15th China International Chorus Festival with online premiere

More than 300 choirs from China and abroad have registered to participate in the online edition of the 15th China International Chorus Festival, which will begin with the opening ceremony, to be broadcasted live on various online channels on October 5 at 19:30 (BJT). The festival represents an important cultural element during China's "Golden Week".

The opening ceremony will be presented by 30 top-class national and international choral groups. The concert is under the motto of inclusion and diversity and is committed to the dissemination of choral art. Thus, this first online edition of the China International Chorus Festival sets an important tone at a time when choirs in particular are facing great challenges. It gives choirs worldwide strength and hope for the future of choral art.  

But the event is not only about music - the China International Chorus Festival has supported public welfare for more than ten years, e.g. by providing children in underprivileged regions with an access to art. With the festival’s 15th edition a new music teacher training program is launched to raise music lessons in primary and secondary schools to a higher level.

In the next few days there will also be a big virtual choir showcase where, among many others, the three winning choirs of the first INTERKULTUR Video Award will be presented: The "TU Vienna Choir" from Austria, the "Mzansi Youth Choir" from South Africa as well as the "Armenian Little Singers", among many other choirs, were arranged by INTERKULTUR as participants of the China International Chorus Festival. These three choirs were chosen by an international jury in July 2020 as winners of INTERKULTUR's first online choir competition in the context of the "Virtual Choir Games", where a total of 128 entries from 44 countries had been submitted.

In times of the Corona Pandemic, which is currently severely restricting the whole world, INTERKULTUR, true to its motto "Singing together brings nations together", is particularly concerned to support choral singers all over the world to the best of its ability. In this sense, INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch has also addressed the organizers and participants of the China International Chorus Festival in a video message: "Even if we can celebrate the festival this year only virtually together, I wish you a smooth organization, good success to the participating choirs and good health to you all. Let us sing together for peace, friendship, and a common future." 

The 15th China International Chorus Festival is co-organized by the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of P.R.China, China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd., the China Soong Ching Ling Science & Culture Center for Young People, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Beijing Xicheng District People’s Government, China Chorus Association, and International Federation for Choral Music.