"Town twinning project choir" makes a guest appearance in France

From 11 to 16 October, the Bocholt "twinning project choir" travelled to Aurillac, the French twin town. 45 participants took part in the trip, including Deputy Mayor Gudrun Koppers and Sonja Wießmeier from EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt. A peace concert under the motto "Praise of Friendship" and the joint singing of the European anthem were emotional highlights.

50 years after the first choir meeting with the "Chorale du Millenaire Aurillac" and the St. Georg church choir in Aurillac and ten years after the project choir's visit to Aurillac, another meeting has now taken place. France Brunon, chairwoman of the Chorale du Millénaire, and Leo Hessling, chairman of the town twinning project choir, agreed on numerous details in the run-up to the trip.

In her welcoming address, Koppers emphasised the importance of town twinning exchanges and singing as "European peace work". The peace concert entitled "Praise of Friendship", conducted by Patrick Filhol and Klaus Tewes, included the "Notre Père" (Our Father) and the European anthem "Freude schöner Götterfunken".

The "Song of the Aa"

As an encore, the project choir sang the song from Occitania "Se Canto" at the suggestion of Maryse Terhart, a native of Aurillac who was travelling with them, and the "Bocholt Song of the Aa" at the request of the choir members from Aurillac in front of a full house.

The trip was organised by the choir friends from Aurillac, with stops in Metz and Amiens, where guided tours of the city took place.

In addition to the French choir, the group "Les Amis du Jumelages Aurillac/Arpajon-sur-Cère" and the town of Aurillac played a key role in the success of the trip.

Support from EU Citizens' Fund

The encounter between the choirs was supported by the Franco-German Citizens' Fund, which finances projects to promote Franco-German friendship and European cooperation. It promotes a variety of formats and is open to civil society. The fund was established in 2020 as part of the Treaty of Aachen (2019) and is implemented by the Franco-German Youth Office, with joint funding from the German and French governments.