It's that time of year again. On the streets of Cork you will see strange faces and colourful costumes. There will be impromptu street performances and delightful evenings of sweet song. The Cork International Choral Festival is upon us.
In its 46th year, the festival has continued despite enormous difficulties mainly of a financial nature.
To have lost it due to financial troubles would have dealt a severe blow to the cultural life of Cork, because it is very much a hands-on event and has something for everybody. Last year it was put on a firmer footing when Bord Gais became the main sponsor. Backing of this kind gave the organisers confidence to plan ahead, and now there is every reason to believe that the festival can go on to do what it does best: organise music of the highest calibre.
Cork will host representatives from 10 countries, starting tomorrow and continuing to May 2nd. Choirs from Argentina, Canada, Greece, Finland, Russia and Switzerland will compete for the Fleischmann International Trophy with a prize fund of £4,500, while German, Swedish and Welsh choirs will compete with others in the national competition.
Because of difficulties in certain parts of the world, some of the participants, all lovers of choral music, will have to make heroic efforts to arrive in Cork. By now, the influx is well under way and many of the citizens of Cork have opened their doors to make the participating choirs feel at home.
Over the years there have been stories of epic land journeys, especially from eastern European countries and parts of the old Soviet Union, as choristers struggled to make their way to Ireland against the odds and often without financial assistance from their home states.
But the festival has rolled on. It attracts visitors from far and near who come to hear voices raised in unison and in soaring praise to the chorale.
In the evenings, there is another glorious side to the festival - entente cordiale might sum it up - when the various singers mingle over drinks and get a little less highbrow. You might hear something from Simon and Garfunkel or the Beatles. Whatever it might be, it's always a pleasure and gives a down-to-earth feel to the festival.
This is a festival which welcomes the participation of the entire city. At this time of year, with memories of the bleak winter fading, it gives a fillip to Cork.
This Thursday and Friday there will be a seminar on contemporary choral music at the Aula Maxima in UCC, and on Saturday next, at UCC's Student Centre, there will be a seminar on music in the classroom.
The participating schools are St Vincent's Secondary School in Cork city, Colaiste Treasa, Kanturk, and the Loreto Convent, Youghal. The composers John Gibson and Maria Judge will participate in the seminar.
The "composer in the classroom" sessions were initiated by the festival last year. They are designed to offer music students and their teachers the opportunity to work in their own classrooms with professional composers throughout the school year. The scheme is also designed to complement the general music-studies curriculum at senior level and is funded jointly by Cork Corporation and Cork County Council.
As well as the main events, we can look forward to fringe concerts and a baroque choral concert at the Church of St Mary and St Anne with the RTE Chorale and the RTE Concert Orchestra. With more than 100 choirs, this year's festival is set to deliver a memorable musical occasion. The nightly festival club will be at Jury's Hotel.
And with so much music in the air, the West Cork Choral Singers have been in touch to say they are going from strength to strength. The mixed-voice choir was established over six years ago in Skibbereen and its membership now stands at 20 men and women from a variety of backgrounds.
Their common purpose is to make music to a high standard. Since its inception, the choir has become a valuable local asset in west Cork and various local organisations have called on its services for social evenings and fund-raising events.
During the past two years concerts in Skibbereen, Ballydehob, Bantry and Baltimore raised significant amounts of money for organisations like the Aurelia Children's Trust, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Samaritans etc.
The musical director is Dianna Llellyn of Port Talbot in Wales who has had an impressive career in music. The ambition of the choir is to become even more central to the cultural life of west Cork, so this is a clarion call to all and sundry to become involved.