Rules of participation
1. XIX International Choir Festival „Gaude Cantem” will be held on 16-19 October 2025.
2. Only amateur choirs which had submitted an application form can participate in the Festival.
3. The closing date for submitting the application form is 31 August 2025.
4. The application form must be submitted via e-mail:gaudecantem@gmail.com
The application form must be accompanied with a current recording and photo of the choir (the basic of the photo should not have less than 2000 pixels).
5. Choirs may participate in the workshops and/or in the competition and they are obliged to participate in festival concerts. .
6. Choirs may declare their participation only in festival concerts.
7. Choirs participating in the competition are obliged to participate in Friday’s inauguration concert of the festival- they prepare one sacred piece (1-2 min.).
8. To participate in the Festival, the choirs will be selected by the Artistic Council on the basis of the application form and choir's recordings of at least two songs (recorded not earlier than within the last two years) sent by e-mail (link) or by post on CD/DVD.
9.The list of choirs selected to participate in the Festival (Workshops, Competition, Festival Concerts) will be published on the Festival's website not later than on 6 September 2025.
10. Choirs qualified to participate in the festival pay a registration fee of 600 PLN.
11. The choirs which belong to the Bielsko-Biała Department of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras pay 50%of accreditation fee, and taking part in festival concerts only, are exempt from the accreditation fee.
12. The payment shall be transferredto the organizers' bank account IBAN: PL 79 1030 0019 0109 8530 0022 1704, BIC (SWIFT): CITIPLPX not later than on 19 September 2025 (date of crediting the account). In the event of choir’s later resignation from participating in the competition, the fee will not be returned. The bill will be issued after receiving the payment.
The organizers provide:
1. Certificate of participation for each choir taking part in the Festival.
2. Lunch for groups taking part in workshops on 16-17 October 2025.
3. Lunch for the groups participating in the Grand Prix Competition on 18 October 2025.
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.