The lineup of choirs scheduled for the eight Celebration Concerts during the 2012 World Choir Games includes eight former champions, including two of the most decorated choirs in World Choir Games history, an all-star collegiate choir and a Cincinnati Public Schools Honor Choir that will perform with the Cincinnati Children’s Choir.

Celebration Concerts are themed performances that showcase some of the best choirs in the world. The choirs were selected by INTERKULTUR, the Germany-based owner and producer of the World Choir Games and numerous other choral festivals throughout the world.

The 7 th World Choir Games will be July 4-14 in Cincinnati USA. About 15,000 participants, including 352 choirs, from 61 countries have registered to participate in the World Choir Games, the Olympics of choral music that is held every two years. It will be in the United States for the first time.

"We just received the final confirmation last night, and we’re so excited to let people know the spectacular choirs they will see at these shows," said Jelena Dannhauer, project manager for INTERKULTUR. "We have choirs from 13 different countries and some really exciting groups from the United States scheduled for the Celebration Concerts. These will all be great performances fans will enjoy very much."

Among the participating choirs in Celebration Concerts: Guangdong Experimental Middle School Choir from China with four championships and nine gold medals (most in World Choir Games history) and Kearsney College Choir from South Africa, a two-time champion and eight-time gold-medal winner.

"What’s amazing is that before even announcing these choirs, we have sold almost half of all the tickets to the Celebration Concerts," said Nick Vehr, managing director of the Cincinnati Organizing Committee for the 2012 World Choir Games. "Now that the lineups have been announced, we expect the excitement for these events to just keep growing."

Tickets to Celebration Concerts range from $28 to $42. They will be held in Music Hall, Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cathedral Basilica, Cincinnati Masonic Center and the School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

A day-to-day schedule of all events is on the Games’ website, www.2012worldchoirgames.com. Tickets to all World Choir Games events are on sale through the website or by calling 513.977.6363. 2

Celebration Concert details:

7:30 p.m., July 5, Musica Sacra, Cathedral Basilica, Covington, Ky.

 Männerstimmen Basel (Switzerland), conducted by Oliver Rudin

 Nizhny Novgorod State University Choir (Russia), conducted by Larisa Erykalova

o 2008 Gold Medal, Mixed Choirs

 Sōa (Latvia), conducted by Kaspars Āamsons

7:30 p.m., July 5, Global Harmony, Cincinnati Masonic Center

 Capital University Chapel Choir (Columbus, Ohio, USA), conducted by Lynda Hasseler

 Diocesan Schools Choral Society (Hong Kong), conducted by Ronnie Kay Yen Cheng

o 2010 Champion of the World Choir Games, Musica Sacra

 Stellenbosch University Choir (South Africa), conducted by André van der Merwe

o 2004 Champion of the World Choir Games, Mixed Youth Choirs

o 2008 Champion of the World Choir Games, Musica Sacra

o 2010 Champion of the World Choir Games, Mixed Choirs & Musica Contemporanea

7:30 p.m., July 6, Voices of Gold, School for the Creative & Performing Arts

 Abbellimento (Czech Republic), conducted by Jarmila Novenková

o Gold Medal, 2011 Grand Prix of Choral Music, Graz, Austria, Female Choirs & Musica Sacra

 Mansfield University Concert Choir (Mansfield, Pennsylvania, USA), conducted by Peggy Dettwiler

o 2008 Champion of the World Choir Games, Jazz

 SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School (Hong Kong), conducted by Siu-Mei Lee

o 2010 Champion of the World Choir Games, Mixed Youth Choirs

 Zvonky Praha (Czech Republic), conducted by Jarmila Novenková

7:30 p.m., July 6, Pop the Night Away, Aronoff Center, presented by Cintas Corporation

 Human Nature (Australia)

o Four-man group performing Motown hits and doo-wop music

 Dekoor Close Harmony (The Netherlands), conducted by Christoph Mac-Carty

o 2010 Champion of the World Choir Games, Jazz

 Gold Company (Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA), conducted by Stephen Zegree

 The πGroup (China), conducted by Mr. Zhenxian Wang

7:30 p.m., July 8, Energy of Youth, Aronoff Center, presented by Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau

 Cincinnati Public Schools Honor Choir & Cincinnati Children’s Choir, conducted by Robyn Lana

o Rollo A. Dilworth, renowned Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, will serve as guest conductor for the premier performance of his commissioned song especially for the World Choir Games and this honor choir.

 Farnham Youth Choir (Great Britain), conducted by David Victor-Smith

 Guangdong Experimental Middle School Choir (China), conducted by Mingjing Xie

o 2000 Champion of the World Choir Games, Youth Choirs of Equal Voices

o 2000 Champion of the World Choir Games, Folklore

o 2004 & 2008 Champion of the World Choir Games, Musica Contemporanea

o 9 gold medals is most in World Choir Games history

7:30 p.m., July 11, Music of the World, Aronoff Center, presented by Procter & Gamble

 Collegiate Honor Choir, conducted by Earl Rivers and Nicol Matt

o Consists of members from Capital University, Miami University, Miami University Hamilton, Northern Kentucky University, Wright State University, Xavier University

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o Will perform work by renowned American composer and 2007 National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen, who will accompany the choir on his compositions

 Gema Sangkakala Choir (Indonesia), conducted by Wenny Pantouw

 Indianapolis Children's Choir (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA), conducted by Henry Leck

 The University of Newcastle Chamber Choir (Australia), conducted by Matthias Philip

7:30 p.m., July 12, Cultural Showcase, Aronoff Center, presented by City of Cincinnati

 Boğziçi Jazz Choir (Turkey), conducted by Masis Aram Gözbek

 Kearsney College Choir (South Africa), conducted by Bernard Krüger

o 2000 & 2004 Champion of the World Choir Games, Scenic Folklore

o 8 gold medals is tied for second-most in World Choir Games history

 Orfeón Universitario Rafael Montaň (Venezuela), conducted by Luis Eduardo Salas Orta

7:30 p.m., July 12, Gospel & Spiritual, Music Hall, presented by The Kroger Company

 Brazeal Dennard Chorale (Detroit, Michigan, USA), conducted by Augustus Hill

 Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA), conducted by Deborah Charaman

 Princeton Gospel Choir (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA), conducted by Lindsay Orr II

o Performing as part of Chorus America’s Induction into the Classical Music Hall of Fame

 Voices of Unity (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA), conducted by Marshall White

o 2010 Champion of the World Choir Games, Gospel & Spiritual