‘Music has no borders’: World Choir Festival opens in Hong Kong with message of peace and inclusion

Addressing singers, conductors, jury members and guests at the opening ceremony, Professor Leon Tong, Artistic Director of the World Choir Festival, said the gathering represented far more than a programme of performances and competitions.

‘We hope that the world can have a little more inclusion and care,’ he said. ‘Music has no borders; may the world be without war.’

Professor Tong described the festival as ‘a cultural exchange of friendship and care, peace and inclusion’, bringing young people together through choral education while creating connections across countries and cultures.

The 2026 event has attracted more than 80 choirs from 18 countries and 18 provinces and cities across mainland China, alongside nearly 40 internationally recognised choral specialists and a number of leading guest choirs.

Professor Tong noted that the World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association is celebrating its 29th anniversary this year. Despite recent global instability and economic uncertainty, he said, music had continued to bring people together.

The opening ceremony included the formal welcome of participating choirs and members of the international jury, followed by performances from The Mad Singers, Toronto Children’s Chorus, Guangzhou Children’s Choir, Dolphin Hearing Disabled Children’s Choir, The Hong Kong Children’s Choir, New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir and Latvia’s Youth Choir ‘Kamēr…’.

The evening concluded with the participating ensembles joining together for a massed choir performance conducted by Professor Tong.

The festival continues with competitions, concerts, workshops, masterclasses and opportunities for musical exchange between choirs and choral professionals from around the world.