Concert | The CERN Choir hits the high notes | Victoria Hall | 30 September

60 – 40 – 25: a series of numbers that have inspired an exceptional concert. They refer to the 60th anniversary of CERN, the 40th anniversary of the CERN Choir and the 25th anniversary of its direction by Gonzalo Martinez. On the occasion of this collision of anniversaries, the Committee of this CERN club decided to organise an appropriately significant event to celebrate the important worldwide role that CERN has played for 60 years, the fact that the CERN Choir has brought together amateur singers for 40 years, and finally the decisive role in the Choir’s history of its director, Gonzalo Martinez.

The work chosen for this concert also had to be something exceptional. A work which, through its monumental status, its brilliance, its innovation, its originality and its energy, symbolises CERN’s scientific discoveries, reflects the genius of its creator and represents the highest creative ambitions: Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. 

Performances of this work are rare enough to make each occasion a major event, and performances by amateur ensembles are even rarer. The performance on 30 September 2014 will benefit from the support of a professional choir, the Zürcher Sing-Akademie, along with the Geneva Chamber Orchestra and four exceptional soloists.   

The CERN Choir is international by its very nature, but thanks to the concerts it has given every year for 40 years it has become part of the local cultural fabric. Since 1974, the composition of the CERN Choir has been enriched with distinguished amateurs and seasoned choral singers: most of its members sing in other respected choirs in Geneva and the surrounding area.

The organisation of such a concert represents a huge challenge, not least in financial terms. By giving the CERN community an opportunity to hear a masterpiece such as the Missa Solemnis, the CERN Choir hopes to attract as many people as possible to celebrate 60 years of CERN and, as at last year's Bosons&More concert, to experience an extraordinary musical event.

See below for an overview of prices: