The 18th China International Chorus Festival

15th-20th July, 2026

1. Open Competition

All registered choirs are welcomed to participate. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for participating groups to show themselves and get improvement on the international stage through the comments of renowned chorus experts at home and abroad, communicate and exchange with other groups, while feeling the charm of choral art. 

Different from previous editions, due to the launch of the Elite Competition, there will be no Champion award or Top 10 Choirs awards in the group evaluation. The awards set are as follows:

Competition Time: July 13-17, 2026

Individual Awards: Best Conductor, Best Piano Accompanist

Choir Awards: Level 1 Choir, Level 2 Choir, Level 3 Choir, Level 4 Choir

2. Elite Competition[New!]

As a high-level evaluation category of the 18th China International Chorus Festival, the Elite Competition focuses on the demonstration of charm and professional competition of outstanding and experienced choirs. By setting high-standard entry thresholds, a top-tier exchange platform for choral art is created.

This category is only open to choirs that:

n have won first awards in international choral competitions or national authoritative awards

n have been rated as "Level 1 Choirs" in the China International Chorus Festival

n have won first awards from or above provincial choral activities in past 3 years

[NOTE: Copies of the corresponding certificate must be submitted with the registration.]

Competition Time: July 17-20, 2026

Participants: High-level domestic and international choirs

Individual Awards: Best Conductor, Best Piano Accompanist

Choir Awards: Gold Award, Silver Award, Bronze Award

3. Competition Categories

Note 1: According to the regulation of the Committee, a maximum of 10% of the singers may exceed the age limit.

Note 2: Due to the specific piece of the participating choir, if the number of participants cannot meet the limit of the relevant group, the participating team can submit an application, which will be reviewed and decided by the Organizing committee.

Note 3: For show choirs, the singing part shall account for more than 70% of the performance.

4. Requirement of the repertoire

A. Open Competition(July 13 - 17, 2026)

(1) Subject of the composition

The content of the composition should be healthy, positive, and the ideological orientation shall be correct. The original composition is supported and encouraged.

(2) Accompaniment

The forms of accompaniment include piano, accordion, a capella or musical instruments with regional and ethnic characteristics (3 accompanists or less). The Organizing committee only provides piano, not other accompaniment instruments will be provided; All types of recordings are prohibited.

(3) Repertoire

Each choir is required to perform 2 compositions of the choir’s choice.

(4) Music scores

Each participating choir must submit an electronic version of the music score for each evaluation composition. The music score should be the internationally accepted stave, including the name of piece, the name of the composer, lyricist, and the arranger(if any). The provided music scores should indicate the performance order and must be submitted to the organizing committee by April 15, 2026. After this date, the organizing committee will no longer accept changes to the music scores.

(5) Duration of singing

The singing time for participating choirs shall not exceed 10 minutes. The singing time starts from the beginning of the prelude to the end of the performance. Points will be deducted if the choirs sing beyond 10 minutes. For overtime less than one minute, 0.3 points will be deducted from the final score; for overtime more than one minute, 0.5 points will be deducted from the final score.

(6) Schedule and order of evaluation

The number and order of participation of the choir shall be determined by the Organizing Committee.

(7) Comments and guidance

After the performance, each choir will receive comments and guidance from the jury for 5 minutes.

B. Elite Competition(July 17-20, 2026)

(1) Subject of the composition

The content of the composition should be healthy, positive, and the ideological orientation shall be correct. The original composition is supported and encouraged.

(2) Accompaniment

The forms of accompaniment include piano, accordion, a capella or musical instruments with regional and ethnic characteristics (3 accompanists or less). The Organizing committee only provides piano, no other accompaniment instruments will be provided; All types of recordings are prohibited.

(3) Repertoire

Each choir is required to perform 3 works:

1 classic Chinese work (works created after the 21st century)

1 free choice

1 a cappella work

(4) Music Scores

Each participating choir must submit an electronic version of the music score for each evaluation composition. The music score should be the internationally accepted stave, including the name of piece, the name of the composer, lyricist, and the arranger(if any). The provided music scores should indicate the performance order and must be submitted to the organizing committee by April 15, 2026. After this date, the organizing committee will no longer accept changes to the music scores.

(5) Duration of singing

The singing time for participating choirs shall not exceed 20 minutes. The singing time starts from the beginning of the prelude to the end of the performance.

(6) Schedule and order of evaluation

The number and order of participation of the choir shall be determined by the Organizing Committee.

5. Evaluation Committee and Evaluation System

China International Chorus Festival has set up an Evaluation Committee, under which an evaluation committee is responsible for professional evaluation for participating choirs. The Evaluation Committee is composed by senior experts in the music field, including composers, conductors, theorists, singers, scholars, etc., and each evaluation group will be composed of 5-7 evaluation experts.

The juries of the Evaluation Committee will judge the performances of the participating choirs in accordance with the Evaluation System of China International Chorus Festival, which mainly focuses on the Basic Skills, Vocal Techniques and Artistry of the choirs. Details are as follows:

Ⅰ. Basic Skills: Intonation (the distance of interval & absolute pitch), Faithfulness (Rhythm, Beat, Speed & Tempo, Dynamics, Style, Accuracy of Expression Mark);

Ⅱ. Vocal Techniques: Tone Production, Diction, Blending, Balance, Overall Harmony;

Ⅲ. Artistry: Stylistic Performance of structure, moderation, rhythm and color & General Impression and Dynamics; 

To make the evaluation more scientific and accurate, juries will give scores according to the criteria (Ⅰ) Basic Skills, (Ⅱ) Vocal Techniques, (Ⅲ) Artistry. The maximum score for each above three items is 10 points, and the average score which given by the five juries is the final score. The fraction is kept to two decimal places. Example is as follows:

The evaluation regulation is fully in line with international standard, and the evaluation system has been unanimously recognized by the International Federation for Choral Music and China Chorus Association. In order to reflect the international authority of China International Chorus Festival, an independent scoring system has been established instead of presetting number of awards.

6. Evaluation results

The final evaluation results will be divided into four diplomas: 1, 2, 3 and 4. There is no proportion for each evaluation awards diplomas, and the proportion of the awards for each category will be determined by juries. The Organizing Committee will award the certificates to the choirs that have won diplomas.

(1). Group Results

According to the rules of the China International Chorus Festival Group Evaluation System, according to the performance of each team, the scores are uniformly evaluated by the corresponding jury groups, and the scores are set according to the corresponding grades. For the participating choirs, the final evaluation results are set at 1, 2, 3 and 4 levels, and the “Best Choirs” are selected and won the commemorative trophies and certificates. The organizing committee will provide the comments of the juries.

(2). Choir Rewards

The choir that has obtained the level A results has the priority to participate in the relevant activities organized by the Organizing Committee of China International Chorus Festival, including: priority to be recommended to participate in overseas events, exchange performances, cultural festivals and large-scale cultural activities at home and abroad (including government projects).

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