Choir concert Waelrant youth choir conducted by Marleen De Boo Kaleida. Young voices in motion.

In Kaleida presents the Waelrant Jeugdkoor a versatile and expressive concert in which sound, color and movement are constantly changing. The program brings together a rich mix of styles and eras: from the powerful polyphony of Hassler and the expressive music of Mendelssohn to contemporary Flemish voices such as Kimber Bex and Noah Senden. The choir is known for its warm, homogeneous sound and its strong musical commitment. In changing arrangements and with surprising choreographic accents, the singers give every composition an extra dimension of movement and emotion. The Tyger van Emil show the wide range of colors that this choir brings to life. Immerse yourself in a world where voices shift like patterns in a kaleidoscope — intense, playful and always in motion. Program (subject to change): Kimber Bex Bob Chilcott Hassler Mendelssohn Emil Råberg Noah Senden Tracy Wong Jeugdkoor Waelrant (Borgerhout-Antwerp) was founded in 1968 and has been under the direction of Marleen De Boo since 1995. Het Gemengd Jeugdkoor consists of 80 singers between 14 and 26 years old and is part of the non-profit organization “Waelrantkoren”. Deze Borgerhoutse choir family includes 8 choirs, the youngest singer is 4 years old, the oldest more than 80. Het Waelrant Jeugdkoor has already participated with good results in various festivals and competitions at home and abroad. Since 2007, the choir has been singing in the honorary division of the Provinciale Koortornooi Antwerpen. This was last reconfirmed in March 2015 with the highest possible score, “Summa cum Laude with congratulations from the Jury”. During the last two editions of “Choir of the Year” (2008 and 2011), Jeugdkoor Waelrant reached the final each time. In doing so, the choir was distinguished with the “Audience Prize” and the “Klara/Canvas Prize”. In May 2024, the Youth Choir achieved a “First prize Summa cum Laude” in the highest division of the Europees Muziekfestival for Youth in Neerpelt with 98%. The past summers, it participated in choir competitions in Gorizia-Italy (2009), Bratislava-Slovakia (2011), Bydgoszcz-Poland (2014), Wernigerode-Germany (2017), Tschwane-South Africa (2018), Gothenburg-Sweden (2019). They also performed during festivals in France, Briançon (2012 and 2015) and Choralies-Vaison la Romaine (2013-2016-2022-2025) and in Usedom, Germany (2024). In November 2021, they won both categories in which they participated during the World Choir Games Flanders. In May 2023, they were guests at the highly regarded EFJC in Basel-Switzerland. Tijdens de European Choir Games in Norrköping, Sweden autumn 2023 they became European champion in the Youth Choir series. The spring of 2025 brought another highlight: the choir participated in Vox Lucensis (Lucca-Italy), where it swept all prizes – winner in Musica Sacra, Gemengde Jeugdkoren and Grand Prix. This exceptional performance temporarily catapulted Jeugdkoor Waelrant into the top 10 of the Interkultur world ranking, at the moment they are in 13th place. Hoewel Jeugdkoor Waelrant already participated with great success in various national and international choir competitions, it is primarily a warm group of young people. The choir is open to everyone who wants to fully commit themselves, the hospitable group dynamics and the powerful atmosphere in which everyone encourages each other to be who they are, ensures that every individual member can shine and grow. You feel that when you see the youth choir perform. The togetherness translates into a homogeneous sound, the friendship is visible in the authentic smile on the faces of the choir members, the openness within the group is reflected in their expressive and emotional performances and the personal commitment of every individual singer ensures a powerful and strong communication between the choir and the audience. Het Waelrant Jongerenkoor likes to sing many different genres and often surprises with a varied program. Their open mind and curious nature helps them to discover and appreciate music from Renaissance to now, from Asia to Africa, from classical to folk and pop,.... Marleen De Boo is Master in both Music Pedagogy and Choral Conducting. She teaches choral conducting at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerpen and is active at the Podiumacademie Lier where she teaches choral conducting to amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals; one of these trajectories focuses specifically on working with children. Marleen regularly leads workshops in Flanders and is also a much sought-after jury member and coach on an international level. She is artistic director of the non-profit organization Waelrantkoren, where she takes care of five of the eight choirs. The pedagogical dimension of choral singing is central to this: Marleen's most important motivation is to let amateurs, especially children and young people, discover the beauty of choral music. She therefore wants to make her choirs a place where young people can discover and develop themselves.