International Federation for Choral Music

It is with enormous sadness that Symposium 2020 Ltd, in conjunction with the New Zealand Choral Federation and the International Federation for Choral Music, announces that the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music (WSCM2020), due to take place in Auckland, New Zealand from 11 to 18 July, is cancelled.

This decision is a direct result of the global outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 and has not been made lightly. The pandemic is still growing exponentially throughout much of the world, international flights are already severely affected, and the New Zealand Government has imposed stringent self-isolation rules on all incoming travellers, while also indicating that massed gatherings may soon be restricted. There is no guarantee that the situation will have changed markedly by July.

Concern over the virus has meant that delegates have become reluctant to travel. Choirs and presenters are increasingly asking for assurance, which is of course impossible to give. In the current climate, WSCM2020 is not sustainable. We have no option but to cancel now and provide a sense of certainty for all those affected, despite the huge disappointment that will accompany it.

We were thrilled by the quality of the choirs and presenters we were able to select from a record number of applications, and excited by the programme that had been created around them. It is a devastating blow not to be able to present this now to an eager audience. All we can do is send our deep regrets and sincere thanks to every singer, conductor, partner, funder, administrator, registrant, staff member and volunteer who has supported us on this WSCM2020 journey.

All registration and concert tickets will be refunded, but we do ask for your patience while our team works through this process, as we will be inundated with enquires.

Ngā mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa. Our heartfelt thanks to you all.