COUNCIL TALK 02/2024 - The digital magazine of the World Choir Council
The digital magazine COUNCIL TALK is the magazine of the INTERKULTUR World Choir Council – in exchange with the choir world. It is published twice a year at the end of January and August.
The digital magazine COUNCIL TALK is the magazine of the INTERKULTUR World Choir Council – in exchange with the choir world. It is published twice a year at the end of January and August.
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7 th ISSUE
2/2024
Magazine
COUNCIL TALK
THE CHORAL WORLD IN EXCHANGE
General
Conference
2024
Auckland
New Zealand
INTERKULTUR WORLD TOUR STOP 2025
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL GENERAL CONFERENCE 2024 – AUCKLAND
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND GUESTS EXCHANGE IDEAS
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL 2024 “CHINA MULTI ETHNIC CHORUS” SPECIAL FORUM
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GREETINGS 5
INTERKULTUR EVENTS – REVIEW 2024 6
FACTS & FIGURES REVIEW 2024 8
2024 - WHICH MUSIC PIECES WERE SELECTED BY 10
THE CHOIRS FOR THE COMPETITIONS?
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL GENERAL CONFERENCE 2024 12
AUCKLAND
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND 18
GUESTS EXCHANGE IDEAS
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL - NEW HONORARY MEMBERS 20
“HELLO COUNCIL”: VOICE MUTATION ≠ 24
REJECTED BY CHILDREN‘S CHOIR SINGING!
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL 26
IN MULTI-ETHNIC CHILDREN‘S CHORUS ART WEEK
NEW FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES 32
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
INTERKULTUR WORLD TOUR 34
WORLD TOUR STOP 2025 36
- H ộ i An – unique choir competition in fascinating Vietnam
- Hull – Welcome to the “Singing City”!
- Malaysia – Singing Sarawak: A Harmony of Cultures
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL – MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD 38
ONE EVENT, COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES: 42
SING IN AARHUS 2025!
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL - THANK YOU & GOOD BYE 48
IMPRINT 49
3
We wish you
all the Best
Dear members of the World Choir Council, dear friends,
with gratitude and pride, we look back on the year 2024, a year full of moving moments, cultural
encounters and unique memories.
We are grateful for the countless people, World Choir Council members and friends, who have
brought our vision of connecting people across all borders through choral music to life in a
unique way over the past months.
We would like to thank all members of the World Choir Council and friends of choral music for
your commitment and support. Together, we would like to continue to strengthen the bridges
we have built and forge new connections to bring the universal language of music to the world
and to spread and achieve the goals and values f INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council!
We look forward to continuing to work together with you in 2025 on exciting and fruitful projects
and events in the World Choir Coundil.
Let‘s keep and strengthen this feeling of community and solidarity in the new year!
We wish all members of the World Choir Council, friends and family a peaceful, happy and
successful year!
May the New Year be full of bright spots for all of you, that fill your hearts with joy and make
your goals and wishes come true.
Günter Titsch
President INTERKULTUR &
World Choir Council
Qin Wang
First Vice-President INTERKULTUR &
World Choir Council
Fred Sjöberg
Senior Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR &
Vice President of World Choir Council
Steen Lindholm
Honorary Senior Advisor
of the World Choir Council
Jürgen Budday
Senior Advisor of the World Choir Council
Hans-Robert Dapprich
Director Communications, Marketing &
Sales of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council
5
January 25-29, 2024
3 RD SING‘N‘PRAY KOBE
Kobe, Japan
April 27 - May 1, 2024
15 TH INTERNATIONAL CHOIR
COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL
BAD ISCHL
Bad Ischl, Austria
INTERKULTUR EVENTS
JANUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JULY
March 23-27, 2024
3 RD VOX LUCENSIS
Lucca, Italy
May 29 - June 2, 2024
INTERNATIONAL
CHOIR COMPETITION
PHNOM PENH
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
July 10-20, 202
13 TH WORLD C
Auckland, New
6
September 11-15, 2024
INTERNATIONALES
CHORFEST MAGDEBURG
Magdeburg, Germany
October 10-14, 2024
5 TH KALAMATA
INTERNATIONAL
CHOIR COMPETITION
AND FESTIVAL
Kalamata, Greece
November 7-11, 2024
3 RD LISBON SINGS
Lisbon, Portugal
REVIEW 2024
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
4
HOIR GAMES
Zealand
October 2-6, 2024
SING‘N‘JOY BOHOL
Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
October 24-28, 2024
SING FOR GOLD –
THE WORLD CHORAL CUP
Calella & Barcelona,
Catalonia (Spain)
7
FACTS & FIGURES REVIEW 2024
TEN SUCCESSFUL EVENTS
A total of 10 choir competitions and festivals were held in 10 different countries on 3 continents in 2024
JAPAN, ITALIEN, AUSTRIA, CAMBODIA, NEW ZEALAND,
GERMANY, PHILIPPINES, GREECE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL
THE WINNERS
According to the motto “Participation is the highest honor”, in 2024 we saw winner after winner:
MEDALS
DIPLOMAS
96
GOLD
31
SILVER
4
BRONZE
206
GOLD
CHAMPIONS
24
153
SILVER
22
BRONZE
CATEGORY WINNERS
75
TOP THREE PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
A total of 449 choirs from 69 countries participated in the ten INTERKULTUR events around the globe in 2024.
The top three participating countries came from:
2 1 3
NEW ZEALAND
53 CHOIRS
CHINA
85 CHOIRS
GERMANY
38 CHOIRS
8
9.461
SOPRANOS
8.600
ALTOS
1.079
TENORS
3.193
BASSES
took part in the events across all categories and brought the music to the venues.
65 JURY MEMBERS FROM 34 COUNTRIES
EVALUATED, COACHED AND CELEBRATED
449 CHOIRS IN 2024.
INTERKULTUR EVENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD
Sometimes the INTERKULTUR team has to travel very short distances to organize an event, but sometimes
it has to travel much further. In 2024, the longest distance from the INTERKULTUR organization office in
Germany was to New Zealand with over 18.000 km. The shortest was in Germany to Magdeburg at just over
265 km.
to Calella, Spain
1.099,40 KM
to Lisbon, Portugal
1.925,79 KM
to Magdeburg, Germany
to Bad Ischl,
Austria
472,51 KM
265,11 KM
to Kalamata,
Greece
1.838,25 KM
to Lucca, Italy
756,90 KM
to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
9.444,46 KM
to Kobe, Japan
9.180,44 KM
to Bohol, Tagbilaran City,
Philippines
10.877,69 KM
IN TOTAL, THE INTERKULTUR TEAM TRAVELED
53.987,36 KM
TO MAKE ALL CHOIR COMPETITIONS AND FESTIVALS
AROUND THE GLOBE POSSIBLE.
to Auckland, New Zealand
18.126,81 KM
9
2024
WHICH MUSIC PIECES WERE SELECTED
BY THE CHOIRS FOR THE COMPETITIONS?
Choosing the right songs and compositions for the perfect competition performance is extremely important.
There are many choices and many choirs wonder which songs are the perfect selection. At 10 different events
in 2024, 449 choirs mastered the selection process and chose the most different pieces of music. However,
some also chose the same pieces of music and composers and we thought we would list the top 10 most sung
pieces of music and composers of 2024 today:
TOP 10 COMPOSERS:
RANKING
NAME OF THE COMPOSER
THAT‘S HOW OFTEN
THE COMPOSER WAS USED:
1 Xingzimin Pan (China) 35
2 Ola Gjeilo (Norway) 34
3 Eric Whitacre (USA) 22
4 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Germany) 22
5 Zoltán Kodály (Hungary) 21
6 Mia Makaroff (Finland) 20
7 Veljo Tormis (Estonia) 19
8 Liu Xiaogeng (China) 19
9 Yu Guan (China) 19
10 Ivo Antognini (Switzerland) 18
Pan Xingzimin
# 2
Eric Whitacre
# 1
Ola Gjeilo
# 3
10
TOP 10 PIECES OF MUSIC:
RANKING
NAME OF
THE PIECES OF MUSIC:
NAME OF THE COMPOSER:
THAT‘S HOW OFTEN THE
PIECES OF MUSIC WERE
CHOSEN BY THE CHOIRS:
1 Northern Lights Ola Gjeilo 12
2 Ta na Solbici Samo Vovk 11
3 Ubi caritas Ola Gjeilo 10
4 Even When He Is Silent Kim André Arnesen 10
5 Ta suo xing Pan Xingzimin 10
6 A Million Dreams Benj Pasek 9
7 Baba Yetu Christopher Tin 8
8 Canticum novum Ivo Antognini 8
9 Dance! Robert T. Gibson 8
10 Let My Love Be Heard Jake Runestad 7
11
AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALAND
Wellington
Christchurch
12
The day between the two parts of the World Choir
Games is traditionally the day for the General
Conference of the World Choir Council. During
the World Choir Games 2024 it took place in
HYUNDAI Marine Sports Center bringing together
representatives from the World Choir Council,
which is consisting of almost 150 choral experts
from 95 countries and regions, in Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland. The conference was organized as a hybrid
event and was such also joined by members of the
World Choir Council worldwide, which were not able
to attend in person.
The conference began with a welcome reception
and a little surprise for the international guests:
The Ahuuranui Tahitian Dance School presented
traditional music, singing and dancing from Tahiti,
and even made the international guests dancing
and clapping along. The response was impressive,
so Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR, the
World Choir Games and the World Choir Council, felt
inspired to welcome the participants in a humorous
way by addressing them as the “World Dancing
Council” in his official opening speech afterwards.
In his speech Günter Titsch further emphasized
the Council‘s role in providing valuable advice and
guidance to INTERKULTUR and the World Choir
Events in navigating the world of choral music
and to engage for the quality and development
of INTERKULTUR’s work. He emphasized that
compared with the founding times of the World Choir
Council back in 2000, the panel now also plays an
important role regarding the creative, artistic aspects
of INTERKULTUR events.
Auckland’s Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson was then
giving a welcome speech on behalf of Auckland City
Council, in which she highlighted that hosting the
World Choir Council is significant to the city as a
highlight for Auckland to showcase a vibrant choral
scene on an international stage. She said, it was a
unique opportunity to share traditions and the love
for music while reaching out to the city’s community
and inspiring generations of future singers.
In recognition of the city’s support and commitment
to the World Choir Games 2024, President Günter
Titsch on behalf of INTERKULTUR and the World
Choir Council awarded the title “World Choir Games
City” to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and handed over
the certificate to Deputy Mayor Simpson.
Further recognition and honors went out to
Christine Argyle, Chief Executive of the New Zealand
Choral Federation, and John Rosser, Games &
Artistic Director of the World Choir Games 2024
and representative of New Zealand in the World
Choir Council, for their outstanding support and
collaboration in the event preparation.
Afterwards, President Günter Titsch and First Vice
President Wang Qin on behalf of INTERKULTUR
and the World Choir Council honored those
representatives of the World Choir Council as
Honorary Members who have been contributing
with great efforts and for more than 10 years to the
further development of the World Choir Council:
Chen Guanghui (China), Prof. Yang Li (China) and Mat
Wright (Great Britain).
As representatives of the host country, Christine
Argyle together with Melissa Absolum (New Zealand
Choral Federation) and jury member Igelese Ete
from New Zealand/Samoa, gave all participants an
insight into the history and style of the choral culture
in New Zealand and all their various influences of
different cultures and people. They included the
early beginnings of choral music (brought by British
settlers), explained the first Māori choir established
as well as the fusion of Māori and European traditions,
the characteristics of Kapa Haka, the term use for
Māori Performing Arts, and also gave an insight into
the strong tradition of Pacific Church Choirs.
After these interesting insights, it was time to look
into the future: Which aims do INTERKULTUR and
the World Choir Council have for 2025, for example
regarding the European Choir Games and Grand Prix
of Nations 2025 in Aarhus, Denmark?
13
On July 16, the second day of the World Choir Council,
its members met again for presentations on various
topics from the choral scene and choral life in their
countries: Dr. Michael Barrett, member of the World
Choir Council from South Africa and Artistic Director
of the African Asia Pacific Choir Games 2025 in
Mauritius, spoke about the future of choral events
and festivals, while Susanna Saw, representative for
Malaysia in the World Choir Council, looked at the
possibilities of standardized evaluation criteria. In
addition, Prof. Zhang Xin, President of the Guangzhou
Choral Association from China, examined how the
local choral scene has changed - especially for
people with special needs - after Guangzhou was
named “World Choir Capital City”. In addition, Dr.
Cristian Grases, choral music expert from Venezuela/
USA, spoke about health and mental health in the
context of choral singing. All these topics were
further discussed in smaller groups in various
discussion rounds in order to promote international
exchange and to inform about current developments
in the choral scene worldwide, as well as to discuss
possible goals and suggestions for improvement for
the future.
The General Conference of the World Choir Council
2024 ended with a special program highlight: At the
“Sister Choirs Friendship Flashmob” in the Aotea
Centre, the choirs “Leonessa” from New Zealand,
“Shenzhen Futian Star Bright Choir” from China
and “Farnham Youth Choir” from Great Britain gave
a surprise concert for all guests and passers-by.
True to the motto “Singing Together Brings Nations
Together”, they invited all choral experts present to
sing a traditional New Zealand song together - an
emotional moment at the end of this year‘s General
Conference of the World Choir Council.
In the presence of all guests, the three choirs from
New Zealand, China and Great Britain also received
a certificate that officially recognizes them all as
“Sister Choirs” to bring them together and connect
them with each other.
This flash mob was part of the series “World Choir
Events in the Belt and Road” within the framework of
the 13 th World Choir Games. It was jointly launched
by the INTERKULTUR Organizing Committee of the
World Choir Games 2024 together with the New
Zealand partners and supported by the Embassy of
the People‘s Republic of China in New Zealand, the
Consulate General of the People‘s Republic of China
in Auckland, the Chinese People‘s Association for
Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China
International Friendship Cities Association.
14
GUESTS & MEMBERSFROM:
AFRICA & EUROPE
ASIA, PACIFIC & MIDDLE EAST
NORTH, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA
15
16
17
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND
GUESTS EXCHANGE IDEAS
During the General Conference in Auckland, members
and guests once again had the opportunity to
exchange ideas and participate in discussions. In the
past few years, the system of small groups has been
a great success, as it gave every member or guest the
opportunity to have their chance to speak and take
part in the discussion. The members and guests of
the General Conference 2024 were divided into a total
of 4 groups, three of which were completely live in
Auckland in three rooms and another group consisted
of members who were connected online via ZOOM
and were thus able to participate in this important
exchange.
During the two-hour discussions and subsequent
presentation of the results, some interesting and
remarkable results, opinions, thoughts and wishes
were presented.
NUMBER AND FREQUENCY OF MAJOR EVENTS -
INCREASING COSTS FOR CHOIRS
One central question was repeatedly raised during
the discussion: The costs for choirs to participate in
events have risen significantly in recent years, partly
due to higher travel costs, which means that choirs
are no longer able to travel to events and competitions
as often. In particular, it is not possible for many choirs
to travel to and participate in major events such as
the World Choir Games every two years. It was reported
that New Zealand choirs were able to participate
in larger numbers for the first time in 2024, as it was
the first time it was affordable for these choirs.
In order to counteract the general problem of rising
costs for choirs, it was discussed whether it would
not be possible to change major events such as the
World Choir Games from a 2-year rhythm to a 3-year
rhythm. This would give choirs the opportunity to save
money, find sponsors or make use of state funding.
However, this would not be possible for many choirs
every two years. University choirs in particular would
sometimes only have access to new budgets every
three years, which would then prevent them from traveling
to a major event every two years. This proposal
was supplemented with the idea that, in addition to
the 3-year rhythm for major events, more “smaller”
events such as the European Choir Games and others
could take place at regional level, which could then
close the gap. Short trips and smaller events would
be easier for the choirs to manage than major events.
In this context, the possibility of dealing with the training
of choirs in addition to the pure competition was
also discussed. If there was a possibility to also deal
with the education of choirs during larger events and
e.g. to enable a cooperation between INTERKULTUR
and the partner and host cities, this would also help
the choirs a lot. For example, universities would provide
their choirs with more or an additional budget for
added educational value, which would help the choirs
enormously. The simple possibility of taking part in
competitions could no longer be 100% interesting in
the future.
TRAINING CHOIRS DURING,
BEFORE OR AFTER EVENTS
In connection with the training of choirs, this topic
was discussed further and it was worked out that
not every country and every choir is looking for the
same requirements, opportunities and possibilities.
For example, it would be necessary to look at which
special workshops which countries and choirs would
need, such as singing techniques. The next Asia Pacific
Choir Games and which special workshops could
be interesting for Mauritius and the choirs in this region
were also discussed very specifically. It would
perhaps be useful if INTERKULTUR and the host cities
and regions could work together to examine what
educational measures the country and the region can
contribute and what INTERKULTUR can contribute. It
was clear to the participants that this does not apply
equally to all choirs and regions, of course, as there
are high-performing choirs as well as lower-performing
choirs, which naturally have different needs and
wishes. Workshops for choirs are a very good way of
delivering an educational added value, e.g. a workshop
on Chinese culture and how Chinese in general
and Chinese songs should be pronounced and sung.
In addition to workshops, a kind of “conducting
games” could also be organized to assess how much
an improvement in conducting skills could improve
the choir. Overall, there should be a greater focus on
education. To make the education of choirs attractive,
special prizes could also be awarded to choirs that
have continuously improved over the years through
workshops and other educational measures. A further
collaboration in this context could be to offer longer
and larger workshops by having more conductors and
jury members on site to organize them. This would
benefit all choirs and especially appreciate the choirs
that do not have the opportunity to come to the major
18
events every two years. Overall, it would be necessary
to look at what could be done for the choirs during
an event as added educational value, but also before
and after the event. In the preparation phase, we
could look at what specific wishes and problems the
choirs have and we could address these by looking at
whether they are in the right categories vocally and in
terms of style, or whether other categories would be
better. Possible coaching sessions or workshops before
the official event were also discussed. Although
this would extend the duration of a choir‘s journey and
therefore also the costs, the added educational value
could significantly improve the choir‘s performance.
After the events, the choirs could, for example, stay in
contact with the workshop leaders and it could be explored
whether long-term coaching is also possible.
If an external workshop leader “accompanies” a choir
over a longer period of time, it would be possible to
observe the exciting development of a choir.
SPECIAL WORLD CHOIR GAMES FOR DISABLED
OR HANDICAPPED CHOIRS IN THE STYLE OF THE
PARALYMPIC GAMES?
In addition to the training and further education of
choirs, the costs and the problem that choirs are not
able to travel to events as often, a topic was also discussed
that has been solved at the sports level for
years. What options do choirs with disabilities have
if they want to take part in competitions? Sometimes
this is difficult because there are no separate categories
or opportunities for this. However, as there
are more and more choirs that have disabled singers
or even entire choirs that are disabled, this topic is
becoming increasingly important and should not be
ignored at all. Three possibilities were discussed that
could become relevant in the future. On the one hand,
it was discussed whether these choirs could compete
in the normal categories. Although this option would
ensure that everyone would be treated equally, some
participants in the discussion pointed out that the level
of performance could be very different in some
cases and the choirs without restrictions could possibly
be better. In the long term, this could lead to the
disabled choirs losing the desire to sing and take part
in the competition, as they would have no chance of
competing. For this reason, the possibility of introducing
special categories for disabled choirs was discussed,
in which these choirs could then compete.
The advantage of this would be that everything would
take place under the umbrella of the “World Choir
Games”. As all choirs - disabled as well as non-disabled
- would participate, a special cohesion could
be created. On the other hand, however, the organizational
effort would be significantly increased, as many
more categories would have to be processed and
handled at the same time. For this reason, a third option
was also discussed. It was suggested that INTER-
KULTUR could organize a kind of Paralympic World
Choir Games where only choirs with disabilities could
participate. They would then be completely among
“like-minded people” and the organization would be
easier to implement. This has been working at a sporting
level for years, so it could also be a possibility and
a great opportunity for the choral world and offer considerable
added value. This would give all choirs the
opportunity to take part in competitions and festivals,
which would be both fair and correct. All participants
agreed that there is still a lot of room for improvement
in the area of disabled choirs and that everyone needs
to work together to make progress here.
WORKSHOP FOR CHOIR CONDUCTORS -
STANDARDIZED EVALUATION CRITERIA
Another topic that was discussed was the training of
adjudicators. Some participants said that for some
categories, e.g. folklore, it is difficult to evaluate in a
standardized way because the evaluation criteria and
possibilities are difficult. It was therefore suggested
whether INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council
could offer workshops for choir conductors and old
and new jurors in order to convey uniform evaluation
criteria and standards so that all jurors have the
same level of knowledge. This could be done in the
preparation of events but also in between. An added
value for the jurors but also, conversely, for the choirs,
who benefit from standardized evaluations.
All in all, the discussion round was very interesting
and fruitful. The participants were able to exchange
ideas very well, discuss new possibilities and all agreed
that we should have such an exchange much
more often, as it is valuable for everyone. The World
Choir Council team and INTERKULTUR will respond
to this call in addition to the General Conference within
the framework of the World Choir Council Forum,
where we offer all members a platform for exchange
and discussion.
19
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL -
NEW HONORARY MEMBERS
THE WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL EXPANDS AND DEVELOPS:
The World Choir Council, as an important member in the INTERKULTUR family, is a well-known
and very important part of the choral world. The World Choir Council is also the highest voluntary
international advisory body of INTERKULTUR.
INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council are very proud that we were able to appoint the
following members as Honorary Members of the World Choir Council in New Zealand due to their
long-standing membership and work in the World Choir Council:
JEAN-PIERRE VAN AVERMAET
BELGIUM
• Secretary General of the European Federation
for choirs of the Union (Paris-Brussels)
• Specialist in youth choirs and promoter of
authentic baroque music
• Involved in several music films (“The gold of
the Angels”, “Higgi-Inspiring Voices”)
• Organizer of over 5000 concerts in Europe, and
organizer of many international youth choir music
festivals in Basel, Nantes, Poznan and Riga
• Lecturer at masterclasses and juror in
competitions all over the world
GUANGHUI CHEN
CHINA
• National First Class Conductor and Vice President
of China Chorus Association
• Director of the Mass Chorus Committee of the
Chinese Choral Association
• President of the Guangdong Choral Association
and President of the Shenzhen Choral Society
• Founder and Director of the Guangdong
international choral pedagogic education project
• Directed many choirs, which have won champion
titles in numerous choral contests, both home
and abroad
• Founder & Artistic Director of the Shenzhen Star
Bright Choir
20
CONGRATULATIONS
YANG LI
CHINA
• Professor of conducting at the Central
Conservatory of Music
• Principal Conductor of Tianjin Symphony
Orchestra
• Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of
Beijing Philharmonic Choir
• frequently invited to serve as an international
judge in many important choral competitions
• in 2016, his monograph “Modern Conducting
Techniques Course”was published by the Central
Conservatory of Music
MARÍA FELICIA PÉREZ
CUBA
• Conductor of Coro de Cámara „Exaudi“
• Phd in Musical Interpretation, Universidad de las
Artes de Cuba
• Professor of Coral Conduction, Faculty of Music in
Universidad de las Artes de Cuba
• Professor of Coral Conduction, Escuela Nacional
de Música de Cuba
MATHEW WRIGHT
GREAT BRITAIN
• founder and Artistic Director of the award winning
Barnsley Youth Choir, a community choir of
650 members based in an area of significant
deprivation
• has worked in Education at Primary, Secondary,
Tertiary and University levels as an Advanced
Skills Teacher, Advisory Teacher and as a
Regional Director of Education for a large
Education Trust
• composer and arranger
• in demand internationally as a clinician,
workshop leader, conductor and adjudicator
21
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL -
NEW HONORARY MEMBERS
AHARON HARLAP
ISRAEL
• His compositions have been performed by all
of the major orchestras and choruses in Israel
including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
• He is the recipient of the prestigious ACUM
(Authors and Composers in Israel) award for
„Life Achievement“ in 2008 for his contribution
to music in Israel as a composer, conductor and
teacher.
• He was also awarded the „Prime Minister‘s
Composition Prize“ in 1999 and again in 2014.
• From 1976-2018, he was Associate Professor
in choral and orchestral conducting at the
Jerusalem Academy of Music.
• Since 1997, he is the Music Director of the Kefar
Sava Chamber Choir in Israel.
LUDUMO MAGANGANE
SOUTH AFRICA
• Studied music at the University of Zululand,
majoring in Choral Conducting and Music History
• Founder and director of „Kwa Thema Youth
Choir“ (since 1979) and co-founder and director of
„Bonisudumo Choristers“ (since 1985)
• Director of „Kwa Thema Central Methodist
Church Choir“
• Music Director of the „Sowetan Massed Choir
Festival“ (2002-2009)
CONGRATULATIONS
22
1 ST INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION
OCTOBER 15-19, 2025
KUCHING (SARAWAK), MALAYSIA
INTERKULTUR.COM/SARAWAK2025
23
“HELLO COUNCIL”:
VOICE MUTATION ≠ REJECTED BY CHILDREN‘S
CHOIR SINGING!
„Hello Council“ is the series of live talk and online
pedagogical workshop organized by INTERKULTUR
China under the support of INTERKULTUR and
World Choir Council. The 18 th “Hello Council“ came
on live on December 13 th with guest speakers Mr.
Meng Dapeng, Chinese representative and Honorary
Advisor of World Choir Council and three Chinese
young conductors and composers, Mr. Zhang Xujun,
Mr. Wu Hao and Ms. Kou Shuang. This live focuses
on the topic of “Voice Mutation Training Guide
for Children’s Choirs”. More than 3,000 Chinese
audience participated in the live broadcast, and more
than 10,000 people watched the review video.
This show focused on the special topic of “voice
mutation” in the choir training, providing answers
and explanations for the Chinese children‘s choirs
with a large base. Mr. Meng Dapeng introduced the
physical and mental impact of voice mutation period
on the children participating in choir activities,
and made suggestions for conductors on vocal
training and work selection: “Please pay attention
to protecting the vocal cords of children in voice
mutation period. There should be constraints on the
vocal range and performance intensity of works, but
by selecting suitable mixed voices SAB works, it is
possible to enable children, especially boys, in voice
mutation period to continue to participate in choirs
without interruption.”
In the interactive session, Mr. Zhang Xujun, Mr. Wu
Hao, and Ms. Kou Shuang each raised scenic OX
statements based on their own experiences, including
physiological medicine, composition techniques,
training modes, vocal skills, and psychological
counseling. The guests further engaged in interactive
discussions and reached a consensus: Compared to
allowing children in the voice mutation to temporarily
leave an equal voices SSA choir, it is undoubtedly a
higher challenge and effort for the conductor to form
a mixed voices SAB choir and keep the children in
the choir. But its educational significance cannot be
ignored. Just as “Singing together brings nations
together”, the spiritual concept of INTERKULTUR’s,
meeting the growth and emotional needs of children
is the most important meaning of choir activities.
At the end of this show, Ms. Li Qixuan, the project
manager of the Hello Council series, promoted
the 2025 INTERKULTUR “World Choir Events” and
invited the audience: “As a public welfare program
for choir education, Hello Council not only provides
a platform for professional technical exchange in
choral music, but also provides a medium for guiding
and disseminating correct choir concepts. We
welcome the audience to continue to pay attention to
Hello Council and INTERKULTUR events in 2025, and
wish everyone a happy New Year!”
24
25
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL
IN MULTI-ETHNIC CHILDREN‘S CHORUS ART WEEK
CHINA, SHENZHEN
NOVEMBER 16-18, 2024
“Chanson de Montagne” is multi-ethnic children’s
chorus project which was started from Shenzhenthe
youngest city of China-since 2007. A dream of
founding our own traditional choir by the rich cultural
background of China was rooted in the hearts of a
group of Peking university Alumni who were inspired
by a concert of Vienna Children’s choir then. In the
past 17 years, there are more than 30 choirs were
founded in more than 25 different ethnic groups in the
name of project “Chanson de Montagne”! Hundreds
of volunteers, teachers, experts and composers were
sent to those deep mountain and small village area
to work with local artists and choir. During recent
years, an album was collected in which there are
more than 20 great composition based on different
ethnics, hundreds of rural songs from different
nations. Those are fruits for 17 years’ hard work.
In November of 2019, the first Concert “Echoes
of Enchantment-Ancient and Earth” was held in
Shenzhen Concert hall, 3 different Ethnic children’s
choir from thousand kilometers away come to join
the concert, quite a few representative artists of
each group performanced together. That night,
the beautiful choral music and the ethnic sound of
nature converged on the stage of Shenzhen Concert
Hall which was gorgeous like fireworks’ glooming.
That concert gained a great succeed!
Since then, “Echoes of Enchantment-Ancient and
Earth” was held as least once every year, more
and more big fans from all over the country go to
Shenzhen every year for this big show. In the year
2023, when “Echoes of Enchantment-Ancient and
Earth” was invited to performance in China national
center for performance arts, the tickets were sold
out immediately after announced, it truly became a
very popular choral concert IP in china. More than 20
different ethnic groups have performanced on this
stage in past 5 years.
CHINA
Shenzhen
26
https://v.qq.com/x/page/
d3573aqvvzc.html
Click here
In this November 17, the 7 th “Echoes of Enchantment-
Ancient and Earth” meet with their new international
friends from world choir council, when endless
cheers reverberated in Shenzhen concert hall
everyone is moved. This is the first time for the official
representative of world choir council get to know this
aspect of China. Some of them only know very little
things about Chinese ethnic music and culture of
different groups at before. It’s totally new experience
for all of them. Everyone felt shocked about the huge
wealthy of heritage, it must can done something good
to make it uncovered in front of the world.
The cooperation between “Chanson de Montagne”
multiethnic culture communication center and
INTERKULTUR was formally confirmed this summer
during 13 th world choir game in Auckland. The
vision of promoting the “Echoes of Enchantment-
Ancient and Earth”concert to the world stage was
the premise of cooperation between both sides,
and the convening of the World Choral Council at
Multi Ethnic Choral Week in Shenzhen is also a new
exploration and attempt. Taking this opportunity for
the members of the World Choral Council to study
and judge the works and art forms accumulated by
“Chanson de Montagne” for many years, is to provide
the basis for future cooperation combined with the
world choir event.
Four months later, the World Choir council
conference was held during Multi-Ethnic Children’s
chorus Arts Week in Shenzhen, November 16-18,
2024. There are 8 world choir council members
attended this event, they are from Latvia, Hungry,
Greece, Malaysia, Macau, Hong Kong and mainland
China. At the conference of World choir council, each
council member shared their experience and ideas
about choral pedagogy and traditional choral works’
learning: In the grand Latvia song festival project and
strong music education system, Lativa people created
their own tradition. Hungry people have Kodály
Zoltán and Béla Bartók who started to gather ancient
music and tried all the way to keep the heritage since
the beginning of 20 th century. It’s very similar as what
“Chanson de Montagne” project did in past 20 years.
In Greece, there is similar problem as China, the old
traditional song from ethnic group is unison piece,
they also tried lots of ways to adapt these songs into
choral pieces without losing the origin flavor and keep
the tradition. In Malaysia, big amount of population
are from China and India, the indigenous people is
not as much as that. All the kids need to learn Malay
and English since young, most of them will go to
Chinese school so they can speak Chinese as well.
For Malaysia people to sing and speak in several
language is very common thing. Every country has
its own way to preserve its traditions and pass on its
culture. “Chanson de Montagne” has struck a wide
chord when interpreting its own journey. It turns out
that everyone has experienced similar difficulties,
but the communication in the conference opened
their horizons and brought new thoughts and ideas
to everyone.
In the morning of November 18, there is a special
show was held in Shenzhen Arts Museum for the
world choir council members. The artists from
Jino, Blang and Tajik ethnic group gather together
to share their traditional singing and dance, and
the participants tried their local instruments and
handcrafts during the show. Tajik is from Pamir
mountain, they regard the eagle as a strong, hero,
and widely spread folk songs and legends about the
eagle, and even the origin of the dance is linked to
the habits and dynamics of the eagle. Jino people
believes their ancestors came from the drum, so
they regarded the drum as a sacred object. The Blang
people are one of the oldest ethnic groups in China
with a history of more than 3,000 years, and their rich
tea culture and folk music language have allowed
their traditions to be passed on for thousands of
years. All the council members enjoyed the whole
session, they experienced different dance and
instruments, it will be an absolutely unforgettable
experience for each of them.
The Artistic director of “Chanson de Montagne” Ms
Humanxue is one of the most famous children’s
chorus conductor in China. She has about 30 years
working experience in leading Children’s choir. She
went many times into the ethnic group area to work
with local people and search the music in past ten
years. She said she constantly need to adapt her
teaching method for the local groups.
27
The practice give her lots of inspiration. She led the
“Echoes of Enchantment-Ancient and Earth” concert
and select different nations and groups each year. “I
have to consider very complicated things for each
concert” She said. There are over 30 choirs in this
project, it’s hard to guarantee that every choir will
always keep at the stable quality of singing.
The local teachers may leave, the new composition
need to be adapted many times, the change of
students…even the disaster of nature will effect
everything, mudslides, landslides and earthquakes
may get in the way to stop the volunteers enter into
the rural area. When audience can see 3-4 different
ethnic groups appear on the stage every year, you
never know how much they did at behind. Even
though, it is not enough for the ethnic children’s choir
to hold up a concert.
On view of the weak execution ability of rural children to
complete the chorus, which largely limits the problem
of transmission and sharing. In 2019, Chanson de
Montagne has opened a new idea, that is, set up the
Chanson de Montagne Multi-ethnic Children‘s Choir
Shenzhen Group, and use the Shenzhen Group as the
base camp. Because the city of Shenzhen has a very
good chorus foundation and chorus atmosphere.
The purpose of the establishment of the Shenzhen
Group is to have teachers and students here, but also
to make full use of various resources in Shenzhen,
especially the strong cooperation of Shenzhen
Concert Hall, so that the Shenzhen Group can grow
rapidly. When the Shenzhen Group grows up and has
a certain chorus strength, the Shenzhen Group can
be used as a chorus paving, just like the earth, like
the tree, the ethnic cultures brought by the ethnic
groups is like the blooming flowers on the earth and
the leaves of the tree. Sharing and passing on bright
cultural treasures in such a combined way is actually
the origin of the concert “Ancient and Earth”.
“This road is full of unexpected difficulties and huge
amounts of work, we are a public welfare team
composed mostly of female volunteers, and have
worked together for more than ten years. Their
tenacity and gentleness have opened up a smooth
road for national culture and art. No matter how
many difficulties we met, I and my team will keep on
working for this project. Those (ethnic culture and
music) are the pearls of our nation, we want it be seen
by the whole world” Ms Wang Fang the responsible
person of “Chanson de Montagne” said that when
she meet with Vice president of IK Ms Wang Qin at
Auckland.
The artistic director of IK Romans Vanags is very
moved by the 3 days’ event, he talked a lot to the
journalist about his feeling. He has been to Shenzhen
for twice, one is for a contemporary western choral
concert, the other time is come for traditional ethnic
music. “As the youngest city of China, Shenzhen is
very open view and active in culture.We will see
there are many possibilities for promoting ethnic
music and culture on global stage in the future, This
meeting with the World Choral Council is a great
place to start!”
XU QIAN
Representative of IK Asian-China office, Vice
president & secretary-general of Shenzhen
chorus Association, responsible person of
Shenzhen Xinghan Culture & Arts development
company.
Main working experience:
14 year experience in organizing international
choral activities, connect Chinese choirs to all
kinds of international events, responsible for
Shenzhen Choir festival international affairs,
held international choral education projects
in more than 20 cities in China, Founder of
Shenzhen Star Bright choir.
28
29
30
31
NEW FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
THE WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL EXPANDS AND DEVELOPS:
The World Choir Council, as an important member in the INTERKULTUR family, is a well-known and
very important part of the choral world. The World Choir Council is also the highest and voluntary
international advisory body of INTERKULTUR.
INTERKULTUR and the World Choir Council are very proud to present 13 new members from
13 countries for the World Choir Council. These new members represent their country and will
contribute with their expertise and experience to make the World Choir Council even more
successful. In the following we would like to introduce all new members to you:
AXEL PFEIFFER
GERMANY - EUROPE
- studied musicology and instrumental pedagogy
with piano as his main subject in Giessen and Mainz
as well as choral conducting at the Akademie
für Tonkunst in Darmstadt. The attendance of
numerous advanced training courses and seminars
(among others with Frieder Bernius, Volker
Hempfling, Wolfgang Schäfer, Kurt Suttner) also
expanded his musical and conducting knowledge.
- As a freelance choirmaster he conducts choirs
of all genres. With the choirs under his direction
he has won numerous first prizes at national and
international choir competitions.
- Since 1997 he has been a member of the Federal
Music Committee of the Hessian Singers‘
Association. From 2005-2019 he was also chairman
of this committee.
- In 2008, he was appointed one of the two musical
directors of the „Landesjugendchor Hessen“,
which was newly founded in the same year, and
since then he has also supervised the choir in
parallel as project director. Since 2023 he has been
the sole musical director of the choir.
- From 1997 to 2006 he was a lecturer for composition,
choral voice training and rehearsal at the Frankfurt
Choral Conducting School. From 2006 to 2022, he
was the director of the Marburg Choral Conductors‘
School of the Hessian Singers‘ Association, where
he taught conducting, rehearsal and choral voice
training.
- In addition, he conducts seminars and advanced
training events and is regularly engaged as a critic
and juror.
- Since March 2023 Axel Pfeiffer is a member of the
artistic committee of INTERKULTUR.
WELCOME
32
Sing in Paradise!
33
AAPCG2025.COM
2025
INTERKULTUR
WORLD TOUR
INTERKULTUR events include the opportunity
to travel and discover interesting
new places. In addition to our established
events, we are proud to take you on
a world tour in the next few years.
Get on board and enjoy to our World Tour
Stops spread out within this magazine!
GREAT
BRITAIN
HULL
2026 2025
SPAIN
CALELLA
MA
2025
34
2025
2025
DENMARK
AARHUS
VIETNAM
HOI AN
MALAYSIA
2025
SARAWAK
URITIUS
PORT LOUIS
35
WORLD TOUR STOP 2025
HULL - GREAT BRITAIN
WELCOME TO THE “SINGING CITY”!
On the East Coast of England, with beautiful historical
buildings, lively entertainment, bustling shops,
traditional pubs and tasty restaurants, Yorkshire‘s
only waterfront city of Hull is a hidden treasure.
After a successful inaugural event in 2023, this
competition returns, inviting choirs from across the
globe to showcase their talents. Hull, known for its
vibrant cultural life and historical beauty, offers the
perfect backdrop for a celebration of music, that
celebrates the diversity and unity of the choral world.
The choir competition in Hull offers categories for
each type of choir, from Musica Sacra to Pop, Jazz &
Gospel. Participants will also benefit from Evaluation
Performances, where they‘ll receive direct feedback
from internationally acclaimed choral experts.
As a city with a rich choral history, from early church
music to modern initiatives with a focus on outreach
and inclusivity, Hull is eagerly waiting to welcome
choirs from all over the world to this „singing city“
again. Join in and sing with us in Hull!
36
HÔ. I AN - VIETNAM
UNIQUE CHOIR COMPETITION IN FASCINATING VIETNAM
Immerse yourself in the world of music and
experience the magic of Vietnam. The Vietnam
International Choir Competition is a festival of joy,
music, singing and friendship that brings together
choirs from all over the world every two years.
Against the breathtaking backdrop of historic
Vietnam, you can take part in choir competitions,
friendship concerts, evaluation performances and
individual coachings.
The well-preserved old town of Hội An, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site since 1999, provides a fairytale
setting for this special highlight in the INTERKULTUR
calendar of events.
The “Hội An Legendary Night” always generates
great enthusiasm among the singers. On this magical
night, colorful lanterns light up the entire old town of
Hoi An and local specialties are offered everywhere.
A very special experience in an atmospheric setting!
The competitions in 13 different categories take place
right on the waterfront: Hội An is located directly
between the river and the sea, giving the event a
dreamlike background under palm trees. Join us on
an unforgettable journey full of music, friendship and
unforgettable experiences in Hoi An, Vietnam!
SARAWAK - MALAYSIA
SINGING SARAWAK: A HARMONY OF CULTURES
Kuching, the vibrant heart of Sarawak on the island
of Borneo invites to embark on a musical journey to
its first International Choir Competition. Here, the
rich tapestry of cultural diversity intertwines with the
untouched natural splendor, setting a spectacular
stage for choirs and conductors from every corner of
the world.
The competition venues are set to provide choirs with
world-class facilities to showcase their talents. With
various categories to participate in, every choir will
find a stage to resonate their unique sound.
Nestled amidst Borneo’s stunning landscapes
of rainforests, mountains, and pristine beaches,
Kuching offers a picturesque setting for outdoor and
eco-tourism activities. Whether exploring the wildlife
at Bako National Park or enjoying a river cruise along
the scenic waterfront, there’s plenty to inspire and
refresh the spirit.
Seize the opportunity to shine on an international
platform and immerse yourself in the warmth and
scenic beauty of Kuching. Join us for a celebration of
music, culture, and adventure that promises to be as
enriching as it is exhilarating!
37
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL
MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD
61
21
11
11
10
Countries and Regions: 96
Number of members: 150
Number of Continents: 6
38
37
40
25
14
11
3
2
Statistics as of December 19, 2024
39
EVENTS
2025
INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITIONS AND FESTIVALS
04
04
04
05
06
06
07
09
09
10
10
3 RD RIGA SINGS - INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION &
IMANTS KOKARS CHORAL AWARD
April 3-7, 2025 | Riga, Latvia
8 TH VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION
April 9-13, 2025 | Ho·ˆi An, Vietnam
4 TH VOX LUCENSIS – CONCORSO CORALE INTERNAZIONALE
April 12-16, 2025 | Lucca, Italy
2 ND HULL INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION
May 2-6, 2025 | Hull, Great Britain
6 TH EUROPEAN CHOIR GAMES & GRAND PRIX OF NATIONS AARHUS 2025
June 28 - July 6, 2025 | Aarhus, Denmark
7 TH INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTOR‘S SEMINAR WERNIGERODE
June 28 - July 1, 2025 | Wernigerode, Germany
13 TH INTERNATIONAL JOHANNES BRAHMS CHOIR FESTIVAL AND COMPETITION
July 2-6, 2025 | Wernigerode, Germany
SING ALONG CONCERT BARCELONA 2025
September 12-14, 2025 | Barcelona, Spain
AFRICAN ASIA PACIFIC CHOIR GAMES & GRAND PRIX OF NATIONS MAURITIUS 2025
September 27 - October 5, 2025 | Mauritius
1 ST INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION SARAWAK
October 15-19, 2025 | Kuching (Sarawak), Malaysia
11 TH CANTA AL MAR – FESTIVAL CORAL INTERNACIONAL
October 16-20, 2025 | Calella/Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain)
FOR INDIVIDUAL SINGERS
as of September 2024
interkultur.com /interkultur @interkulturevents @interkulturevents
40
PROJECTS
2025
MAGAZINE – COUNCIL TALK
THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK OF THE WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL,
ITS MEMBERS AND CURRENT NEWS FROM THE CHORAL WORLD.
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL –
REGIONAL MEETINGS
DISCUSSION ROUNDS WITH THE WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL MEMBERS
YOUR REGION ON CURRENT TOPICS EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE AND
INFORMATION.
INVITATION
ONLINE EVENT &
LIVE EVENT
Stay tuned for what‘s coming up for you.
WCC FORUM - A PLACE TO TALK
Forum
NEXT MEETINGS: SPRING 2025 & AUTUMN 2025
MUSICA MUNDI ACADEMY SPECIAL
HELLO COUNCIL – CHINA | PACIFIC
VIRTUAL LIVE TALKS –
CONNECTING THE CHORAL WORLD
China: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | Autumn 2025 | Winter 2025
WORLD CHOIR PEACE CONCERT
DURING EUROPEAN CHOIR GAMES &
GRAND PRIX OF NATIONS 2025 AARHUS, DENMARK
*Dates might subject to change.
World Choir Council c/o INTERKULTUR
Ruhberg World 1, 35463 Choir Council Fernwald c/o (Frankfurt/Main) INTERKULTUR Germany, worldchoircouncil@interkultur.com
interkultur.com
Ruhberg 1, 35463 Fernwald (Frankfurt/Main) Germany, worldchoircouncil@interkultur.com
41
interkultur.com
ONE EVENT, COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES:
SING IN AARHUS 2025!
COMPETITIONS, COACHINGS OR SINGING IN THE FESTIVAL –
FIND THE EXPERIENCE THAT SUITS YOUR CHOIR BEST!
Are you ready to showcase your choir‘s talent on an international stage? The European Choir Games &
Grand Prix of Nations in Aarhus, Denmark, is the perfect opportunity for choirs from around the globe to
come together and celebrate the universal language of music. This prestigious event, set in the vibrant city
of Aarhus, offers a unique blend of competition, camaraderie, and cultural exchange from June 28 to July 6,
2025.
There are plenty of opportunities to participate for all kinds of choirs, regardless their artistic level and
competition experience. Read further to learn more about it and find out which of the activities is the best one
for your own choir!
DENMARK
5,8 million
Population
5 Regions
Capital: Copenhagen
Currency: Krona (DKK)
Language: Danish, English,
Faroese, German
AARHUS
Copenhagen
42
COMPETITION STRUCTURE
The European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations Aarhus 2025 is designed to cater to choirs of all levels and
styles. Whether you‘re a seasoned competitor or a first-time participant, you can choose among a total of 10
different categories and three competition levels to find the one that suits your choir best.
• Open Competition: Welcoming choirs from all over the world who are new to the international stage or
seeking a more relaxed competitive environment. In the spirit of „Participation is the highest honor“, every
choir can participate hereto gather valuable experience in international competitions.
• European Champions Competition: This competition level is open to choirs from Europe with international
competitive experience and corresponding success aiming to compete at a higher level of competition.
Participation is subject to approval by the Artistic Committee.
• Grand Prix of Nations: Bringing together top choirs from around the world to compete for the ultimate title.
The Grand Prix of Nations is open to choirs that have corresponding international competitive experience
and that have proven their abilities in international choral competitions. Participation is subject to approval
by the Artistic Committee.
Each competition offers the chance to perform in front of an esteemed panel of international judges, receive
valuable feedback, and vie for prestigious awards. It is possible for every choir to qualify from a lower level
of competition to a higher one, allowing them to compete again during the event.
43
MORE THAN JUST COMPETITION
In addition to the main competition, the European Choir Games & Grand Prix of Nations Aarhus 2025 provides
a variety of participation opportunities to enhance the full experience. Also, participation in the competition
is not obligatory, but choirs may also choose to participate in one or more festival activities only, which are:
• Evaluation Performances: Gain insightful feedback from expert adjudicators in a non-competitive setting,
helping your choir to grow and improve. This level of participation is exclusively available to choirs who
choose not to be placed in competition but seek to sing in front of an international jury and get their
valuable feedback.
• Individual Coachings: Benefit from one-on-one sessions with a renowned international choral expert,
offering tailored advice and techniques to elevate the choir‘s performance. All participants, whether taking
part in the competitions or not, are given the opportunity to participate with their choir in such a coaching
session.
• Friendship Concerts: Engage in joyful musical exchanges with choirs from different cultures and
backgrounds. These concerts at different stages and places all over the host city foster international
friendships and create unforgettable memories through shared music-making.
• Festival Stage Choir: As an artistic highlight of the event, a festive performance of a selection of traditional
and international choral symphonic pieces will be performed at the Closing Concert. Choirs interested in
participating in this concert are invited to register for it. However, the Artistic Committee has final approval
on the selection of choirs, who must rehearse independently and arrive prepared for massed rehearsal,
which take place during the event and are obligatory for all choirs participating in the Festival Stage Choir.
So, which of these opportunities is yours? Don‘t miss the chance to be part of one of the most exciting choral
events in Europe. Join us in Aarhus in 2025 and let your choir‘s voice be heard on the grand international
stage!
For more information and to register, please visit our website.
ECG2025.EU
44
VENUES
TO BE CONTINUED.
45
JURY
AND MORE TO COME ...
46
AARHUS
DENMARK
2025
JUNE 28 - JULY 6, 2025
47
ECG2025.EU
WORLD CHOIR COUNCIL -
THANK YOU & GOOD BYE
KITTIPORN TANTRARUNGROJ
THAILAND
We would like to thank our colleague Kittiporn for
his work in the World Choir Council over the past two
years. Kittiporn has worked as a recognised choral
expert and colleague in the World Choir Council
over the past two years and, together with the other
members and us, he has further developed and
promoted the goals of the World Choir Council. On
behalf of the WCC Board and colleagues from around
the world, we would like to express our sincere
thanks to Kittiporn for his friendly co-operation and
contribution during Kittiporn‘s time as a member of
the WCC of Thailand. We look forward to staying in
touch with you and gaining your support in the future.
THANK YOU
48
Honorary Artistic Presidents
Prof. Xiaoying Zheng (China)
Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany)
John Rutter (Great Britain)
Dr. Hak-Won Yoon (Republic of Korea)
Prof. Dr. Morten Lauridsen (USA)
Organizing Committee of the World Choir Council
IMPRINT
Publisher: INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council
Chief Editor: Qin Wang
Editors: Nicolas-Constantin Gliese,
Henriette Brockmann
Graphic Design: Ina Hennig
The digital magazine COUNCIL TALK welcomes
your letters, comments, photos and articles,
which you can send by e-mail to
worldchoircouncil@interkultur.com.
The magazine is published semiannual by
INTERKULTUR.
Copyright by INTERKULTUR. All rights reserved.
Reprinting or translation without the express
permission of INTERKULTUR is inadmissible.
INTERKULTUR Executive Committee
President: Günter Titsch (Germany)
First Vice President: Qin Wang (China)
Vice-President: Stefan Bohländer (Germany)
Secretary-General: Dr. Christoph Wirtz (Germany)
Board of the INTERKULTUR Artistic Committee
Honorary Artistic Director:
Prof. Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany)
Senior Artistic Director:
Romans Vanags (Latvia)
Senior Artistic Director:
Johan Rooze (Netherlands/Republic of Korea)
Senior Artistic Director:
Fred Sjöberg (Sweden)
Honorary Artistic
Presidents
in memoriam
Prof. Yang Hongnian (China)
Prof. Paul Wehrle (Germany)
Mikis Theodorakis (Greece)
Prof. Eric Ericson (Sweden)
Christian Ljunggren (Sweden)
Board of the World Choir Council
President: Günter Titsch (Germany)
First Vice President: Qin Wang (China)
Vice President: Fred Sjöberg (Sweden)
Honorary Senior Advisor: Steen Lindholm (Denmark)
Senior Advisor: Prof. Jürgen Budday (Germany)
Director Communications, Marketing and
Sales: Hans-Robert Dapprich (Germany)
Advisory Board of the World Choir Council
Prof. Lingfen Wu (China)
Prof. Jürgen Budday (Germany)
Dr. Maria-Emma Meligopoulou (Greece)
Susanna Saw (Malaysia)
Michael Barrett (South Africa)
Dr. Timothy W. Sharp (USA)
Ana Laura Rey (Uruguay)
Project Management & Organizing Team
of the World Choir Council
Project Director INTERKULTUR China:
Iris Huting Byrd (China/Canada)
Project Manager of World Choir Council:
Joy Ran Tao (China)
Project Director of INTERKULTUR:
Jelena Dannhauer (Germany)
Project Coordinator of the World Choir Council:
Nicolas-Constantin Gliese (Germany)
Project Development:
Francesco Leonardi (Italy)
Artistic Director:
Johan Rooze (Netherlands/Republic of Korea)
Marketing Communications Manager:
Henriette Brockmann (Germany)
Senior Manager IT & Marketing:
Sebastian Ferstl (Germany)
Graphic Design: Ina Hennig (Germany)
Manager Film Production:
Dagmar Titsch (Germany)
Regional Committee of the World Choir Council
Carrie Tennant (Canada)
Tristan Meister (Germany)
Julio Morales (Mexico)
Bernard Krüger (South Africa)
Dr. Ryan Goessl (USA/Republic of Korea)
49
Ruhberg 1
35463 Fernwald (Frankfurt/Main)
Germany
worldchoircouncil@interkultur.com
interkultur.com
The World Choir Council is
the highest and voluntary
international advisory committee
of INTERKULTUR. The members
support and promote the exchange,
progress and development of choral art
and culture worldwide.
Photo Credits:
© AdobeStock, INTERKULTUR, Jonas Persson, Nolte Photography, Studi43,
Maîtrise De Seine-Maritime, Pieter Du Plessis
All portraits were supplied by the corresponding people
either privately or through their office.