February 5, 2019
Mayor Erika Stahl welcomed the Philharmonic Choir of Bochum’s twin town Sheffield in the town hall. The English choir has arrived for a joint concert with the Philharmonic Choir Bochum – the occasion is the 100th birthday of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra this year. The two choirs have been in partnership since 2006.
Before visiting the town hall, the 17 visiting singers of the choir explored Bochum City on a city tour and visited the Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr. At the joint concert on Thursday, February 7, in the Music Forum, the singers will sing Messiah under the direction of Bochum choirmaster John Lidfors. The Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus is one of the largest mixed concert choirs in Yorkshire with around 180 members. Their programme includes the great choral works from Baroque, Classic, Romantic and Modern periods. In 2020, a return visit of the Bochum Choir in Sheffield is planned, in which a re-performance of the “Messiah” is on the program.
“When I visit schools, I always tell schoolchildren that the sister city partnership with Sheffield is our oldest, that it was founded just five years after the end of the war and that many friends have been formed thanks to it,” said Mayor Erika Stahl. Paul Henstridge of the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus also enjoys this strong connection through the music: “Sheffield once built bombs that destroyed Bochum, and Bochum has built bombs that destroyed Sheffield. Today we sing together – that’s progress.” Both sides were unhappy about the weather: it was raining – in Bochum as in Sheffield.