The 19th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Competition 2026　(for Overseas choirs)

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The 19th Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Compeititon 2026

This comepetition is the largest 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". 　　

  19 March - 22 March 2026　　Open at 9:30 a.m. Start at 10:00 a.m. on 19-22 March

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

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

Judges

• Avip Priatna (Conductor)
• Ichiro Uenishi (Conductor)
• Tetsuro Hanai (early music performer)
• Kazuhiro Fukunaga (Conductor)
• Tsutomu Matsumura (Conductor)
• Yuta Miyake (Composer)
• Hideki Motoyama (Conductor)

Guidelines for applicants

• The 19th Guidelines for Applicants（Competition Rules,Conditions of Participation） [PDFファイル／19.82MB]
• Preliminary Screening Application Form [Wordファイル／37KB]
• Evaluation System [PDFファイル／64KB]

　Deadline for Preliminary Screening: 30 September 2025

　The result of the preliminary Screening will be announced by 31 October 2025

About FUKUSHIMA

Fukushima is located in the Tohoku(northeastern) Region of Japan and is approximately 200km, 100min. by Shinkansen(Bullet 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 passed down over generations. You can enjoy renowned hot spring resorts and hisorical samurai sites before/after the competition. All true music lovers seeking 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 from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. The Fukushima Vocal Ensemble Compeitition has also received Plenty 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  "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 Electric Railway)
• Keisei Ueno Station - JR Ueno Station (Approx. 5min. on foot)
• JR Ueno Station - Fukushima Station  (Approx. 1hr 25min. by Express Train "Tohoku Shinkansen")

From Haneda Airport​

• Haneda Airport - Hamamatsucho Station  (Approx. 15min - 20min. by  "Tokyo Monorail")
• Hamamatsucho Station - Tokyo Station  (Approx. 5min. by  "Keihin-Tohoku Line",or"Keihin-Tohoku/Negishi Line")
• Tokyo Station - Fukushima Station  (Approx. 1hr 30min. by Express Train "Tohoku Shinkansen)​

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  Haneda Airport - Shinagawa Station  (Approx. 15min. by  "Keikyu Airport Line")
• Shinagawa Station - Tokyo Station (Approx. 10min. by "JR Yokosuka Line" or "JR Ueno-Tokyo Line")
• Tokyo Station - Fukushima Station  (Approx. 1hr 30min. 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

Organised by

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