Rome 2009

The time for the long-awaited announcement of the 25th Anniversary Celebration & Reunion of the International Church Music Festival has arrived. Our plans are now underway for this event to be held in Rome, Italy, June 13-20, 2009. Register for the ICMF now!

The Top Ten things we want you to know now about the 2009 ICMF in Rome:

1. To reserve your space for Rome, a non-refundable group registration fee of $100 is required. Please see Registration details to download a printable registration form; send the form and check to:
            FestCorps, Inc.
            P.O. Box 41425
            Nashville, TN 37204
2. USA Alumni were guaranteed the first 500 spaces and those were over-subscribed by the June 30th deadline.
3. This program will be 6 nights rather than the ‘traditional’ 4. The program allows for a less intense schedule as transfers take longer and traditions regarding meals and concert times are different from England or Switzerland.
4. After your registration is processed you will be contacted by one of the appointed Travel Partners who will work with your group on either a Rome Festival-only trip (which will be 7 nights including the overnight flight from the USA) or, the ICMF plus any one of three pre-arranged tour extensions including sightseeing only. Should your group be greater than 40, and you desire, your Travel Partner will be happy to prepare a customized performance-based tour for you of any length including sightseeing that includes the ICMF and other performances for your choir in Italy and/or Europe. It has been our collective opinion that with a week-long event in Rome, most choir groups may not be inclined to do a longer concert tour in conjunction with the Festival.
5. By Rome’s traditions, final details of performance venues will not be announced until approximately one year in advance of the Festival.
6. The traditional Fall Directors’ Planning Meeting will take place in November 2008, in Rome, but the music may be determined prior to that meeting.
7. We will certainly include many nations through increased support for our Scholarship Fund Program.
8. The specifics of the daily schedule be altered slightly between Sept. 2007 and June 2009, but all the top sites in Rome will be included and there will be time alloted to enjoy Rome independently during the week.
9. As always, there will be opportunities for individual group performances, sightseeing time for everyone, rehearsals for singers, a full program for non-singers and excellent concert performances for all to enjoy.
10. All the current ICMF Artistic Staff will remain in place for this Silver Anniversary Celebration & Reunion and, Paul Leddington Wright will again travel to each of the USA participating churches in January 2009.

The ICMF Artistic and Event Staff join me in encouraging you to act now and accept the invitation to participate in this musical, cultural and spiritual celebration.

Please complete the registration form and return it today with your group registration fee of $100. We hope you are excited about this announcement. Our planning efforts over the past two years have reinforced our belief that this will be a very special place to celebrate the international friendships that have grown for so many of us over these 25 years.

We look forward to seeing you in Rome in June 2009. Keep watching this site for updates between now and then!

Elwyn Raymer
Festival Director