Young women's choir Amaranthe conducted by Johannes Dewilde Veni, Veni. A cappella choir concert.

Young ladies' choir Amaranthe brings you an atmospheric a cappella choir concert in which old melodies are given new life. The program weaves medieval sounds, Gregorian influences and traditional Christmas carols together into a contemporary musical experience. Central are refined arrangements, often by Michael McGlynn, that let centuries-old texts and melodies resonate in fresh harmonies and transparent choral sounds. Without instrumental accompaniment, an intimate listening space is created in which voices carry, strengthen and let each other shine. Mysticism and stillness alternate with warm, clear moments of hope and light, fitting for the Christmas season and the start of the new year. The concert explores the timeless power of singing together: music that transcends boundaries of time and place and takes listeners to a world of contemplation and wonder. With this program, Amaranthe brings a musical journey that is both historically rooted and contemporarily felt, an invitation to stand still for a moment and experience the magic of winter and Christmas. Amaranthe strives for an interesting concert calendar in which its own productions are alternated with concerts by invitation from renowned domestic and foreign organizers. It wants to move its audience and always invests in quality, sophisticated and surprising programs that confirm the identity of the choir. Passion, experience, quality and uniqueness are central here. In doing so, it likes to be assisted by international top coaches such as Panda Van Proosdij and Jolien De Gendt. Amaranthe was founded as a girls' choir in 2006 under the direction of Linde Devos. Since 2012, the choir has been under the direction of Johannes Dewilde. In the meantime, the choir has grown into an established and highly respected value in the choral and musical life in Flanders. It lent its cooperation to various projects, artists and organizations such as Nekkanacht (opening act Kadril), Johan Verminnen (cd ‘Stemmen’), Koorlink, Vlaams Radio Koor conducted by Eric Whitacre, etc. In recent years, Amaranthe has also been increasingly present on the international choral scene. It achieved the following remarkable results at festivals and choir competitions, with prizes in almost all continents. Amaranthe is in first place on the world ranking ‘chamber choirs’ of Interkultur. Johannes Dewilde is a passionate musician and teacher and a valued choir conductor in the Belgian choral world and beyond. He enjoyed his professional training in various conservatories in Flanders. As a teacher, he teaches at the Kunstenacademie GO! in Ghent, the Stedelijk Conservatorium van Brugge and the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Gent, KASK. From 2013 to 2021, he was connected to the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences as a lecturer. He also taught at the conservatory of Antwerp and the University of Easter Finland (Joensuu). As a conductor, he trained himself, besides his master studies with Luc Anthonis and Geert Hendrix, with various teachers at home and abroad, such as Jan Vuye, Aarne Saaluveer, Brady Allred and Bob Chilcott. He was a guest as conductor, choir coach and jury member in Sweden, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Spain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. He is currently the permanent conductor of the internationally awarded choirs Amaranthe, the vocal ensemble Saevus and BYAC, the Brussels Young Adults Choir. He is guest conductor of the Ghent Singers. He was invited to work with the Vlaams Radiokoor. Both at the festival Musica Eterna Rome and in CantaRode, Kerkrade, Johannes received the conductor's prize. Amaranthe achieved the following remarkable results at festivals and choir competitions: Winner choir festival Flanders, Kontich (2015) Promotion to honorary division at the provincial choir tournament of East Flanders (2016) Category winner (ladies' choirs) and conductor's prize ('Conductor's Prize for outstanding achievement’), Musica Eterna Roma, Rome (2017) Winner in the category ‘equal-voiced choirs’ (as the first Belgian choir ever) and best performance of the compulsory work, IKV Maasmechelen (2017) Winner of the choir competition CantaRode, audience prize, conductor's prize, Kerkrade (2018) Winner of the category 'ladies' choirs' and 'Musica Sacra' at the Budapest International Choral Festival and Competition (2019) World Champion in the category Musica Contemporanea with 93% & World Champion in the category Vocal ensembles and chamber choirs of equal voices with 98.38% (World Choir Games 2021) World Champion in the category Female Chamber Choirs with 91% (World Choir Games 2023 - South Korea)