepare also songs of The Beatles, a repertoire for Christmas concerts, a program of Musica Sacra for a church performance… We’re really busy.

But, when we think of visiting America (for all singers it will be the first time ever), going to Cincinnati, singing in the World Choir Games, nothing seems to be too difficult.

See you in Cincinnati 2012!