Shallaway wins top international award

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation Paul Shelley today congratulated Shallaway on winning the top choral prize in an international choral competition at the 37th Annual Tolosa International Choral Festival held in the Basque region of Spain. Shallaway: Newfoundland and Labrador Youth in Chorus (formerly, the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Choir), won the 2005 top honour for youth choirs on October 31 on the closing night of the competition. The group was also awarded first runner up in the overall festival.

The Tolosa Festival is one of the most prestigious choral events in the world, with choirs attending only at the invitation of the festival organizers.

�Time and time again, Newfoundland and Labrador displays its artistic ability on the world�s stage and receives the well-deserved honour that such performances elicit,� said Minister Shelley. �Shallaway, under the direction of its Artistic Director and Founder Susan Knight have, once again, proven the caliber of talent that is so engrained in the culture of the people of our province. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to these wonderful ambassadors, on this prestigious recognition of their choral excellence.�

In addition to competing against choirs from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain and Israel, Shallaway also gains exposure to the cultural aspects of the Basque region while on tour. On November 2, they will visit the French Basque area to learn more about the connections between Labrador and Basque whalers. On November 4, they are scheduled to visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The Guggenheim Museum, designed by Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry, will provide the choir with a world-class visual arts experience.

The minister also said that the youth choir had the opportunity to perform in other cities in Spain and France. On October 30, the choir performed in St. Jean de Luz, France, as part of the Festival Internationale de Chant Choral au Pays Basque, one of the main ports for the departure of Basque Whalers to Labrador in the sixteenth century. On November 1, Shallaway performed in Portugalette, a community close to Bilbao, Spain.

�Each of these choral members have not only an exceptional choral ability, but they also demonstrate qualities of leadership, dedication and a genuine love of their home,� said the minister. �I am also delighted for their inter-cultural experiences and their promotion of our province. These are valuable aspects of the experience as well.�

Media contact: Melony O�Neill, Communications, (709) 729-0557, (709) 728-7762

2005 11 02                         2:55 p.m.