WORLD CHOIR FESTIVAL ON MUSICAL & COMPETITION

Next Festival
15 - 17 May, 2026

14th World Choir Festival on Musical & Competition
9-11 of May, 2025

COMPETITION RESULTS

1. GOLD MEDAL &  1st PRIZE with 95,3 points
  Brigham Young University Singers, USA
  Conductor: Dr. Andrew Crane
  The Prize is accompanied by a cash reward of 1000 €

2. SILVER MEDAL &  2nd PRIZE with  88,5 points
Youth Mixed Choir of the State Music School Complex No.1 Warsaw, POLAND
Conductor: Katarzyna Sokołowska
The Prize is accompanied by a cash reward of  500 €

3. SILVER MEDAL & 2nd PRIZE with 88,5 points
“Siparantum” Choir from KOSOVO
  Conductor: Memli Kelmendi
The Prize is accompanied by a cash reward of  500 €

4. SILVER MEDAL with με 81,1 points
     Girls Youth Choir Iuventus Paedagogica in Levoča, SLOVAKIA
Conductor : Blanka Richnavská

5.  BRONZE MEDAL with 73,5 points
“Bella Musica” from Bela Crkva, SERBIA
Conductor : Danijela Jokanovic

6.  BRONZE MEDAL with 72,8 points
  Choral Workshop of the Church of the Nativity of Theotokos in Kardia, GREECE
Conductor : Stefanos Kofidis

7.  BRONZE MEDAL with 71,9 points
“Emmelia” Choir of the 18th Junior & Senior High School of Athens, GREECE
Conductor : Paraskevi Makrinou

SPECIAL AWARD

FOR CHORAL CONDUCTOR
Katarzyna Sokołowska
Youth Mixed Choir of the State Music School Complex No.1 Warsaw, POLAND

AUDIENCE AWARDS
1. Youth Mixed Choir of the State Music School Complex No.1 in Warsaw, POLAND
2. Music and Dancing Group New Choir of Lefkada 1964, GREECE

14th WORLD CHOIR FESTIVAL ON MUSICAL & COMPETITION
9 - 11 of May, 2025
THESSALONIKI

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Friday 9 May, 2025
19.00΄ Parade of choirs at Thessaloniki's New Beach (behind the Royal Theatre)
19.30΄ Official Opening Ceremony, Municipal Garden Theatre
A happy welcome from the instrumental ensemble "Early Music Group of Kiili" (Estonia) with an exciting journey to Early Music.

Concert Schedule
Ceremonial Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Saturday 10 May, 2025, 19.00'
Competition

1. "Emmelia" Choir of 18th Junior and Senior High School of Athens, GREECE
2. "Siparantum" Choir, KOSOVO
3. Choral Workshop of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Kardia, GREECE
4. "Bella Musica" Bela Crkva, SERBIA
5. Brigham Young University Singers, USA
6. The Girls Youth Choir Iuventus Paedagogica in Levoča, SLOVAKIA
7. Youth Mixed Choir of the State Music School Warsaw, POLAND

Αudience vote

Sunday 11 May, 2025. 11.00'
Free Program

1. "Urjwan" Choir from the city of Tartus, SYRIA
2. Women's Choir of Delta Municipality "Harmonistes", GREECE
3. Music and Dancing Group New Choir of Lefkada 1964, GREECE
4. Choir "Logos and Melos" of the Union and Institution of "Panagia Soumela", GREECE
5. Choir of the Cultural Music Association of Kilkis, GREECE

Αudience vote

Sunday 11 May, 2025. 19.00'
1. "Thermaïkos" Choir of the M.G. Association of railway workers, GREECE
2. Choir of the Municipal Conservatory of Rhodes, GREECE

Solistic Interlude

With Soprano Yolanda Athanasopoulou
Tenoro Przemysław Borys
& Baritono Kostis Konstantaras
Eliona-Eleni Siniari accompanies on piano

Closing Ceremony with the performance of the three choirs with the highest scores.
Announcement of the Competition results - Awarding of prizes

Closing of the Festival

    14th WORLD CHOIR   FESTIVAL ON MUSICAL  &  COMPETITION
                                                    9 - 11 of May, 2025
                                                THESSALONIKI, GREECE
  Organization : "KORAIS" Choir

The Festival is under the auspices of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

“KORAIS” Choir invites you to participate in a Festival of Joy, which will take place in the city of Thessaloniki, from 9th to 11h  May, 2025.
This city of North Greece with the mild Mediterranean climate, the hospitality of its citizens and the long interesting history of 2.300 years - shown on its rich ancient monuments-, the city which is located at the crossroads of people and civilizations, can gladly promise you a pleasant and unforgettable stay full of new experiences.
We are inviting you to a unique Festival, which thousands of spectators so far, surround it with unlimited love thus creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm and joy and making this World Choir Festival on Musical an excellent event that gives to all the participants special and unforgettable emotions.
The World Choir Festival on Musical is dedicated to Peace, Friendship, Collaboration, Fellowship and Solidarity between people.


R E G U L A T I O N

  IDENTITY OF THE FESTIVAL

. The Festival has a Competitive and Non Competitive part.
. Only amateur choirs take part in the Festival.
.     All kinds of choirs take part in the Festival: mixed, children’s, youth choirs, similar voices and vocal ensembles.
. The main Festival performances will take place at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - Ceremony Hall 1.054  seats - situated at
the center of the city.
.     The Official Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday 9th of May 2025 in the evening, at the Municipal Garden
Theatre with the participation of all the choirs that will take part in the Festival.

COMPETITION

.   All kinds of choirs take part in the Festival: mixed, children’s, youth choirs, similar voices and vocal ensembles.
.   The duration of appearance of the choirs will be 15’. Exceeding the specified time for the competing choirs will be taken into
account by the Jury.
.   The repertoire of the competing choirs is chosen by the choirs themselves from original compositions-legal copies. The repertoire to be performed by the choirs should include at least a Musical song.
.   The competing choirs have the ability to use only a piano.
. The choirs that wish to compete will pay an additional 15 Euros for each person including the Director of the choir.
. The choirs that will participate in the Competition are obliged to send the scores to 5 copies to the address of the Festival.
.  A choir that has participated in the Competition can also have the opportunity, if it wishes, to participate in the Musical
Evening with the appropriate  repertoire.

  AWARDS

The choirs that will participate in the competing part will be judged by an international Jury which will consist of 3 choir directors with a world experience and prestige. The members of the Jury will evaluate the competing choirs by the technical and artistic performance of their program.

The choirs will be grated based on the following elements :
. Structure & Degree of program difficulty
. Sound Quality
. Quality of Interpretation
. Tonal Accuracy & Stability

The competing choirs, after the judgment of the Jury, will be awarded :

. From 90 to 100 points : Gold Medal
. From 80 to 89,99 points: Silver Medal
. From 70 to 79,99 points: Bronze Medal
. From 70 points and below: Diploma of Participation

SPECIAL AWARDS
. Best Musical interpretation
. Best choir direction
. Best Greek choir

At the discretion of the Jury stands the awarding of another prize with sufficient reasoned criteria.

CASH REWARDS
The choirs that will collect the 3 highest scores will be awarded with the following cash prizes :
.   I Prize : € 1000
.   II Prize : € 600
.   III Prize : € 400

AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience awards will be presented after the universal vote of the audience after each concert.

   NON COMPETITIVE PARTICIPATION

.  The choirs that do not wish to compete, can participate either in the Musical Evening or in the Free Program of the Festival.
. During the performance, each choir must perform five (5) songs. Three of them must be Musicals while the other two of free
choice. Of course the free choice songs should be consistent with the character of the  Musical Evening. They could
originate from pop music, jazz or from cinema soundtracks.
.  The choirs that wish to participate in the Free Program or the ones that do not have Musical songs in their repertoire, can
appear in the certain concert performing works of their own free choice.
. Dancing performances-choreographies that accompany the choirs are welcome.
. The Festival provides the opportunity to dance schools or dancers' groups to participate with choreographies
inspired by theatrical or cinema Musicals.
.  Τhe choirs are offered a piano by the Organizing Committee. The choirs can also accompany their program by other musical
instruments, for the transportation or rental of which they are themselves responsible, while informing the Organizing
Committee.
.   The choirs are required to provide the Organizing Committee with a copy of the music works (scores) to the performed.

                              TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

.   The choirs will have to arrive in Thessaloniki on Friday 9th May 2025, at noon.
.   All choirs will depart on Monday 12th May, after breakfast.
.   The presentation of the choirs and their programs is implemented exclusively by the Festival presenter.
      The presentation of choir or the reading of any text by the choirs themselves is not allowed.
.    The Organizing Committee of the Festival reserves the exclusive right for radio or television broadcasting and for the
recording, filming or photographing of the Festival without any compensation to the participants (choirs- choir conductors-
  choir members). The choirs participating will obtain the audiovisual material (DVD-Photos) free of charge from the Organizing
  Committee.
. The repertoire of the choirs that will be sent and accepted, is not allowed to be replaced without the consensus of the
  Organizing Committee.
. The choirs have also to inform the Organizing Committee in case of soloist participation at their program.
.   The day and the order of appearance of each choir will be determined by the Organizing Committee and the choirs will be
  timely informed for this.
. Choirs wishing to perform at an additional Concert, if it doesn't coincide with the Festival program, are kindly requested to
declare their wish, when completing their  Registration form.
. The participation fee for the choirs that do not wish to be hosted through the financial packages of the Festival is 300 Euros.
.  The Organizing Committee reserves the right to modify the concerts’ program for the needs of the festival.

    PROVIDED SERVICES

.    The choirs can select the category of the hotel they want to be accommodated. The accommodation of the
        choirs will be in double or triple rooms (if requested), in hotels of 3*, 4* and 5* in the city of Thessaloniki.
       or the surrounding area.
It is possible to provide a more economical or upgraded accommodation service, upon request to the Organizing Committee.
.   For every group of 25 people one person free of charge will be provided.
. All the taxes are included in the participation fee, apart from the accomodation tax which is paid off by the customer when he
is checking out. It ranges from 3 to 7 euros per day, per room according to the category of the hotel.
.   Individual Festival visitors can be hosted at the same prices.
.   Breakfast, lunch or dinner is offered every day (half-board, according to the accomodation package).
The dinner on Sunday 11th May 2025, which will include full meal, drink and live music, will be given during  the traditional
great Greek feast, that will take place at the closing of the Festival, with all the participating choirs.
The choirs, that have not asked for accommodation but wish to take part in the Greek feast that follows the end of the Festival,   can participate in it paying 18 E per person.
.    The choirs from abroad will be escorted by an English speaking person.
.    The choirs are offered a guided tour with the sightseeing of Thessaloniki in their free time.
.  Α Golden Olive tree branch - symbol of the Greek civilization Peace and Friendliness - will be given to all choirs participating in the Festival.
.    Print festival material to all choirs will be provided.
.    All choirs will receive a Diploma of Participation.

  COST OF PARTICIPATION
( 3 nights with Half Board )

Standard category   Comfort category Superior category
      180 € / person                        200 € / person 240 € / person

        The additional charge for      The additional charge for           The additional charge for
         a single room is 25 €/night       a single room is 30 €/night a single room is 40 €/night


The cost of participation includes all services mentioned above.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

9th May 2025, Friday.
Choirs arrival and welcoming in Thessaloniki, at noon

19.30, Meeting of all choirs
20.00. OFFICIAL FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY
Municipal Garden Theatre
Concert with the participation of all the choirs

10th May 2025, Saturday.
Touring of the choirs and sightseeing, visiting the ancient monuments and all worth seeing of the city.
Preparation of choirs

19.00-22.30. COMPETITION. Choirs concert
Ceremony Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Balkan night

11th May 2025, Sunday.
11.00-13.30. FREE PROGRAM. Choirs concert
Ceremony Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

19.00-22.30. MUSICALS EVENING.  Choirs concert
Ceremony Hall of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Αnnouncement of the results of the Competition. Αwards of Competition prizes
End of the Festival
Gala - traditional Greek party and entertainment with all the choirs taking part at the Festival

12th May 2025, Monday.
Choirs departure from Thessaloniki

                                                                ADDITIONAL SERVICES

.   Tourism program can be available in agreement with the organizers.
.   At your leisure you can visit resorts in neighboring prefectures of Thessaloniki, like the beautiful crystal clear beaches of
Chalkidiki and Pieria, the city of Edessa with its waterfalls. We are proposing to you an excursion to the mountain of gods -
the mountain Olympus -, the monasteries at Meteora and also the unique archeological sites of Vergina, Dion, Pella ,Amfipoli
or you can enjoy a cruise on the Thermaik Gulf. To see the sightseeing, please click Here
.   The choirs can arrive earlier or extend their stay in Thessaloniki. The cost per day per person varies depending on the choice of
  the hotel class as follows.
.   The choirs, who apart from the English speaking escort of the Festival would like to have an official guide for their tour in the
  city they have to ask it from the Organizing Committee and it is going to be on their own cost.
. Entrance tickets to museums or leisure activities are not included in the participation price.
. The choirs that arrive in Thessaloniki by plane and need a coach for all their transportation related to the Festival, will have to
take care of their own transportation or request for assistance of the Organizing Committee.
. The choirs that arrive at the Festival on their own coaches, they continue moving around on them during the whole Festival.

                                                            PARTICIPATION

If you are interested in participating in the 14th World Choir Festival on Musical & Competition, you are kindly requested to complete the Registration Form.
In addition, please send us:

1.  Brief history of the choir (no more than 200 words).
2.  Recent photo of the choir.
3.  Titles/composers-lyrics of the music works to be performed.
4.  The scores of the pieces that will be performed at the Festival, should be sent to the postal address of the Festival
(not by e-mail) no later than April 15, 2025.
5. Links of Youtube with at least two songs sung by the choir (they can be sent by e-mail).

The Artistic Committee of the Festival will select the choirs that will participate and they will be informed the soonest possible.

As long as you are selected you will have to submit a deposit of 250€ at the bank account of our Association.
In case of cancellation of the participation, the deposit cannot be refunded.
The rest of the amount of your participation should be paid at full until the 15th of April 2025.

Eurobank Bank of Greece : 0026 . 0257 . 29 . 0201226204
IBAN : GR9702602570000290201226204
SWIFT : ERBKGRAA
Holder’s name : Cultural - Spiritual Association "KORAIS"

Entries will be accepted until the 20th of March 2025.

For the best preparation of the choirs their Registration forms will be answered directly.

We will be delighted to welcome you to the beautiful and historical city of Thessaloniki.

Come join us in a unique Festival of Joy!

                                                                            On behalf of the Board of the Organizing Committee

                        Stratos Tsichlas
President of the Organizing Committee


Contact :
Choir " ΚΟRAIS "
53, Alkminis street
Postcode 542 49, THESSALONIKI, GREECE
E-mail : [email protected]
                  [email protected]

11th World Choir Festival on Musical dedicated to the Environment
Digital Festival

8th and 9th of May, 2021

To watch the Festival, click on the links below:

Saturday 8th of May, at 20.00 (Athens time)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzbgFuddpe8

Sunday 9th of May, at 20.00 (Athens time)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0a5qGnRJtU

World Choir Festival on Musical dedicated to Peace
Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th, November 2020 at 19.00 (Athens time)
To watch the Festival click on the links below:

Saturday 28 November
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy3TlGJRMBA

Sunday 29 November
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liaLkhlRvDw

HISTORY

The World Choir Festival on Musicals is an innovating idea of the president and the members of the Board of "KORAIS" Choir in their quest to strengthen the vocal color of the choir for better performance and scenic expression.And since it is the combination of words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole, Musical has met huge recognition and acceptance all over the world through famous films and musical performances in the European and American theaters.

World Choir Festival on Musicals objectives:
. To make Musical a unique genre with lasting value and visibility.
. To include musical works in the repertoire of choirs all over the world in order to be integrated and
      presented in the programs of national and international festivals.
. To bring together choirs worldwide being able in this way to share great moments and emotions through
original stage performances of musical works.
. To promote choral meetings in Europe and internationally.
. To establish the World Choir Festival on Musicals as a distinguished art institution internationally, dedicated to Peace,
Friendship, Collaboration, Brotherhood and Solidarity of people.
.  To highlight the important role of the choir as a live promoter of the musical works, as an art form of the
world’s cultural heritage.

2 0 1 1

1st World Choir Festival in reference to Musical.
The 1st World Choir Festival in reference to Musical was held with great success at the Ceremony Hall of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, on April 9th and 10th, 2011.
Children, male and mixed choirs from 5 countries took part.
The choirs from Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece sang well known and popular songs from film musicals and world theatre scenes.The 1st World Choir Festival in reference to Musical was the world first with this theme and had the immediate and warm reception of the audience that came to attend the two days events. Special moment for the festival the Greek origin soloist Nikos Aggelis from Italy who was greatly admired by all.
Within the two days festival the people had the opportunity to enjoy traditional folk dancing groups from Greece and Georgia.

2 0 1 2

2nd   World Choir Festival on Musicals.
The 2nd World Choir Festival on Musicals was held by "KORAIS" Choir, in Thessaloniki, on the 28th and 29th of April, 2012.
The year 2012 is a very important year for the recent history of Thessaloniki because the city celebrates 100 years from its liberation.
The Festival was integrated as part of the events of the Municipality of Thessaloniki for the centenary of its liberation.

Objectives of the Festival Organizing Committee :
. To arouse the interest of more and more organizations -local, European and international - associations
and simple citizens as well to attend the three days festival.
. To motivate the greatest human potential for the right preparation and perfect organization of the festival
and to achieve the best desired result.
.   To succeed in bringing together choirs from many countries and different continents thus creating an
atmosphere of mutual understanding and enhancing the cultural cooperation among the people.

​​14th World Choir Festival on Musical & Competition9-11 of May, 2025​COMPETITION RESULTS​

HISTORY

14th World Choir Festival on Musical & Competition
9-11 of May, 2025

COMPETITION RESULTS