CV 4-tune and their director Bert
Verdonck
In November 1999, Bert Verdonck
founded a chamber choir in “The Land of the Seven Rivers”, which is Retie and
surroundings. The name “4-tune” refers to fortune or luck, but also to the
singing in four voices. The choir has a
varied repertoire, always set up around specific themes, periods or
styles. The aspiration is to find a good
balance between optimal quality and intense pleasure, taking notice of the
possibilities of the singers and the conductor.
A pick at random from the
various themes:
- Spanish songs written by
Manuel Oltra with texts from Garcia Lorca (aperitif concert)
- African songs
- Dazzling music to celebrate
New Year and mysterious music around the theme of the Three Kings
- Romantic French and German
folk music (“4-tune in June”)
- Love songs (concert for
Valentine’s Day)
- Religious music through the
centuries: e.g. Bach, Monteverdi, Mendelssohn and Schütz
- Christmas Carols and Gloria
of John Rutter
In the meantime the choir is a
vivid and enthousiastic group of 26 singers and has achieved its 10th year of
existence. The weekly motivation to
rehearse arises from the pleasant gatherings and the intense joy of
being-a-choir with everything that belongs to it.
Aside from the annual concerts
in own management, 4-tune has also cooperated with several multi-choir-projects
(e.g. John Passion) and has participated in choir competitions. Taking part in
the contest in Kontich was rewarded with the first prize cum laude, and in 2006
4-tune placed itself in the but one highest division of the choir tournament of
the province of Antwerp. 4-tune also
granted cooperation to two radio masses.
Further more, the members of
4-tune tremendously enjoy the annual sidelines, usually in companion of the
partners and children: barbecue, the choir weekend…
Bert Verdonck attended the
school of music of Waregem, achieving certificates of staff music, piano and
chamber music. He is an experienced
choir singer, having joined several choirs, projects and choir weeks.
Gradually, he was trained for
choirmaster, joining e.g. the renowned “Master Class” of the Dartington Summer
School in England under the lead of Laszlo Heltay and Johan Duijck.
In 1999 he founded the choir
4-tune in Retie (Belgium), with which he has achieved a high standard.