From September 10 to 13, 2026, 07:00 PM
Festival and Congress Center
The 44th edition of the International Choir Competition "Prof. Georgi Dimitrov" will be held in Varna from 10 to 13 September, with the following choirs taking part in the competition program: Good Hope School Choir (Kowloon, Hong Kong), Kammerchor Manila (Manila, Philippines), Angeli Choir (Iasi, Romania), Euterpe (Ploiești, Romania) and Youth Chamber Choir "Ohana" (Sofia, Bulgaria). The official opening is on 10.09.2026 (Thursday) at 19:00 in Hall 1 of the Festival and Congress Center - Varna, when the citizens and guests of the city will have the opportunity to see and hear all the participants in the prestigious forum of high choral art.
The competition program will take place over 3 days, during which the choirs will compete in four categories – Mixed Choirs, Single Choirs, Chamber Choirs and Children’s Choirs. The best participants in each category will compete for the Varna Grand Prix.
The international jury is traditionally composed of world-renowned specialists in the field. In 2026, the choirs will be evaluated by Slavil Dimitrov – Bulgaria, Milena Dobreva – Bulgaria, Leon Tong – China, Naomi Faran – Israel and Bernie Sherlock – Ireland.
The International Choir Competition in Varna is organized by the Municipality of Varna with the exclusive assistance of the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian Choral Union, the Union of Musicians and Dancers and the Union of Bulgarian Composers.
Competition Program:
Opening
10.09. (Thursday)
Festival and Congress Center – Hall 1
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - concert with a short presentation of all participants
Competition program
11.09. (Friday)
Yunashki Salon
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Category "Children's Choirs"
11:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. - Category "Same-sex Choirs"
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Category "Chamber Choirs"
16:00 p.m. - 17:00 p.m. - Category "Mixed Choirs".
Nezavisimost Square - open stage
19:00 p.m. - Concert of the participating groups
12.09. (Saturday)
Yunashki Salon
16:30 – 18:00 - Varna Grand Prix Competition (winners in the individual categories of the Competition participate)
19:00 – 19:45 - Awarding of the winners and official closing of the XLIV International Choir Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov”
Nezavisimost Square - open stage
20:00 – 21:00 - Final concert of the laureates of the XLIV International Choir Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov”
All events of the 44th edition of the International Choir Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” are free of charge. For the opening ceremony of the festival, you must obtain a zero ticket in advance from the box office of the Festival and Congress Center.
