This calendar lists the 2027 dates and application deadlines of the better-known European festivals and competitions for amateur choirs, wind bands, brass bands and youth orchestras. Every row comes from the organiser's website, retrieved on 8 September 2026, and is linked there. Where the organiser has not yet published the 2027 edition, it says so, with the last known date and the usual rhythm. The calendar does not rate and is not complete; it answers the question which deadlines close in the next twelve months and what lies behind them.
How to read it: a deadline is not a date
Three kinds of deadline occur. The application with recordings for competitions: video or audio, the choir's biography, a programme proposal, usually six to twelve months before the event, with selection by a jury. The registration with a fee for festivals with a competitive part: registration with an early-bird stage and a regular deadline, often with a compulsory accommodation package for choirs from outside the region. The informal registration for festivals without a competition and for regional music festivals: programme and line-up are enough, sometimes without a fee.
The rhythm decides whether anything takes place in 2027 at all: many competitions are annual, some biennial (Marktoberdorf, Tallinn, Tampere), Europa Cantat every three years, the German Choir Festival every four, the World Music Contest Kerkrade every four, the Swiss Federal Music Festival every five. Fees are stated only where the organiser publishes them.
Choir festivals and choral competitions 2027
| Event | Place | Date 2027 | Deadline | Format | Fee and package | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Choir Games (Interkultur) | Linz, Austria | 21 to 31 July | 16 Sep 2026 (anniversary stage), 4 Nov 2026 (early bird), 20 Jan 2027 (regular) | Competition in 20 categories, plus evaluation performance, coaching, friendship concerts | Registration 250 to 600 EUR per choir; accommodation package compulsory except for choirs within 150 km | Organiser |
| International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival (Interkultur) | Wernigerode, Germany | 19 to 23 May | 19 Oct 2026 (early bird), 14 Dec 2026 | Competition with categories, evaluation performance, friendship concerts | Registration 150 to 300 EUR; package by country group, choirs within 200 km pay a participant fee | Organiser |
| Hull International Choir Competition (Interkultur) | Hull, United Kingdom | 30 April to 4 May | 28 Sep 2026 (early bird), 7 Dec 2026 | Competition, non-competitive participation, friendship concerts | as Wernigerode | Organiser |
| Isola del Sole (Interkultur) | Grado, Italy | 26 to 30 September | 22 Feb 2027 (early bird), 10 May 2027 | Competition, non-competitive, friendship concerts | as Wernigerode; package compulsory beyond 150 km | Organiser |
| Canta al mar (Interkultur) | Calella near Barcelona, Spain | 21 to 25 October | 15 Mar 2027 (early bird), 24 May 2027 | Competition with categories, evaluation performance, friendship concerts | as Wernigerode; package compulsory for non-regional choirs | Organiser |
| Sing for Gold, World Choral Cup (Interkultur) | Riga, Latvia | 7 to 11 October | 8 Mar 2027 (early bird), 18 May 2027 | Competition in 7 categories, coaching, friendship concerts | as Wernigerode; package compulsory for non-regional choirs | Organiser |
| Cork International Choral Festival | Cork, Ireland | 28 April to 2 May | 31 Oct 2026 (Fleischmann International Trophy) | Festival with competition (a cappella, 10 to 12 minutes) and non-competitive participation with concerts | Entry fee 400 EUR, refunded if not selected; no compulsory package | Organiser |
| Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod | Llangollen, Wales | 8 to 10 July (according to the event list) | Choral deadlines 2027 not yet published; in previous years in November | Competition in 10 choral categories, non-competitive participation possible | Entry fee 100 GBP per choir; no compulsory package stated | Organiser |
| Tolosa Choral Contest (58th edition) | Tolosa, Basque Country, Spain | 29 October to 1 November | 10 May 2027 (form with biography, recordings, photos) | Competition (chamber choirs, children's choirs; polyphony and folklore), member of the European Grand Prix | not stated | Organiser |
| International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf (20th edition) | Marktoberdorf, Germany | 14 to 18 May (Whitsun) | 31 Oct 2026 | Invitation competition for at most 12 mixed chamber choirs (16 to 32 voices), pre-selection by recording | not stated; prize money up to 3,500 EUR | Organiser |
| Europa Cantat Festival (22nd edition, European Choral Association) | Liepāja, Latvia | 9 to 15 August | Registration from October 2026; deadline not yet published; fee fully refundable until 31 Dec 2026 | Festival without competition: over 30 ateliers, open singing, concerts | Participation fee per person 120 to 400 EUR by age, membership and country group; without accommodation; no compulsory package | Organiser |
| International Choir Festival Tallinn (19th edition) | Tallinn, Estonia | 22 to 25 April | 1 Nov 2026 (with at least 10 minutes of unedited video) | Festival with competition in categories, Grand Prix, concerts in churches and halls | 300 EUR first category, 200 EUR each further, refunded if not selected; no compulsory package | Organiser |
| Slovakia Cantat (Bratislava Music Agency) | Bratislava, Slovakia | 22 to 25 April; further dates of the same agency in March, June, July, October, December | 2027 not yet published; in 2026 it was 31 January | Festival with competition or non-competitive | 2026 values: 250 EUR first category, 200 EUR each further; hotel package compulsory (3 nights) | Organiser |
| Tampere Vocal Music Festival | Tampere, Finland | 16 to 20 June | Ensemble contest: registration 7 to 31 Jan 2027; Chorus Review: not yet published | Festival with a contest for vocal ensembles and a non-competitive Chorus Review (around 50 choirs), workshops | 200 EUR for finalists of the ensemble contest; no compulsory package stated | Organiser |
Wind bands, community bands, brass bands and youth orchestras 2027
| Event | Place | Date 2027 | Deadline | Format | Fee and package | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Europe | Schladming, Austria | 13 to 17 July | Registration open, no closing date stated; programme due by end of March | Festival with concerts, open-air stage, church, tattoo, workshops; no competition | 400 EUR per orchestra; travel and accommodation your own; 50-minute programme required | Organiser |
| Flicorno d'Oro (27th edition) | Riva del Garda, Italy | 19 to 21 March | 30 Nov 2026 | Competition in five grades from Terza to Eccellenza | 500 EUR per orchestra | Organiser |
| European Brass Band Championships (48th edition) | Montreux, Switzerland | 24 April to 2 May; contest days 30 April and 1 May, youth 2 May | Nomination through the national associations, no open registration | Competition in Championship and Challenge Section, youth competition | not stated | Organiser |
| European Music Festival for Young People (75th edition) | Pelt, Belgium | 4 to 10 May, vocal and instrumental groups together | not yet published | Competition with jury assessment for choirs and orchestras of young people | not stated on the organiser's site | Organiser |
| Austrian Wind Orchestra Competition, top grade (ÖBV) | Bregenz, Austria | 29 and 30 October; Brass Band Nationals 29 October, youth wind orchestras 31 October | 31 Oct 2026, invitations by 1 Dec 2026 | Competition with set piece and own choice; foreign orchestras by invitation only | 400 EUR per orchestra | Organiser |
| Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival | Vienna, Austria | 2 to 7 July | 15 Feb 2027; scores and travel details by 15 Apr 2027 | Competition or non-competitive participation; choirs, orchestras, bands | Registration 250 EUR per group and category; package price per person by travel and hotel | Organiser |
| Young Bohemia Prague | Prague, Czech Republic | 11 to 14 March | Provisional booking by 30 Nov 2026 | Festival with performance and joint piece, plus competition in categories for wind, symphony, string and jazz orchestras and choirs; ages 8 to 26 | Package price with three nights by hotel category, on request | Organiser |
| State Music Festival Baden-Württemberg | Pforzheim, Germany | 19 June | Registration window each year mid-October to early January | Festival with performances on festival stages, free admission; orchestras 45 minutes, choirs 30 minutes; no competition | no fee stated; no fees or travel money paid | Organiser |
| State Music Festival Hesse | Büdingen, Germany (state garden show) | 11 to 13 June | not yet published | Adjudicated event for wind orchestras, open-air concerts, gala concert | not stated | Organiser |
| Adjudicated concert events of the Austrian Wind Music Association | per state association, Austria | Dates per state association, set literature 2026/2027 published | per state association | Adjudicated event in grades A to E with set piece and own choice | not stated | Organiser |
What is not yet fixed for 2027 or does not take place
- Concorso Polifonico Guido d'Arezzo (Italy): 2027 not yet published. In 2026 the 74th edition ran from 19 to 23 August, the deadline was 5 May, the entry fee 100 EUR. In our experience the call appears around the turn of the year. Organiser
- Ohrid Choir Festival (North Macedonia): takes place at the end of August, exact days for 2027 not published. Regular deadline according to the rules 1 May. Five sections, at least two compulsory, fee per person tied to the accommodation package. Organiser
- Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Música Ciudad de València (Spain): annual in July, in 2026 from 15 to 19 July in five sections from Libre to Honor. The 2026 deadline was in the second half of October 2025; the 2027 call is not yet published, following the pattern it would be expected in October 2026. Organiser
- Certamen Internacional de Música Vila d'Altea (Spain): annual in early December, 2026 on 5 December, deadline 15 May. 2027 edition not yet published. Section for wind orchestras of 70 to 110 players. Organiser
- Europa Cantat has its 2027 edition (see table); the Choralies in Vaison-la-Romaine follow their three-year rhythm in August 2028, exact days not yet published. Organiser
- Interkultur lists no European Choir Games for 2027; 2027 is the year of the World Choir Games in Linz. A host for 2028 has not been named yet. Organiser
- German Choir Festival (Deutscher Chorverband): next edition 2029 in Dortmund, no festival in 2027 or 2028. Organiser
- German Music Festival (Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Musikverbände): last edition 2025 in Ulm and Neu-Ulm, the next is not yet announced on the association's pages. Organiser
- World Music Contest Kerkrade (Netherlands): the 2026 edition ran from 10 July to 2 August, the rhythm is four years, the next edition is not yet published. Organiser
- Swiss Federal Music Festival: 2026 in Biel, the next edition 2031 in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley, rhythm five years. Organiser
- Montreux Choral Festival (Switzerland): the website names no current edition, the status for 2027 is unclear. Montreux hosts the Fête du Chant Choral Vaudois from 12 to 16 May 2027, without competition. Organiser
Six things to check before applying
- Be honest about your standard. A competition with a set piece and a jury is a week of stress for a community choir, a festival with friendship concerts a weekend of joy. For a first tour a festival without a ranking is usually the better way in.
- Read the package. Several organisers in the tables make an accommodation package compulsory for choirs from outside the region. That is legitimate, but it belongs in the budget before the ensemble votes. Cork, Tallinn, Europa Cantat and Llangollen state no compulsory package.
- Check category and set piece. Does the line-up fit the category, is the set piece achievable by the deadline, is there a time limit for the programme.
- Plan the recording early. If you need ten minutes of unedited video, you have to record it before the deadline, in a concert or a rehearsal of concert quality. As a rule of thumb four weeks before the deadline.
- See the festival as the anchor of the tour. Date, stage and audience are set. Around it a church concert and a joint concert with a local ensemble fit in. How that is planned is in the concert tour checklist.
- Do not forget the quiet open calls. Spa administrations, market offices and parishes allocate performances on request, without deadline and without jury. Whoever has missed a deadline still has the regional music festivals, the spa concerts and the partner ensembles.
The schedule backwards from the deadline
As a rule of thumb from organising tours: twelve weeks before the deadline the poll in the ensemble (who comes, what may it cost), eight weeks before fix the programme and distribute the set piece, four weeks before the recording, two weeks before biography, photos and form. Book coach and accommodation only after confirmation, unless the organiser requires the package with registration; then read the cancellation rule.
Frequently asked questions
When do festivals publish their call for the following year?
The major competitions in the year before the event, often with two deadlines (early bird and regular). Annual competitions such as Valencia or Arezzo publish their call, as a rule of thumb, in autumn or around the turn of the year. Regional music festivals usually open registration in October for June.
Do you have to book the hotel through the organiser at a festival?
At some, yes: several organisers in the tables make an accommodation package a condition for choirs from outside the region. Others leave accommodation free. It is in the column fee and package and on the organiser's site under conditions of participation.
What if the deadline has passed?
Then the formats without a deadline remain: regional music festivals with a registration window, town programmes, spa concerts, services and a joint concert with a local ensemble. How to find these opportunities is on the page Festival open calls.
Have open calls matched to your profile
Describe line-up, standard, preferred region, dates and whether a competition is an option. We match your profile against open calls and performance opportunities, usually within two working days, picked by hand. A simple inquiry is free: Festival open calls.
All details without guarantee, retrieved on 8 September 2026 from the linked organiser pages. Only the organisers' own calls are binding. Update planned for spring 2027.