FAQ

Ateliers & Study Tour

If your choir doesn’t fit entirely into one atelier, consider dividing it into several ateliers. The experience will be more enriching for the singers, and you will take home twice the repertoire and twice as many new friendships. Most ateliers will take place in the city centre, within a short walking distance. However, each subgroup must have a responsible adult at all times.

Each atelier has a limited number of places. When assigning choirs to an atelier, the artistic committee takes several aspects into account: how well the choir fits the age range, the tessitura and level of the atelier, the overall voice balance within the group, the mix of nationalities, and ensuring that there are at least three choirs in each atelier. We do our best to give every participant their first, second, or third atelier choice.

The puzzle of fitting all registered choirs into the ateliers takes place in March, after the registration deadline. You will be informed in March/April. Don’t be disappointed if your choir does not get its first atelier choice — we are sure that all ateliers will be equally wonderful.

If, in very exceptional cases, it is not possible to assign your choir to its first, second, or third atelier choice, we will suggest an alternative and contact you as soon as possible (in that case, you will be able to reconsider your registration without any cost).

Adding additional singers to your group depends on availability (of festival space and/or atelier capacity). If the number of participants in your group changes, please contact us. We will do our best to find a good solution.

Please also read the Terms and Conditions on the Registration page for information about payments and cancellations.

It is possible for your conductor to take part in the Study Tour. However, the Study Tour is a full-day programme, which means that your conductor will not always be able to accompany the children. If your conductor joins the Study Tour, you must have enough other accompanying adults.

Yes, it is possible to join the Study Tour as an individual participant. The participation fee is the same as for conductors coming with their choir, plus an additional €80 for receiving the sheet music of all ateliers.

The working language of the festival is English — and, of course, the universal language of music.

Will your singers understand the atelier conductor? We are confident this won’t be a problem. The atelier leaders have been selected for their international experience. They are used to working with multilingual groups and conduct rehearsals with few words.

If something needs to be translated briefly or specifically, this can be done through the choir conductors. And among the young participants themselves, nowadays Google Translate can be a great help.

Viatge i transport

Girona is a very easily accessible city, whether by car, train or plane.

By car: The AP-7 motorway, one of the main motorways into Spain, goes past Girona, and has a direct junction to the city. In addition, many international bus lines have a stop in Girona.

Train: Girona has a high-speed train station, located in the middle of the city. This allows it to receive high-speed trains from other European cities, and means the city is located only 40 minutes from Barcelona.

Train: Girona has a high-speed train station, located in the middle of the city. This allows it to receive high-speed trains from other European cities, and means the city is located only 40 minutes from Barcelona.

All festival venues are within walking distance. The main tourist attractions, museums, and shopping streets are also easily accessible on foot from the festival locations.

The accommodation options offered by the festival are within walking distance, accessible by public transport, or have shuttle buses available. The only exception is the Can Caballé holiday house, which is reserved for choirs with their own bus.

Accommodation & Meals

Yes, you can arrange your own accommodation. There are many hotels in and around Girona, but not many budget hostels. If you choose this option, don’t wait too long to book, as the summer months are high tourist season in the city.

The festival will provide a central dining hall where lunches and dinners will be served by a local catering company specialising in school meals. The meal options are: omnivore (meat/fish/vegetarian depending on the day) or vegetarian (vegan depending on the day). You can also indicate any food intolerances: gluten, lactose.

Participants with severe food allergies: please contact us. We will do our best to find a practical solution.

Participation

The participation fee is not only for the ateliers or the Study Tour. It also covers the use of festival facilities, such as meals and accommodation provided by the festival, participation in the Open Singing, Choir-to-Choir concerts, afternoon activities, access to some festival venues, and more.

To receive a festival accreditation, one must be a registered festival participant. Even your bus driver, if they wish to take part in the festival meals or stay in festival accommodation, is considered a participant and must pay the participation fee.

If your choir is a member of a local, regional, or national choral association that is, in turn, a member of the European Choral Association (ECA), you are eligible for the “indirect ECA member” discount. To check if your association is a member of the ECA, click here.

In March/April, when we ask you to send the detailed list of participants, we will also ask you to provide your 2026 membership proof. You will need to request a membership document or card from your local, regional, or national choral association.

If you have singers with special needs in your group, you can specify this in the registration form. We will contact you to find the best practical solution so that everyone can enjoy the festival.

If an accompanying adult is required for these singers, a waiver of the participation fee can be requested.

Your group must bring its own responsible adults. During the day, at the atelier, concerts, in the evening, and at the accommodation, you are responsible for your choir.

But how many adults should you bring? This varies for each choir. However, don’t underestimate the challenges of travelling internationally with a group of children — bring enough responsible adults. Also, if your conductor takes part in the Study Tour, they will not be available during part of the day to supervise the children.

Europa Cantat Junior is a festival for children’s and youth choirs (up to 18 years old). You can participate with your entire choir or just part of it.

Alternatively, if you are a choir conductor, music teacher, or simply interested in children’s choral music and wish to come on your own, you are warmly welcome to join our Study Tour.

Choir-to-choir concerts

A Choir-to-Choir concert is a performance in which two or three choirs sing their own repertoire. It is an opportunity to showcase your choir at the festival and bring a piece of your country’s repertoire!

The concert programme can last a maximum of 15–17 minutes. A piano will be available.

Choir-to-Choir concerts take place in the afternoon. You can not only sing in a Choir-to-Choir concert but also attend some as an audience or go to a concert as a group. Your festival accreditation gives you access.

Bringing your own pianist is always the best option, but festival pianists can accompany your choir. However, there will be very little rehearsal time with this pianist — only a 15-minute session. You must have the scores ready for the pianist from the start of the festival.

No, it is your choice whether to participate or not. There is no obligation.
Attending a Choir-to-Choir concert as an audience member can also be a nice afternoon activity.