Kalamata 2026: These are the winners
Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School wins the Kalamata Choir Prize 2026
The 6th Kalamata International Choir Competition & Festival came to a celebratory close with the announcement of its competition results at the Awards Ceremony on the final evening. After days of international choral music and shared experiences, Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School from Great Britain, conducted by Marie-Claire Gervasoni, won the Kalamata Choir Prize 2026. Congratulations to the singers and their conductor on this outstanding achievement!
Damenes Aften from Norway, conducted by Erland Dalen, also had much to celebrate. The choir won two categories, Choirs of Equal Voices – Difficulty Level I and Popular Choral Music, and received the Kalamata Special Prize, which was awarded for the best interpretation of a piece by a Greek composer. Congratulations
Across the competition, the jury awarded a total of 22 Gold and 26 Silver Diplomas, which were awarded to all competing choirs during the Awards Ceremony.
Congratulations to all Category Winners
Category A1 – Mixed Choirs – Difficulty Level I
Tarira, Faroe Islands
conducted by Bernharður Wilkinson
Category A2 – Choirs of Equal Voices – Difficulty Level I
Damenes Aften, Norway
conducted by Erland Dalen
Category B1 – Mixed Choirs – Difficulty Level II
zäsingers, Switzerland
conducted by Katrin Haueter
Category G1 – Children’s Choirs
Voce Eufonico, Slovakia
conducted by Margaréta Žňavová
Category S – Sacred Choral Music a cappella
Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, Great Britain
conducted by Marie-Claire Gervasoni
Category F – Folklore
Callisto - Lykeion Ton Hellinidon Kalamatas, Greece
conducted by Katerina Papadopoulou
Category P – Popular Choral Music
Damenes Aften, Norway
conducted by Erland Dalen
Two Conductor’s Prizes recognized Erland Dalen, conductor of Damenes Aften from Norway, and Katerina Vassilikou, conductor of Ambitus Mixed Choir from Greece.
The jury also awarded two Special Prizes. Tarira from the Faroe Islands, conducted by Bernharður Wilkinson, received an award for the stylistically outstanding interpretation of William Byrd’s Renaissance composition “Laudibus in sanctis” in the Sacred Choral Music a cappella category. zäsingers from Switzerland, conducted by Katrin Haueter, received a Special Prize for an excellent choice of repertoire for an international competition in the Mixed Choirs – Difficulty Level II category.
Selected from all competition performances, this prize recognizes the best interpretation of a piece by a Greek composer, celebrating a musical connection with the host country.
A complete list of results is available for download here:
We warmly congratulates all award-winning choirs and their conductors and thanks every participant, partner and supporter who helped bring the festival to life. Their music, dedication and openness to new encounters made Kalamata a shared experience reaching beyond the competition.
We look forward to welcoming you again at a future INTERKULTUR event!
