The 18th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2025　(for Overseas choirs)

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The 18th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Compeititon 2025

This comepetition is the biggest choral competition for small vocal ensemble groups (2-16 singers) in Japan. Every year we invite more than 120 top level choirs selected from all over Japan and each country. Fukushima is known as the "Kingdom of Choirs" in Japan, which has a large population of music fans and award-winning choirs. You are cordially invited to experience the fascinating atmosphere of our music cities, and let your singing voices ring out together under the sky, which a 19-century poet once described as the "True Sky". 　　

  20 March - 23 March 2025　　Open at 9:30 a.m. Start at 10:00 a.m. on 20-23 March

　Fukushima City Music Hall　（1-1 Irie-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960-8117 Japan)　

• 20 March   Category1 ( Ages 12-15 )
• 21 March   Category2 ( Ages 15-18 )
• 22 March   Category3 ( Ages   6-12 )
• 22 March   Category4 ( Other than Category 1, 2and 3 )　
• 23 March   Grand Champion Competition 

Judges

• Dieter Wagner (Tenor, Conductor)
• Fumiya Amamori (Conductor)
• Yoshio Saida (Conductor)
• Masahiro Sato (Conductor)
• Emiko Maruyama (Soprano)
• Yuta Miyake (Composer)
• Hideki Motoyama (Conductor)

Guidelines for applicants

• The 18th Guidelines for Applicants　(competition Rules, Conditions of Participation) [PDFファイル／9.18MB]
• Preliminary Screening Application Form [Wordファイル／34KB]
• Evaluation System [PDFファイル／64KB]

　Deadline for Preliminary Screening: 30 September 2024

　The result of the preliminary Screening will be announced by 31 October 2024

About FUKUSHIMA

Fukushima is located in the north-east region of Japan and is approximately 200km, 100min. by express train from Tokyo. Along with its unique music friendly cultue, there you can find abundant natural beauty and traditional samurai culture, which is still being handed down over the generations. You can enjoy renowned hot spring resorts and hisorical samurai sites before/after the competition. All true music lovers looking to experience the real Japan are welcome to Fukushima.

Thanks to the support and encouragement from all over the world, Japan has steadily been recovering since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Compeitition has also received hundreds of messages to encourage people in Fukushima. We will never forget the warm and heart-felt moments that we have shared with participants of the competition.

Now we are sure music has the power to get people together and bring about hope and encouragement. The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition will keep going on to convey the joy of singing together.

* The "City" of Fukushima is in the middle of the "Prefecture" of Fukushima, and the Fukushima Music Hall is more than 60km away from the Fukushima Daiichi Plant. There is no restricition advised on Fukushima city.

Access

From Fukushima Airport

     Approx. 75min. to the hotel in Fukushima city by taxi

From Narita Airport      

• Narita Airport - Tokyo Station  (Approx. 1hr - 1hr 30min. by Express Train "Narita Express")
• Tokyo Station - Fukushima Station  (Approx. 1hr 30min. by Express Train "Tohoku Shinkansen")

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• Narita Airport - Keisei Ueno Station (Approx. 45min. - 1hr 50min. by Keisei Railway trains)
• Keisei Ueno Station - JR Ueno Station (Approx. 5min. on foot)
• JR Ueno Station - Fukushima Station  (Approx. 1hr 25min. by Express Train "Tohoku Shinkansen")

Contact Address

The Executive Committee of the Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition (Cultural Promotion Division of the Fukushima Prefectural Government) 

2-16 Sugitsuma-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960-8670 Japan

e-mail:  v-ensemble@pref.fukushima.lg.jp

Hosted by

• Hosted by Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education, Executive Committee of the Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition
• Co-Hosted by Japan Choral Association, Japan Choral Association Tohoku Branch, Fukushima Chorus League, Fukushima City, Fukushima City Board of Education, Fukushin Yume no Ongakudo (Fukushima City Music Hall)