The World Choir Games

Riga/Latvia July 2014. 27,000 singers in 460 choirs answer the call to participate in the World Choir Games (WCG). They represent 74 participating nations. The inhabitants of the Latvian capital, the whole country, the worldwide choir community, numerous visitors and volunteers transform the performances of the amateur choirs in 29 competition categories into a world festival of universal choral music. Including a grand opening and closing ceremony.

The seventh edition of the world’s largest choral competition, founded by INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch on the model of the ancient Olympic Games, is representative of an unprecedented success story. The competitions take place every two years. They range from Linz/Austria in 2000, Busan/Republic of Korea, Bremen/Germany, Graz/Austria, Xiamen and Shaoxing/China, Cincinnati/USA, Sochi/Russia to Tshwane/South Africa in 2018.

In 2020, the World Choir Games baton moves to Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium’s Flanders region. However, due to the pandemic, the event has to be postponed by one year to 2021 and adapted to the circumstances. Thanks to the specially created Virtual Village, choirs who are unable to travel can still take part in the competitions.

Two years after this special edition, the Games return fully to the international stage in Gangneung, South Korea in 2023. Thousands of singers from around the world come together to celebrate the unifying power of music – live and in person.

Auckland, New Zealand adds a new chapter in 2024: For the first time, the World Choir Games take place in Oceania, offering not only musical excellence but also exceptional cultural diversity.

Next on the future agenda of the World Choir Games: the Swedish city of Helsingborg in August 2026.

The World Choir Games confirm the vital appeal of Titsch’s idea of keeping alive and attractive a universal platform for singers in the spirit of peace and understanding. They regularly inspire people who want to experience and exchange ideas in immediate encounters, regardless of ethnicity, religion or conviction. They enable impressions and bonds for life. The World Choir Games, says the American composer and Honorary Artistic President of INTERKULTUR, Morten Lauridsen, summarizing the value of the World Choir Games, are a great cause for humanity, more than any other art and culture.