International Federation for Choral Music

The third edition of the IFCM YOUNG programme was successfully held in Munich from 14 to 21 July 2025, as part of the Pueri Cantores International Festival. This year’s program gathered eight emerging choral managers from Europe and around the world, offering them a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in organizing a large-scale international choral event.

At the beginning of the program, participants took part in focused workshops introducing the structure, goals, and key components of international festival planning. These sessions laid the groundwork for the rest of the week, during which the YOUNGs were fully integrated into the Pueri Cantores organizing team. Working alongside professionals who hosted over 4,000 young singers from across the globe, they gained direct insight into event logistics, coordination, and the realities of large-scale cultural management.

The experience allowed the YOUNG participants to expand their skills, deepen their understanding of international collaboration, and build valuable professional networks. Their energy, dedication, and contribution throughout the week were recognized and appreciated by the entire team, making this edition of YOUNG a meaningful step in their development as future leaders in the choral world.

This programme is part of the Choral TIES project coordinated by the European Choral Association and co-funded by the European Union Creative Europe programme and organised in cooperation with IFCM in the frame of the 45th International Congress of Pueri Cantores

From left to right: Gürkay Aydoğmuş (Türkiye), Diāna Daiva Priediena (Latvia), Lorena Miličević (Croatia), Keying Huo-Smith (New Zealand), Ria Master (India), Katherine Tejera Suárez (Spain/Venezuela), McKinley Short (Spain/USA) and Jonas Likandja (Belgium/DR Congo)

The YOUNG 2025 selected participants with Pueri Cantores local volunteer, Marie Simons (third from the left)