The Sofia Boys Choir Association has launched the implementation of the project BGCULTURE-2.001-0123-C01 International Choir Festival "The Boys are Singing", implemented with the financial support of Program RA14 "Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation", through the contribution of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Kingdom of Norway, and funded by the Financial Mechanism of European Economic Area 2014-2021. The project partner is the Reykjavik Boys Choir.
The grant agreement was signed in the framework of the First Call for Proposals under Result 2 "Improved access to arts and culture", funded by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021.
The eligible costs of the project are EUR 178,529.93, of which EUR 136,472.64 from the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area, EUR 24,083.41 national co-financing and EUR 17,973.88 own contribution. Duration of the project is 24 months and will end in January 2024.
The project aims to accelerate cooperation and cultural exchange with donor countries, expand the scope of cultural activities at both local and regional levels, and attract new audiences. The festival will increase people's access to music from different genres and cultures, as well as their engagement by carry out joint meetings with choristers. The project will contribute to the creation of equal access to culture of citizens from different social groups and will support their inclusion in cultural processes.
The key activities of the project envisage preparation and carry out of three editions of the International Choir Festival "Boys Sing". Both Bulgarian and foreign boys' choirs will take part in the festival, including the Sofia Boys' Choir and the Reykjavik Boys' Choir. The editions of the festival will be held in Sofia, Reykjavik, as well as in small towns in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Iceland, where informal meetings of the performers with the audience will be organized. The festival will include creative meetings of conductors to exchange experiences, as well as workshops with participants to prepare joint performances for gala concerts.
The results of the project envisage to improve the cultural exchange between the partner countries, to acquire new audiences and to facilitate the access to arts and culture in the small settlements.