What Songs Will Global Choirs Perform for the Audience?

From "Emille" to "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

An International Choir Festival Expanding Across Gyeongnam

A song that begins in a foreign language soon transforms into a shared moment of emotion.

On the stage in Gyeongnam, voices from different cultures—American emotional ballads, traditional folk songs from Taiwan, regional melodies from Japan, and indigenous rhythms from the Philippines and Indonesia—come together in harmony.

The University of Mindanao Chorale, the Mindanao University Philippine Choir.
[Photo by Gyeongnam International Choral Organization Committee]

The 2nd Gyeongnam International Choral Festival, hosted and organized by the Gyeongnam International Choral Organization Committee, will be held from May 13 to 16 across Jinju, Gimhae, and Changwon.

Launched last year as a single-venue event in Changwon, the festival has expanded its stage to the entire Gyeongnam region this year, evolving into a festival of international cultural exchange.

Performances will sequentially take place at the Grand Theater of the Gyeongnam Culture & Arts Center in Jinju, the Maru Hall of the Gimhae Arts and Sports Center in Gimhae, and the Main Theater of the Seongsan Art Hall in Changwon.

This year's festival will feature choral groups from five countries: the United States, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Participating choirs include "Bel Armonia," a women's choir from an arts-focused public school in Miami, USA; "Seisen Youth Choir" from Seisen Academy in Japan; the "University of Mindanao Chorale," the official resident choir of Mindanao University in the Philippines; "Dux Stella Voce," an Indonesian choir composed of young musicians; and the "Taiwan Philharmonic Chamber Choir," a leading chamber choir representing Taiwan.

Each group will present performances imbued with their own country's traditions and sensibilities.

Bel Armonia from the USA will perform "Bridge Over Troubled Water," while the Taiwan Philharmonic Chamber Choir will present a Hakka folk song from Taiwan.

Seisen Youth Choir from Japan will reinterpret traditional Japanese melodies through modern choral arrangements. The choirs from the Philippines and Indonesia will also engage the audience with pieces that bridge folk traditions and contemporary styles.

Stages by domestic choirs will continue as well.

On May 14 in Jinju, the Gwangju City Choir and Jinju Chamber Choir will perform. On May 15 in Gimhae, the Gimhae City Choir will take the stage.

At the Changwon performance on May 16, the Yongin City Choir and the Changwon City Boys and Girls Choir will bring the festival to a close.

In particular, performances by the Jinju Chamber Choir ("Emile"), the Gwangju City Choir ("Boat Song"), the Changwon City Boys and Girls Choir ("Bukcheong Lion Dance"), and the Yongin City Choir ("Sarangga")—all featuring works with distinctly Korean sentiment—are expected to offer a unique resonance compared to the overseas choirs.

An official from the Gyeongnam International Choral Organization Committee stated, "This year's choral festival is growing as a platform for international cultural exchange, sharing music and culture from around the world in Gyeongnam," and added, "We hope this becomes a time for different cultures to communicate and empathize with each other through choral music."

For performance schedules and ticket inquiries, please contact the Gyeongnam International Choral Organization Committee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.