AS THE excitement settles on Cornwall’s hugely successful 2017 International Male Choral Festival — which Tintagel Orpheus Male Voice Choir took part in — choirs from home and abroad are already signing up for 2019’s biennial event.

For the first time, the festival’s popular ‘Composers’ Competition’ will itself become international next year as composers across the globe are invited to battle it out against home-grown talent to create top original works for male choirs of any age or background.

This year’s final reckoning reveals almost 50,000 tickets were sold to enthusiastic audiences over the May bank holiday weekend.

With 60 choirs and their entourages — from as far afield as Australia, the USA and Russia, to Tintagel — the festival involved 50 events in 40 venues, and organisers estimated that the four-day festival brought around £1-million into the local economy.

Festival director, Rob Elliot, who has already been taking enquiries and bookings from choirs wanting to join the 2019 festivities, said: “It was a fantastic event, which gave vast amounts of pleasure to so many people.

“It was a choral, operational and financial success, and we are particularly indebted to the wonderful Cornish choirs, whose enthusiastic support is so important for the success of the festival. The great news is that, thanks to our patrons, sponsors and ticket sales, we met our budgets and can confidently go ahead with the ninth festival in 2019.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about the forthcoming Composers’ Competition and the next Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, which runs from May 2 to 6, 2019, can see a short film and details on the festival website at www.cimcf.uk

Application forms for choirs and composers wishing to register are available by contacting Rob Elliot on [email protected]