DORDRECHT – On Saturday, May 18, the city center of Dordrecht will once again be the setting for a large-scale A cappella and Barbershop choir festival: the BOF, Barbershop Encounter Festival. The Dordrecht choir Route Sixteen (photo), which is signing for the organization for the second time, expects between three hundred to three hundred and fifty participants. They will treat the public to a cappella singing in choirs and quartets, on squares, in streets, in various churches, on terraces, courtyards and other surprising places in the center.
Four years ago, Vocal Group Route Sixteen took over from the Duketown Barbershop Singers, a choir from Den Bosch, where the biennial event has already taken place for many editions. Route Sixteen wanted to organize this event sometime. This first Dordrecht edition of this festival in May 2022 was a great success and left me wanting more. The core group, consisting of five women, is currently putting the finishing touches to the festival programme.
Evening concert
The format of the BOF: the choirs and quartets can be seen and heard everywhere in the center of Dordrecht all Saturday afternoon. A large reception room has now been found. All participants come together in Stadsbrasserie de Witt, from where the choirs and quartets enter the city center. A guide will accompany the choirs and quartets to their performance locations. All helping hands are therefore certainly welcome. Especially since a major concert will be given in the evening in the Wilhelmina Church by various renowned national and international Barbershop choirs and quartets. Of course, Route Sixteen will also make an appearance that evening in this ‘Show of Champions’. This will certainly be a cheerful and special evening, even for non-‘Barbershoppers’. Became curious? There are still tickets available. Visit www.routesixteen.nl.
Help and information
Would you like to help make the BOF a great success, with a financial contribution or as a volunteer? Send an email to [email protected]. Check the website for more information and the schedule.
