ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Where the festival takes place
The International Choir Festival IFAS takes place in Pardubice, in the Czech Republic.
Festival history
The International Festival of Academic Choirs (IFAS) has become an essential part of musical life both in Pardubice - a picturesque city of almost 100,000 inhabitants - and the entire East Bohemian region. The idea of organizing an international meeting of university choirs was first proposed in 1967 by the Academic Choir of Pardubice, then associated with the former Institute of Chemical Technology (now the University of Pardubice). The first festival, called "The International Festival of Academic Choirs – IFAS," took place in 1968 and has been held every other year since 1980. The international competition has become an important part of the Festival.
In 1994 Ing. Alena Mejstříková become president of IFAS, organizational director is Miroslav Baťa and artistic director is prof. PaeDr. Jiří Kolář.
The competition for the Bohuslav Martinů Award was included in the IFAS competitions in 2014. It is open to all the choirs (exluding children’s choirs).
Since the 26th Biennale IFAS 2020 was transformed into IFAS "OPEN" and is also open for basic categories for all kinds of academic and non-academic choirs (except children's choirs).
Where the performances take place
The venue for Festival concerts and competitions is the new University Hall within the University campus. Besides the main Festival concerts, other special Festival concerts are held in other towns in the East Bohemian region. A wonderful stage is offered to the Festival by one of our sponsors, CSOB Insurance company, in its headquarters, too.
Message of the Festival
One of the main aims of the IFAS Festival is to ensure participants enjoy themselves, make new friends and leave with fond memories of the event.
About the required compositions
The Festival enables the audience to watch the wide range of top choirs and compare the level of the choir art in our country and abroad. It is also important to give a presentation of Czech music.
Therefore, the required compositions in each category are chosen from works by outstanding Czech composers, such as A. Dvořák, B. Smetana, L. Janáček, A. Tučapský, P. Eben, Z. Lukáš, B. Martinů., J. Teml and M. Raichl.
About the awards
All winners receive diplomas and small gifts. In addition, gold-level winners receive a financial prize. The gold-level winners could win GRAND PRIX – IFAS. Finally, the university choir that earns the highest score will receive the “Pardubice University Rector‘s Award”. Since 2014 the prize also includes the “Bohuslav Martinů Award”.
Participants of IFAS
Australia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, China, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, SouthAfrica, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, U.S.A. and Venezuela. Participants 1968-2016
What IFASIADA means
It is a friendly and funny sporting event, in which the festival participants (dressed in crazy costumes!!!) compete in non-traditional sports, providing a welcome relax from the pressure ofthe festival.
The ball
It is an amazing opportunity to relax and have fun with all the participiants of the IFAS Festival. Formal clothing is welcome.
About the organizers
The Festival is organized by the Civic association of IFAS.