Rules of participation
1. The 21st International Choir Festival "Gaude Cantem" will take place from October 15th to 18th, 2026.
2. Only amateur choral ensembles that have registered on the application form may participate in the Festival.
3. Choirs may participate in the Workshops and/or the Competition, and are required to participate in the Festival concerts.
4. Choirs may declare their participation only in festival concerts.
5. Choirs participating in the Competition are required to perform one sacred piece (1-2 minutes) at the Friday opening concert of the Festival.
6. Ensembles pay a registration fee of PLN 600.
7. The deadline for submitting the application form is June 30th, 2026.
8. The application form should be sent by email to gaudecantem@gmail.com. The application form must be accompanied by a current recording (link to the recording), a photo of the ensemble (minimum 1.5 MB), and proof of payment of the registration fee.
9. Ensembles affiliated with the Bielsko-Biała branch of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras pay 50% of the registration fee, while those participating only in festival concerts are exempt from this fee.
10. The registration fee must be paid to the main organizer's account – the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras, Bielsko-Biała branch.
IBAN: PL 79 1030 0019 0109 8530 0022 1704, BIC (SWIFT): CITIPLPX by June 30th, 2026 (date of receipt).
11. If the ensemble is not selected for the Festival, the registration fee will be refunded. The registration fee is non-refundable if the application is withdrawn after the choir has been selected.
12. The Festival Artistic Council will decide whether a choir qualifies for the Festival based on the application form and the ensemble's recordings (link to recordings) of at least two pieces performed by the choir (no older than two years).
13. The list of choirs qualified for the Festival (Workshops, Competition, and Festival Concerts) will be announced on the Festival website by July 31, 2026.
14. After a choir is selected for the Workshops and/or Competition, each participant (choir member, conductor, driver, and other persons traveling to the Festival) is required to pay a festival fee of PLN 30 per person.
15. Payment must be made to the account of the main organizer – the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras, Bielsko-Biała branch.
IBAN: PL 79 1030 0019 0109 8530 0022 1704, BIC (SWIFT): CITIPLPX by September 15, 2026 (date of receipt).
In the event of a subsequent withdrawal from the Festival by the choir, the festival fee will not be refunded.
The organizers provide:
1. Certificate of participation for each choir taking part in the Festival.
2. Lunch for groups taking part in workshops on October 15-16, 2026.
3. Lunch for the groups participating in the Grand Prix Competition on October 17, 2026.
4. Refreshments after festival concerts.
5. Optional programs
6. CD with recorded competition performances.
7. Assistant for each group for the time of duration of the Festival.
In order to facilitate getting to concert locations, the choirs should use their own means of transport or the means of transport rented by the organizing committee at choir's expense.
The organizers do not take responsibility for illegal performing of the music (copyright) and law activities connected with it.
All materials (promotional photos, recordings, scores, texts) provided to the Festival Organizer by the choir registering for participation in the Festival must be free from legal defects and must not infringe the rights of third parties (e.g. the authors of texts, photos, audiovisual recordings have consented to their publication, and the persons visible in the photos and recordings have consented to the publication of their images), and their provision is deemed to constitute consent granted to the Organizer for the free use of these materials for the purpose of organizing the festival and its subsequent editions (including the publication of informational and promotional materials for the event in all currently known fields of exploitation).