Prince George’s Nove Voce choir is a self-proclaimed small-town choir with a big story.
The successful women’s choir has already won second place at the 2018 National Music Festival; now they've set their sights on the 4th annual European Choir Games in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Choirs from all over the world will come together in Gothenburg in August, 2019 to compete in an Olympics of vocal prowess where they will perform in 10 competition categories in front of an international jury to see who comes out on top.
To make their dream of competing in the European Choir Games a reality, Nove Voce singers have launched a crowdfunding campaign on their website and recently held an Abba-themed roller disco fundraiser at the Roll-A-Dome.
“We have since founded a place to express ourselves musically with those who share a passion for singing and the aspirations for musical excellence,” says choir member Andrea Jex in a statement on the choir’s website.
“Nove Voce Choral Society has grown from humble beginnings into a women’s chamber choir who have not only represented Prince George in provincial competitions but also represented British Columbia in National Competitions. We now have the chance to compete on the international scene in 2019! “
The choir was formed in 2005 and first started out as a small group of volunteers who sang Christmas carols in various locations for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign, raising over $1,000 in the process.
While Nove Voce is Latin for “Nine Voices” the choir is now 27 members strong, and made up of women of various ages, with many of them currently studying in university or college.
Nove Voce is also in its 15th season and the group, led by choir director Robin Norman, has had a long list of successes over the years but they have not yet competed internationally.
“Nove Voce has not yet been able to compete internationally but with the financial support of those in our local Prince George and wider British Columbian and Canadian communities, our dream of competing in an international choral competition could be realized,” says Jex.
The choir has made previous attempts in the past to compete in international competitions but none have been successful.
“For years - and we mean years - we've dreamt of going abroad to a larger international competition,” states the choir on their website. “In the early 2000s we planned for Italy - it fell through due to cost. In the mid-2000s we tried China - it fell through due to cost. Now that our choir has grown to over 25 women, we feel this is the time to make it happen!”
To get to the 2019 European Choir Games, Nove Voce has a fundraising goal $20,000.
Nove Voce estimates a cost of $4,000 per person, and plan to use the funds toward the travel expenses so they can lower the cost to $2,500 per person which would make the trip more affordable for the choir members to attend.
Visit Nove Voce’s website to contribute to the campaign.
