Festival Programmes

Unlike conventional choral singing contests, HKICF conducts choral competitions in the form of masterclasses. The emphasis is on learning and improvement rather than beating others to win the championship. At the end of each performance, the adjudicating panel offers instant feedback on stage.  Each choir will then sing again, incorporating the feedback and suggestions it received. Through this exchange, students on stage and in the audience both benefit from the adjudicators’ constructive comments.  In our experience, students listen much more carefully and thoughtfully under this format.

While Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes are awarded to teams with exemplary performances, HKICF does not rank the contestants. This is to recognize the different starting points of the choirs and to stress that the essence of music-making is more about appreciation and improvement.

The impetus for this event is to provide an alternative for schools with difficulties conducting choir rehearsals during the pandemic to prepare for the competition cum masterclass. It is also the perfect choice for schools which like to participate in a choir masterclass without the competition component. This Masterclass involves one to two choral experts leading the participating choirs through warm-up exercises and learning a new song. Only minimal preparation is required to participate in this event.

This Masterclass is not only designed to help school choirs but also music educators to improve and grow musically. By observing how professionals conduct a rehearsal, they can incorporate new elements into their everyday music lessons and rehearsals.

The Keynote Presentation & Ceremony is an annual ceremonial event for HKICF. It is also an opportunity for music educators to gather and learn from some of the most prolific choral experts in the world through their keynote presentation.

In 2023, we are delighted to have the renowned Hungary conductor Dr. László Nemes as our keynote presenter to discuss and share his musical insights in the HKICF2023 Closing Ceremony. As the Director of the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music, he has taught numerous subjects including Choral Conducting, Choral Music Education, and Choir Literature. He has been a guest lecturer, examiner and master teacher at various seminars, music courses, workshops for choral conductors and music educators in over 25 countries. He was given the Artisjus (Hungarian Bureau for Copyright Protection) Award in 2020 for his outstanding pedagogical achievements in the field of classical music.

We offer music teachers and conductors professional development sessions designed to bridge theory and practice, including lectures, demonstrations, and discussion. Speakers who are prominent music educators from Hong Kong and overseas host workshops on practical conducting techniques that are relevant to leading school choirs, as well as vocal and choir pedagogies. Upon approval, teachers may receive CPD hours for their participation.

HKICF arranges for experienced choral conductors or vocal coaches to visit schools and conduct training sessions tailored to the needs of the participating school choirs. Similarly, HKICF arranges a conductor or vocal coach to hold a choir exchange session for 2-3 school choirs that are matched by HKICF or by the schools themselves.

The Guest Choir will perform in an open concert (open to students, teachers, and the public), participate in choir exchanges with local school choirs and act as a demonstration choir for workshops for music teachers and conductors.

This feature will give students and teachers to work with some of the best choirs in the world and learn from their peers. Not only will this foster the exchange of musical knowledge, it will also broaden participants’ horizons. The renowned Singapore choir “Voices of Singapore” and its conductor, Mr. Darius Lim, have accepted our invitation to become the first “Guest Choir of the Year” for HKICF2023.

In order for music teachers to become even better choral conductors and music educators, we believe they have to step into the shoes of choristers, so that they can understand the needs and wants of their choir members.

With this belief, in HKICF2023, a Teachers’ Choir will be formed. In this Choir, teachers will have the opportunity to be coached by both local and international seasoned choral conductors. They will also have the opportunity to give public performances during HKICF2023.

It is our hope that this experience will give teachers fresh perspectives on how to run their school choirs and in the long run elevate the overall quality of in-school choral music education in Hong Kong.

The HKICF2023 Showcase Concert will feature 6 outstanding school choirs from various years of HKICF to celebrate their growth. The Concert will also feature a new HKICF initiative formed by 90 music educators – the Teacher ‘s Choir, so as to promote collaborative music making amongst students and teachers.

The Teacher’s Choir will be conducted by the renowned Mr Sanders Lau and we are also honoured to have one of the HKICF Artistic Advisors, Ms Susanna Saw, travelling from Malaysia, to be our guest conductor.