First ever Choir Night with over 900 participants hailed a great success

The organisers of the first ever Zug Choir Night were delighted with how everything went last Saturday when some 900 singers took part in 60 short concerts.

The performances took places in all areas of the city, from Hirschenplatz and other streets in the Old Town to the Theater Casino and the city park, where, for example, the Zug Nostalgia Choir sang (photograph).

In addition to looking forward to hearing some fine singing, the warm weather helped to bring out the crowds to experience it all, much to the delight of one of the organisers, Myrtha Schuler.

Some members of the public stayed in one place and awaited the next choir at the same venue, as others moved around. While the changeover of choirs and public went swimmingly at the Theater Casino, a little more time was needed at the Rathaussaal, for example.

Another member of the organising committee, Szilvia Géczy, who is the conductor of the Zug Singing Circle, was equally delighted with how the evening went, showing the public how enjoyable it can be to sing in a choir and, in some cases, persuading them to join in, too.

Johannes Meister, the conductor of Audite Nova, Zug’s largest choir, said the original idea for such an event came up at a committee meeting of the choir two years ago. He recognised there were certain people who hesitated about going to a concert, so taking the choirs to the streets was good way of bringing the music to them. In the end, as previously reported, the organisers presented the idea to a competition launched by the Zuger Kantonalbank, and it was accepted, ending up as one of twelve prize-winners, and, what is more, with the promise of financial support.

At around 11 pm the focus of attention was St Michael’s church, where the afore-mentioned Audite Nova choir, made up of no fewer than 100 members, performed in a most unusual and striking way. As Meister picked up his baton to start in a floodlit interior, the choir was not able to be seen at all. But, lo, seconds later a rousing rendition of Handel’s Halleluja Chorus was performed by members of the choir “hidden” among the congregation so to speak, an unforgettable and highly emotional moment.

This was followed by a performance of a humorous Ode to Music and the City of Zug composed by Cyrill Schürch to words by Judith Stadlin. As Andreas Wepler, the chairman of the organising committee, said afterwards, this could well become the anthem of the Zug Choir Night in future. There then followed a performance of the gospel song “Oh Happy Day” followed by more traditional Swiss music to the accompaniment of an alphorn.

So positive was the whole response to the event that already people are hankering to have it repeated. But will they have to wait another whole year?