HKICF has always been dedicated to providing Hong Kong students the experience of participating in an international choir festival without having to travel abroad. Through the interaction with the world’s top choirs we invite to Hong Kong, teachers and students can learn from their excellence, diversity, and creativity, and broaden their horizons in choral music. By focusing on the joy of singing rather than the pressure of competitions, students can hopefully appreciate music as a universal language that transcends boundaries and cultures, and ignite their passion for choral music.
In HKICF2026, we are honoured to invite two world-class choirs as our “Guest Choir of the Year”, namely Guangzhou Yuexiu District Children’s Palace Little Skylark Choir and the Thornton Chamber Choir from the University of Southern California.
Guangzhou Yuexiu District Children’s Palace Little Skylark Children’s Choir was honored as one of the “Top Ten Outstanding Children’s Choirs in China” in 2003. In 2014, it was awarded the title of “Guangzhou Outstanding Children’s Chorus Demonstration Base,” and in 2020, it was recognized as a “High-Level Student Aesthetic Education Team for Primary and Secondary Schools in Guangzhou.” The choir has collectively won more than 40 major awards in international and domestic choral competitions, including two overall international champions and 10 international category champions. In 2024, at the 13th World Choir Games, the choir secured a double championship, winning both the C2 Children’s Choir category and the C27 Folklore and Indigenous Music with Accompaniment category. The choir has performed and held concerts in 13 regions within China and in countries such as the United States, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Indonesia, Singapore, and New Zealand.
Event
HKICF2026 Guest Choir of the Year Concert – Little Skylark Children’s Choir
USC Thornton Chamber Singers holds a legacy of continued artistic excellence and innovative programming. They are recipients of numerous awards including the American Prize in choral performance, and through the years have been invited to perform at distinguished events such as the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National and Regional Conferences, the XII International Festival of Choral Music in Beijing, the X World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, South Korea, and the New Zealand Choral Federation National Conference in Auckland. Additional tours have taken this ensemble to Ireland, Taiwan, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, and Australia. Under the direction of Dr. Cristian Grases, the Chamber Singers perform music from all musical periods, and strive to explore music from diverse latitudes and cultures in pursuit of developing artistic flexibility and cultural awareness for their singers and audiences.
Event
HKICF2026 Guest Choir of the Year Concert – USC Thornton Chamber Singers
Other programmes
Choral Repertoire Reading Session
We provide music teachers and conductors with professional development sessions that aim to connect theory and practice in music education.
School Choir Advancement Programme
The School Choir Incubator Programme is an extension programme of HKICF, which aims to enhance the quality and diversity of choral music education and to better cater for the needs of music teachers and conductors on the journey of choral music.
Virtual Choir Project
HKICF is committed to promoting choral music as a means of social engagement and empowerment.
