Thousands of singers from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and across the world came together for the 2026 Hong Kong World Choir Festival, combining international competition with headline concerts, workshops, masterclasses and cultural exchange, and demonstrating the wider educational and social impact that choral singing can achieve. 

 

For four days in July, Hong Kong became a meeting point for one of the most international gatherings in the choral calendar.

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The 2026 World Choir Festival – Hong Kong brought together more than 3,000 participants, with choirs arriving from 18 countries and from 18 provinces, cities and regions across mainland China. Nearly 80 choirs and around 40 international experts were involved in a programme encompassing major concerts, international competition, workshops, masterclasses and individual coaching.

 

Presented by the World Youth and Children’s Choral Artists’ Association (WYCCAA), which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2027, the festival was led by Artistic Director Professor Leon Tong.​

 

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Resident artists create an international festival community

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At the artistic heart of the festival was a group of six Resident Choral Artists: Youth Choir ‘Kamēr…’ from Latvia, Toronto Children’s Chorus from Canada, New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, Guangzhou Children’s Choir, The Hong Kong Children’s Choir and Hong Kong chamber choir The Mad Singers.

 

Rather than appearing simply as visiting headline performers, the resident ensembles formed the core of a programme designed around collaboration and exchange.

 

They featured prominently in the festival’s Starry Concert Series, which brought international ensembles together with leading Hong Kong and visiting choirs across the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong City Hall.

 

The series began with a joint concert featuring The Hong Kong Children’s Choir and Toronto Children’s Chorus, joined by singers from Good Hope School and Good Hope Primary School Cum Kindergarten.

 

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For Toronto Children’s Chorus Artistic Director Zimfira Poloz, the experience offered the opportunity ‘to listen to outstanding choirs from around the world in magnificent concert halls, and to reconnect with dear friends while making many new ones’. 

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Read the full report of the Festival and Competition here: Chorally