Kyrenia Choir to perform at Bellapais Abbey

“The Peacemakers”

A choral plea for peace at the Abbey of Peace

Considered to be the premier choral ensemble in Cyprus, the Kyrenia Chamber Choir, is to perform the Karl Jenkins’ masterpiece ‘The Peacemakers’ in The Abbey Refectory at Bellapais on Friday 23rd October 2015, commencing at 7.30 pm.

Under the direction of Conductor George Ward, the 28 voice mixed choir will be joined by internationally renowned flautist Eran Raman and Nicosia born soprano Laden Ince.

The Peacemakers was premiered in New York in January 2012. Following the success of ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’, Jenkins dedicated this moving choral work to the memory of all those who lost their lives during armed conflicts; in particular innocent civilians, the lyrics featuring the words of famous promoters of peace such as the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa & Martin Luther-King.

Eran Raman

Gönyeli born Eran attended Ankara State Conservatory in 1982 and has performed in many chamber music concerts worldwide, as soloist and first flautist in the Ankara State Conservatory Orchestra. He was a chamber music and theory instructor at the Fine Arts School in Lefkoşa and is presently a member of the TRNC Symphony Orchestra and flute instructor at Eastern Mediterranean University.

Laden Ince

Laden won a place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for her ‘outstanding ability and potential‘. She graduated in 2012, then completed her postgraduate studies in Lugano Conservatoire in Switzerland. Since then she has worked as a freelance Opera / Classical singer.

Laden’s vocal talents have taken her to the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France & Poland. She sang the lead role in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor in the Lyric Opera Studio in Weimar.

Recently, she enjoyed a concert tour with a German chamber orchestra.

Rauf Kasimov

Throughout the performance, Baku born maestro Rauf Kasimov will accompany the choir and artistes on the piano. Rauf was awarded a Master’s Degree with Distinction from the Baku State Conservatoire as concert pianist and he received his PHD in 1980. Later, he assisted Professor Dorensky the head of the piano studies at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire.

He was awarded First Prize in the O’Shea International competition in Tiflis, Georgia in 1977 & again in Paloma in 1984. In 1980 he was awarded the Honour Prize at the Canal International Piano Competition in Barcelona.

He has had concerts in a number of different countries. With his student Görsev Tepe, he was awarded 1^st Prize in the competition for student-teacher four hands at the 17th International Piano Competition in Dobrich, Bulgaria.

George Ward

George started his piano studies at the age of 8. Singing tuition started at 15 with Evelyn Benstead from London’s Royal Academy of Music. Later, voice and music studies continued in Birmingham; a degree in Maths followed, leading to a long career in education, with music and sport competing for his spare time.

Choral and solo work as a baritone, performing mainly English Art Song, Early Music and Oratorio, featured throughout the following 40 years. As time passed, voice training and conducting became an increasing interest.

George has held the post of Director of the Choir for 8 years; but now it is time to pass the baton on. The performance of The Peacemakers in Bellapais Abbey on 23rd October, followed by a Christmas Concert on Friday Dec 4^th, again in the Abbey, sees George’s tenure come to an end.