15-24 July 2022

A festival for children’s
and youth choirs

News

Final Concert

2022 07 23

Our Final Concert is taking place tonight! It will be perfomed in two parts – the first one will feature Basilio and Maud’s Ateliers, and the second – Valerija’s and Christian’s. The tickets are almost sold out – check for availability here and here. If you do not manage to get a ticket, please do not worry – the concert will be broadcasted on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/europacantatjunior

 

Pictures and videos

2022 07 17

Our festival has started and we are having SO much fun! To remember all of it, we are documenting everything – taking pictures and videos, doing daily vlogs and stories. Find all of it on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/europacantatjunior

 

Festival schedule announced

2022 06 27

We have less than 3 weeks left until our festival! Cannot wait to meet all of you in Vilnius, to sing, learn, make new friends and generally have a good time. In order to make it clear how our days are going to look like, we compiled the festival schedule – you can find it under Programme and will additionally receive it via email, with tons of other useful information. Exciting days ahead of us!

 

Register for Study Tour!

2022 04 27

If you are a children’s choir conductor or a music teacher and your summer calendar lacks something truly special, go ahead and add our Study Tour in there! On 15-24 July, you will have a unique opportunity to meet colleagues from around the world at Europa Cantat Junior in a very special format.  In an international group, you will explore the festival from a professional point of view. What are the main techniques used by each Atelier conductor? What are the best choral singing practices in various countries? These and other topics will be discussed every day in our Study Tour, led by Marleen Annemans from Belgium and Jan Schumacher from Germany. Register here!

 

Ateliers are formed!

2022 04 07

Dear registered choirs – check your inboxes! We have sent you the official confirmations with your Atelier allocations. All of the organizers are extremely happy to say that, despite all the challenges, we have 530 registered participants from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey, and our Study Tour registration remains open, meaning that there is still possibilities for our geography to expand! We will have 5 Ateliers in the festival: “Looking at the Stars” by Elisenda Carrasco, “Epic Pop” by Christian Ronsfeld, “Smart Singing” by Valerija Skapiene, “Sounds of Nature” by Maud Hamon-Loisance and “Oblivion” by Basilio Astulez.

Registration is finished

2022 03 30

We are glad to say that not only our registration is finished, but our Steering Committee has already had their meeting where choirs have been distributed into Ateliers. Please give us a little bit of time while we communicate with everyone, but everyone who registered will soon get an email confirming their atelier allocation! Meanwhile, if you missed the registration deadline but would still like to participate, you have 2 options. You can email us at info@europacantatjunior.org and we will see how we can accommodate your choir OR you can register for the Study Tour and come without your singers. Study Tour registration is still open in this link.

Registration continues until 27 March

2022 03 09

Thank you so much for everyone who already registered to the festival! We have received applications from Estonia, Lithuania, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France and Spain; most countries are represented by several choirs, which will create a beautiful crowd in Vilnius this July. However, with the war in Ukraine still continuing, some choirs are understandably hesitant to be making their summer plans. We are therefore extending our registration until 27 March, with all ateliers still open. In between donating for Ukraine and helping out charities that are working to relieve the terrible consequences the Ukrainians are facing, please find some time to consider coming to the festival. After all, music is such a powerful tool to connect and find some peace of mind.

Registration will continue

2022 03 01

On behalf of the organizers of Europa Cantat Junior Vilnius 2022, let us express our deep sadness about the war that is taking place in Ukraine at the moment. Although Lithuania is safe and protected by both NATO and the EU, we understand how much fear and uncertainty those events have brought into every family and household around the world. We thank every conductor who has already registered their choirs to our festival, and we know that there are many who have been hesitant to do so. Hoping and praying for the aggression in Ukraine to be over as soon as possible, we will now start distributing registered choirs into ateliers. On 9 March, we will announce extended registration to available ateliers for those who have been reluctant to make the decision. Registration will continue until 27 March. Meanwhile, please email us with any questions you may have!

Registration is open!

2022 01 05

We are beyond excited to announce that our registration is officially open! It will stay open until 28 February 23:59, so you have plenty of time to count everyone who wants to come to Vilnius, pick out Ateliers that best suit your singers and decide about your meals. We cannot wait to start seeing your choir names on our list! Pro tip: check out the registration form before filling it in so that you have all the info you need ready when you start! The links to register both to the general programme (for choirs and their conductors) and the Study Tour (for conductors and educators coming without choirs) is up on our Registration page!

Meal prices published

2021 12 21

Singing requires quite a bit of energy, so a good meal is super important in a fun-packed festival like ours. That is why we partnered up with Skonio Slenis Gourmet Catering, who have a lot of experience cooking food for the largest Lithuanian choral events, and will offer 2 tasty meals every day during the festival. You will be able to choose a meat, vegetarian or vegan lunch and a vegetarian or vegan dinner (all in line with European Choral Association’s goals of producing more sustainable choral events!) You can find out more on our Prices page.

First accommodation offers

2021 12 06

Wondering where you will rest during the festival? Wonder no more – we have announced the first offers for your accommodation; you can find them on our Prices page (or just click here). A good variety of places, raging from super simple hostels to quite luxurious hotels, have a special rate for Europa Cantat Junior participants for the festival dates. You can also choose to arrange your own accommodation anywhere else in Vilnius if you prefer! We will keep updating the offers as they come in, so please come back if you have not found the perfect option for your choir yet.

Prices announced

2021 11 23

After an exciting weekend in Lyon, where European Choral Association’s General Assembly took place, we are happy to draw your attention to the finalized version of our pricing table! During the Assembly, a couple of countries were moved to a different country group, and we have updated our groups accordingly. Planning your finances is of course a very important part of organizing your trip to Vilnius, so please go ahead and check the numbers here! We will also very soon follow with updates about suggested accommodation and meal options!

Ateliers for 2022 confirmed

2021 09 01

With a heart full of excitement, we are ready to announce that our 2022 ateliers are confirmed! We will see all of the same names that were originally scheduled for 2020, but with even more skill, resilience and knowledge in their pockets. Elisenda Carrasco and Hirvo Surva will be leading 4-day A-level ateliers, Elise Bradley and Christian Ronsfeld – full festival A-levels, Maud Hamon-Loisance and Valerija Skapiene will work with B-level music, and finally, Petra Grassi and Basilio Astulez will be waiting for those who are ready to take up the C-level challenge and come prepared. After the difficult period all of us have endured, we enter the time of hopeful waiting, planning and calendar crossing! Our registration will open in the beginning of 2022.

The festival WILL take place!

2020 03 18

With the COVID-19 outbreak, a number of events and activities planned for the coming months have been cancelled lately. The Steering Committee met on March 17th and we are happy to let you know that, based on the current situation, Europa Cantat Junior Vilnius 2020 WILL TAKE PLACE on August 5-13! With almost 5 months still left until the festival, we are hopeful that the situation will stabilize over the summer and we will be able to create some unforgettable memories with you in Vilnius.

Of course we are aware that most of the choirs planning to participate will not be able to rehearse properly for some time. We will take this into account and will make sure that the festival offers your singers the opportunity to enjoy learning and singing together, and that the concerts are adapted to what the choirs can and want to do.

Last chance to join!

2020 02 24

We are very excited to announce that there are still chances to join the festival! If you just realized that you really want to bring your choir to lovely Vilnius this August, we can still find room for participants in the following ateliers:
Looking at the Stars by Elisenda Carrasco
4 days (final concert on 9 Aug), A level, SA, 8-12 years old
Singing is Fun! by Hirvo Surva
4 days (final concert on 9 Aug), B level, boys’ choirs SA, 8 years old to breaking voice
Earth, Sea and Sky by Elise Bradley
A level, SA, 8-12 years old
Smart Singing by Valerija Skapiene
B level, SSAA, 10-14 years old
Please head to our Ateliers page to get more info! We are keeping our registration open until 1 May!

ECJ Vilnius moved to 2022

2020 07 14

Dear children & youth choirs, we would have been in the final preparations right now to welcome you in Vilnius, Lithuania next month. With the many insecurities around the Covid-19 pandemic, we must sadly announce that EUROPA CANTAT Junior in Vilnius, Lithuania will be postponed to summer 2022.

However, we are working tirelessly, together with our partners, looking ahead to better times, and are hopeful to be able to offer you plenty of options for children and youth choirs in the coming years:

>> 2021 – Ateliers for children and youth choirs at the EUROPA CANTAT Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia 16 – 25 July
>> 2022 – EUROPA CANTAT Junior Vilnius, Lithuania 15 – 24 July
>> 2023 – EUROPA CANTAT Junior Ghent, Belgium 5 – 13 July

Thanks for registration!

2020 02 01

Sending love and hugs to choirs registered to come to Europa Cantat Junior Vilnius 2020, Lithuania! We will have such an exciting crowd of passionate singers from such different countries! If you missed the deadline, we will be publishing more info on how you can still join the festival in the end of February – stay tuned!

Ateliers announced

2019 09 01

All of our atelier conductors have been announced! We will have an amazing selection of world-class professionals ready to share their knowledge and teach our participants some exciting music. Our lineup includes Basilio Astulez, Elise Bradley, Elisenda Carrasco, Petra Grassi, Maud Hamon-Loisance, Christian Ronsfeld, Hirvo Surva, and Valerija Skapiene. Find out more about what they have planned for Europa Cantat Junior 2020 and choose your conductor in the ATELIERS section of our website!

ECJ 2022 will take place in Vilnius

2019 07 16

We all like to sing – and we have a lot of fun doing it. Scientists around the world are saying that it’s not only fun to sing – it’s also good for you! Come to Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, and explore ways in which singing can make you feel better and be smarter. Subtitled “Smart Singing”, the Europa Cantat Junior festival in Vilnius will offer ateliers with world-class conductors and non-choral activities that will explore the nature of sound and the benefits of doing music. Vilnius is a city with unforgettable concert halls, a green, UNESCO-recognized Old Town and mind-blowing public Internet access. Take a smart step!

Registration is open!

2019 09 30

Our registration is now open and will be open until 31 January 2020 for international choirs! Before registering, please make sure to read about the ateliers, make up your mind about meals and accommodation – you will be asked to indicate your preferences in the registration form. Looking forward to receiving your registration and seeing you in Vilnius! Click here to register!