Terms of participation

1. The competition part of the Festival will take place between 23 and 24 May 2025 in Sopot.
2. The choirs pay the registration fee of 200 EUR (non-refundable) payable in the first deadline by January 15, 2025, and 300 EUR by February 28.
3. Accepted choirs should pay the entry fee for participating in one category (8 EUR for each member, including the director and any pianists or musicians). The entry fee for participating in additional categories is 4 EUR per category for each member of the choir, including the director and any pianists or musicians. There is no fee for accompanying drivers.
4. For the participation in the festival without participating in the competition 200 EUR.
5. Should a choir withdraw from participation in the Festival, the entry fee will not be returned
6. Accommodation and meals are provided in four different classes, depending on the choir’s choice:Class I – Double, Triple, Four and Multiple-person rooms in hostels, holiday centers or hotels 35 – 45 EUR, (additional fee for a single room),
   Class II – Double, Triple and Four-person rooms in holiday centers, sanatoria or hotels 46 – 65 EUR, (additional fee of 20 EUR for a single room),
   Class III – Double and Triple rooms in two-star hotels 65 – 80 EUR, (additional fee of 30 EUR for a single room)
   Class IV – Double rooms in three-star hotels over 81 EUR, (additional fee for a single room)
7. The cost includes the price for one day of stay at the festival for one person; it covers accommodation in the appropriate class, meals (breakfast, dinner), participation in all events related to the festival, and a supervisor throughout the entire stay at the festival.

Festival program

8 May (Thursday) I 6.00 pm

Concert  WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE
Municipal Public Library BROADWAY, 9 Oskar Kolberg Street, Sopot

Performers: SANS Mundus Cantat Festival Choir (Sopot, Poland)

21 May (Wednesday) I 7.00 pm

Concert SOUND STAINED GLASS – PALESTRINA | WANNING | BYRD
St. Gorge Church, 1 Tadeusz Kościuszko Street, Sopot       

Performers: Vocal Ensemble RESONANCE of AGES (Gdansk, Poland)

22 May (Thursday)

4.30 pm I Choral ATELIER I Leading by Joanna Ślesicka
The Sopot Church of Christ, 21 Obrońców Westerplatte Street, Sopot

7.00 pm I Concert MUSICAL JOURNEYS
The Sopot Church of Christ, 21 Obrońców Westerplatte Street, Sopot

Performers: Coral NOVA CORDIS (Medellin, Colombia), Choir of the Faculty of Psychology of the SWPS University in Sopot (Sopot, Poland), SANS Mundus Cantat Festival Choir (Sopot, Poland)

23 May (Friday)

11.00 am I Festival Audition
Church Gwiazda Morza,19 Tadeusz Kościuszko Street, Sopot

4.30 pm I PERFORMANCE PARADE OF CHOIRS
BOHATERÓW MONTE CASSINO Street

5.00 pm I Concert MUSIC OF THE SOURCES with Opening Ceremony
The Concert Shell, The Sopot Pier, 2 Zdrojowy Square, Sopot

Performers: Festival participants

7.00 pm I Concert MUSIC OF NATIONS
Church of St. George, 1 Tadeusz Kościuszko Street, Sopot

Performers: Grodzisk Chamber Choir CANTATA (Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland), Choir of Free Belarusians  HUK CISY (Warsaw, Belarus/Poland),  Girls’ Choir KOSY (Poznań, Poland), Choir of the Medical University of Silesia (Katowice, Poland)

8.00 pm I Concert MUSICAL JOURNEYS
Church of St. Andrzej Bobola, 15 Powstańców Warszawy Street, Sopot

Performers: Warszawa Choir of Doctors MEDICANTUS  (Warsaw, Poland),

Gdańsk Choir of Doctors (Gdansk, Poland)

24 May (Saturday)

8.00 am I BREATHING FOR BREAKFAST STRETCH&SING
Molo (The Pier), 2 Zdrojowy Square, Sopot

Festival participants, citizens of Sopot

10.30 am I Festival Audition
Church Gwiazda Morza,19 Tadeusz Kościuszki Street, Sopot

Performers: Festival participants

5.00 pm I FINAL CONCERT
Aula im. Tadeusza Ocioszyńskiego, University of Gdansk Faculty of Economics, 119/212 Armii Krajowej Street, Sopot

Program: Best-performing pieces selected by the Jury

Performers: Festival laureates

25 May (Sunday)

6.00 pm I Concert MUSICAL JOURNEYS
Church of the Savior Square of Father Otto Bowien, 5 Parkowa Street,  Sopot

Performer: Men’s Vocal Ensemble NUOVE VOCI (Gdańsk, Poland), Pilgrim Children’s Choir (Daegu, Korea South)

DEDICATED CONCERTS

24 May (Friday)

11.00 pm I Concert MUSIC OF THE SOURCES
Sunny Hall, 14 Mamuszki, Sopot

Performer: Coral NOVA CORDIS (Medellin, Colombia)

12.30 am I Concert MUSICAL JOURNEYS
Sopot Autonomous Primary School, 739A Independence Avenue, Sopot

Performers: Children Choir Prienai Art School (Prienai, Lithuania)

25 May (Sunday)

12.00 am Concert MUSICAL JOURNEYS
Dom Pomocy Społecznej, 49 Mickiewicza Street, Sopot

Free entrance to all festival events except for dedicated concerts

The organizer reserves the right to change the program

Competition rules

1. Only amateur choirs are eligible to take part in the Festival.
2. The program should consist of different music of secular or sacral or pop, spirituals, gospel, jazz either a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment. All kinds of accompaniment allowed.
3. Musical instruments must be provided by the choir.
4. Each choir can participate in more than one category.
5. The list of musical pieces to be performed for competition which a choir submits to the organizers should not be changed.
6. Time of the performance should not be shorter than 12 min and longer than 15 min of pure singing time (it is the duration of the performed pieces excluding applause and going onto or leaving the stage). Should a choir’s performance exceed the prescribed time limit, the jury will interrupt the performance of that choir during the competition.
7. The jury should be informed in writing before the choir performance about any changes in the key of presented pieces.
8. Competition presentations will be judged by a jury, consisted of distinguished specialists in choral music.
9. The jury shall award the following certificated based on the total number of prints awarded each choir:
   Diplomas
   – Diploma of Participation Less than 59,9 Points
   – Bronze Diploma 60-74,9 Points
   – Silver Diploma 75-89,9 Points
   – Gold Diploma 90-100 Points
   Category A
   I prize – 3 000 PLN
   II prize, III prize – Financial or material prize
   Category B
   I prize – 3 000 PLN
   II prize, III prize – Financial or material prize
   Category C
   I prize – 3 000 PLN
   GRAND PRIX – 7 000 PLN The GRAND PRIX the Statuette of Sopot Seagull and a special financial award.
   Jury reserves the right NOT to select a winner in a particular category, if the jury assesses that the finalists in the category in question do NOT live up to the standards high enough. Organizators may add special prizes.
10. Jury decisions are beyond dispute.
11. Choirs will be judged according the following criteria:
    intonation, fidelity to the score, sound quality, programme choice, overall artistic impression.
12. Jury reserves the right NOT to select a winner in a particular category, if the jury assesses that the finalists in the category in question do NOT live up to the standards high enough.
13. Organizers may add special prizes.
14. Choir can take part in the festival again under take the condition that submitted competition repertoire will not consist of pieces performed during previous editions.
15. Choir can resign from festival competition and take part only in the accompanying concerts.
16. The Festival Organizers reserve the right to use any audio-visual recordings made during the Festival.
17. The Festival organizers reserve the right to provide accommodation and meals for participating choirs.
18. All choirs taking part in the Festival are requested be prepared to perform suitable pieces at the following events and email their repertoire:
    1. Opening Ceremony – 2 pieces
    2. Additional Festival Concert – 15 – 20 minutes
    3. Final Concert (decision made by the jury)

Registration

The deadline for submitting applications and paying the registration fee is January 15, 2025.

The choir should send:

1. A fully completed application form
2. Competition program (name of the composition, composer full name, length of the compositions), (sent by e-mail in doc)
3. Sound recording of the choir not older than 3 years (CD, mpr3, link)
4. Five sets of scores of the pieces to be presented at the competition (the scores will not be returned, sent by the post)
5. A brief history of the choir (ca.10 lines, sent by e-mail)5) a recent photo of the choir (resolution 300 dpi , photos, sent by e-mail)
6. A copy of money order or bank transfer confirming payment for the festival fee

BANK ACCOUNT

MUNDUS CANTAT Foundation
23 marca 8a/37, 81-730 Sopot
CREDIT AGRICOLE Bank Polska S.A.
IBAN: PL76194010763078967400000000
SWIFT: AGRIPLPR