International Federation for Choral Music

The International Federation for Choral Music sponsors this project in cooperation with a national organization, institution, or properly constituted committee in a host country. Whether world or regional, it is a meeting of the world’s most prestigious choral conductors and choirs.

WSCM 2026, Macau China, 23-28 August 2026, Reimagining the Future

The World Symposium on Choral Music (WSCM) 2026 – “Reimagining the Future” – held in Macau, China has come to a successful conclusion. WSCM 2026 featured 12 invited choirs and eight ‘World Voices’ participating choirs, 58 invited presenters, a total of 700 participants and distinguished guests from 48 countries. Musically and culturally diverse concerts, keynote presentations, workshops and sessions, conducting masterclasses, and an Expo all showcased the richness of our choral world, challenging everyone to “Grow your network, grow your voice, grow your future.” The artistic excellence and inspirational ideas of these world-class choirs and presenters, along with connections forged between the many choral musicians present, were all key contributors in our quest to reimagine that future.

IFCM expresses its sincere gratitude to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, the Federation of Cultural Sectors of Macau, the Macau Cultural development Fund and the Macau Choral Art Association.

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the WSCM2026 Artistic and Administrative Committees; President Emily Kuo Vong; the WSCM2026 Macau team and staff; the Macau Choral Art Association; the IFCM Board, Young Committee and staff; and all the dedicated individuals who took part in the event, as well as the host city and country.

We do hope WSCM2026 participants thoroughly enjoyed the Symposium, as well as the opportunity to reunite with old friends or make new ones. We look forward to seeing you again in 2029!

Watch the playlist of the World Symposium on Choral Music, Macau, China here.

Events of global proportion


The World Symposium on Choral Music is a one-week event organized every three years, with Regional symposia organized in alternate years. They occur in a prominent and attractive city that has the facilities, financial support and managerial structure to successfully plan and administer a major international or regional event. A local organizing committee works in collaboration with the Executive Committee of IFCM.
World and Regional Symposia promote artistic excellence, cooperation and exchange, by bringing together the finest choirs and choral leaders for performances, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and choral reading sessions.

An event important to the Choral Art


The impact of the World and Regional Symposia on participating singers and conductors is significant. Past experience has shown that choir singers are immeasurably enriched through the sharing of music indigenous to their own country and by learning about music from other areas of the world. Conductors who attend, share a similar experience in that they have the opportunity to improve their skills by working with some of the most renowned conductor/teachers. This has an influence on what happens in making music with their own choirs in their respective countries. In addition, hearing repertoire sung by some of the finest choirs from throughout the world, conductors at Symposia are challenged to strive for higher levels of artistry.

An event that makes an important contribution to the organizing city, region or country 

The cultural, political, and economic impact of the World Symposia on the host city can be substantial. Conservatively speaking, the city becomes a world or regional cultural focal point not unlike that of a sports event such as the Olympics and Pan American Games. Wide media coverage is virtually assured given the nature of the event. The potential economic impact is considerable since the event takes place during high tourist season.

WSCM IN THE WORLD

The International Federation for Choral Music has held 11 symposia in 14 world-class cities over the past 25 years.

• The first WSCM was held in Vienna in 1987, followed by
• Stockholm/Helsinki/Tallinn, Sweden, Finland, Estonia,1990
• Vancouver, Canada,1993
• Sydney, Australia, 1996
• Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1999
• Minneapolis, USA, 2002
• Kyoto, Japan, 2005
• Copenhagen, Denmark, 2008
• Puerto Madryn, Argentina, 2011
• Seoul, South Korea, 2014
• Barcelona, Spain, 2017
• Auckland, New Zealand, 2020: cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic.
• Istanbul, Türkiye, 2023
• Macau, China, 2026