The 21st edition of the Mundus Cantat Festival is not only a celebration of choral music but also a festival of diversity — 18 choirs from three continents (Asia, South America, and Europe) will arrive in Sopot. From May 8 to 25, 2025, in addition to the traditional Choir Parade with Opening Ceremony, competition auditions, and the Final Concert, a number of wonderful accompanying concerts will take place. Admission to all festival events is free!
The Festival Prologue will be a concert by the festival choir SANS Mundus Cantat, titled “What Matters in Life”, held on May 8 at the “Broadway” Municipal Public Library in Sopot.
On May 21, the Resonance Of Ages vocal ensemble, a septet of musicians from various disciplines connected to Gdańsk, will perform at St. George’s Church in Sopot. The group is united by their passion for discovering, researching, and performing the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance and Baroque polyphony. On the 500th anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s birth, they will perform three offertories by the composer, works by Johann Wanning (Kapellmeister of Gdańsk), and a Mass for five voices by William Byrd.
The concert “Music of Different Nations” will feature the Colombian choir Nova Cordis, as well as three choirs from the Polish coast: SANS Mundus Cantat, Razzle Dazzle Choir from Gdynia, and the newly established Choir of the SWPS University Faculty of Psychology in Sopot.
Before the concert, choirs from Colombia and Pomerania will take part in the “Choral Atelier” workshop, where Joanna Ślesicka will introduce various vocal methods, including Complete Vocal Technique, Flow Phonation, Lax Vox, SLS, Bel Canto, Wim Hof breathing, and Dr. Buteyko’s breathing exercises.
The competition section of the festival will feature 12 choirs from Lithuania, Kazakhstan, South Korea, and Poland, all competing for the Sopot Seagull statuette. The competition auditions will take place at the Star of the Sea Church, with choirs presenting music in several categories: sacred, secular, pop, gospel, jazz, and spirituals. The performances will be judged by an international jury, chaired by Professor Marcin Tomczak.
The lively Choir Parade along Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street will begin on May 23 at 4:30 PM, followed by the Official Opening Ceremony at 5:00 PM in the Sopot Concert Shell, featuring all Mundus Cantat participants. That day, there will also be two accompanying concerts: at St. George’s Church (7:00 PM) and at St. Andrew Bobola Church (8:00 PM).
During the Final Concert on May 24, the competition results will be announced, and the winners will perform at the Tadeusz Ocioszyński Hall of the Faculty of Economics, University of Gdańsk, with a repertoire chosen by the jury.
On May 25, the Pilgrim Children's Choir from Daegu, South Korea (visiting Poland for the first time), and the Men’s Vocal Ensemble Nuove Voci from Gdańsk will perform at the Church of the Savior at 6:00 PM, with a special dedication to mothers on the eve of Mother's Day.
Some of the accompanying concerts will be dedicated to specific audiences: seniors residing in Sopot’s senior homes, children from local schools, and people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers, organized in cooperation with the Self-Help House – Adaptation Centre.
The event is co-financed by the City of Sopot.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Festival website: https://munduscantat.pl/
