The largest gathering of choirs will happen right here in the Philippines.

All roads lead to the Palawan International Choral Summit, which will be held from Aug. 13 to 16, 2025, in various venues in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

The summit is divided into four components, namely, 1) Festival Exhibition, 2) National and 3) International Competitions, and 4) International Choral Conference.

The Festival Exhibition is a general event that will feature non-competing local and international choirs to perform and immerse themselves in the local unique and diverse cultures of Palawan, while the national Competition is a search for the best choirs to be participated in by choral groups from different regions in the Philippines. This is the best venue where local choirs can bring and represent their respective regional cultures through their music. This is also to render their knowledge and proficiency in choral singing. The first 20 participants who have settled their registration fees are provided free accommodations.

Meanwhile, the International Competition will give them a chance to foreign choirs to showcase their talents and experience as well as the warm hospitality of the Palawenos and to see their pride scenic spots for themselves. This is the best avenue for local choirs to acquire additional knowledge from international choral groups and vice versa. This is also the best opportunity to forge friendships among themselves.

Other components of the fest include the International Choral Conference, which will take choral knowledge to the next level by offering cutting-edge discussions, masterclasses, fiesta booths, festival kits, souvenir programs, and special tours of the islands.

Categories will be divided among the festival exhibition and national and international contests that will showcase the competition properly with its competition performance, repertoire, etc. The Jury will set the criteria, assess, deliberate, and proclaim the winners through scorecards.

Meanwhile, Philippine choirs can participate internationally in two ways: 1) if registered directly in the global competition. Just like the other international participating choirs, they will experience the best amenities that the festival organizers can provide 2) if they register for the national finals and obtain a grade of 85 percent or above in any given category. This automatically entitles them to participate internationally without paying additional registration and individual package fees prescribed to international participants. Nevertheless, local choirs can join both competitions at discounted costs.

Another featured event is the opening ceremony, which will take place on Aug. 14, 2025. A unique program featuring folkloric and traditional music and dances that showcase Palawan's culture will be performed.

Those interested in participating in the national competition and festival can log on to www.nafci.com. For the international choir festival, log on to www.ppicf.com. Registrations are now open. Before you submit research papers to join the international choral conference, please wait for more announcements. If you have any questions, please log on to www.nafci.com or email at filipinochoirs@gmail.com.