Address by Emil Steinberger

A Choir of Nations ...

Now, this was a surprise. There on stage in Solothurn was a choir calling itself “Choir of Nations“ and – I was at once enchanted by it. Not only because of its quality, but because I was fascinated by the idea of bringing people from totally different nations together to form a wonderful choir. I kept looking at the singers. So many very different faces. Many different cultures were present here, that was quite obvious. This touched me deeply since in our country we keep discussing so many problems that arise in connection with people from other cultures. And often these cultures stand in each other's way, which can then lead to very complicated confrontations. But the songs meld everything together; different languages are no obstacle here. All the singers find the right chord, that is everyone endeavours to learn texts in foreign languages, to practise unfamiliar accents, to capture unusual rhythms. Every choir member is open to the unaccustomed, the unfamiliar. The song lyrics in foreign languages are diligently rehearsed until everything turns into a perfect unity. The conductor’s achievement merits particular mention here, for he cannot concentrate solely on his work with his baton but has to master verbal communication in a number of languages as well. I take my hat off to him. We gladly applaud the quality of the performances, but also the spirit behind all of this which is also present within the choir. I can only call it “exemplary“.

Emil Steinberger, August 3, 2009