U. Singers sweep French awards

When conductor Brady Allred took the University of Utah Singers to Europe for a monthlong tour, which included the Florilege Vocal de Tours International Choir Competition — it wasn't about winning. It was about doing their best.

Fortunately for them, they did their best — and they won. "They went to do their best, and it really paid off," said Allred.

The competition was stiff. Before even being allowed to enter, participants were screened and chosen through an application process. Seventeen choirs traveled from around the world to Tours, France, to pit their singing skills against one another in three qualifying rounds.

In the end, the University of Utah Singers walked away with six prizes — the top prize in every category the group entered.

Allred and the choir were awarded first place for the free program, the best newly composed work in competition (Allred had commissioned a piece by New York composer William Hawley), the best French pronunciation during the competition, best Renaissance program (using a piece based on a poem by Ronsard), and second place in the mixed choir category, where no first prize was given.

Then, finally, the U. Singers won the grand prize, for overall best performance throughout the competition. "The festival coordinators have a final concert where everybody sang one piece," said Allred. "They had the University of Alabama choir at the end of the concert, so we thought, well, we know what's happened. And then they started announcing the prizes, and they just kept saying 'Salt Lake City,' 'Salt Lake City.'

"I was up on the stage with the other conductors and my choir was miles away, it seemed, out in the crowd. It was just thrilling to see them hear their name and jump up in the air. When they finally announced the grand prize, I just was amazed. I looked out in amazement and then ran to be with them, and they threw me on their shoulders and carried me around like a football coach. It was really fun."

That was just the highlight of a tour that Allred describes as "thrilling and miraculous, all at the same time."

The tour began in Nancy, France, where the choir participated in an international festival. "We arrived there on a Wednesday, attended a concert that evening, and then, the next day — boom, we were in a heavy-duty performing schedule."

One evening, for example, the U. Singers performed in the city of Nancy while the group's host choir performed the first half of a concert in a suburb. "Then we got on the bus, drove to the suburb, and did the second half of the concert with them.