World Choral Day Date in the current year: December 8, 2024

Choral music is music written specifically for a choir, i.e. a musical ensemble of singers. Although a lot of people associate choirs with sacred (religious) music, such ensembles may perform music from the secular music repertoire, ranging from classical music of different eras to contemporary popular music.

The history of choral music dates back to antiquity; choir singing was an important part of worship and theatre in Ancient Greece. The liturgical function of choral music in Christianity began to take shape during the Middle Ages, and the active development of secular choral music began around the 19th century.

Today, there are many different types of choirs. Choirs are typically classified by age and gender of their participants because the sound and repertoire of a choir is greatly affected by these factors. There are male voice choirs, male choirs (consisting of boys and adult men), women’s choirs, boys’ choirs, girls’ choirs, adult mixed choirs, and children’s mixed choirs.

Choirs are also divided into types according to the institutions they are affiliated with, for example, church choirs, school choirs, collegiate and university choirs, community choirs, independent and state-supported professional choirs, etc. Another classification of choirs is by the type of music they perform, for example, gospel choirs, symphonic choirs, vocal jazz choirs, show choirs (in which the members not only sing but also dance and often perform numbers from musical theatre), a capella choirs, etc.

The celebration of World Choral Day was initiated by Alberto Grau, a renowned Venezuelan composer, educator and choir director, as well as the then vice president of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) in Latin America. His initiative was supported and approved by the IFCM General Assembly during the 2nd World Symposium on Choral Music, which was held in Helsinki in August 1990.

World Choral Day events are held in multiple countries around the globe every second Sunday of December. They include concerts, carol services, festivals, sing-alongs, choral seminars and workshops, and other events that promote the beauty of choral music and celebrate the ability of music to break down the artificial barriers that separate people of different backgrounds. Thousands of choirs from dozens of countries participate in these performances to bring people together in harmony and peace through the power of music.

You can participate in World Choral Day by attending an event near you, listening to choral music at home, learning more about the history of choral music and famous choirs, signing up with your local choral group or scheduling a lesson with a vocal coach if you don’t feel confident enough in your singing skills to join a choir, and spreading the word about this amazing holiday on social media with the hashtags #WorldChoralDay and #ChoralDay.