From 27 to 31 May 2027, Burgas will host the first edition of SOUND WAVES Burgas – Black Sea International Choir Competition, a new international choral event that will bring together choirs from Bulgaria and abroad on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The new competition offers various opportunities for participation both for choirs with competition experience and for ensembles that prefer a festival program without a competitive nature. Along with the competition categories and friendly concerts, choirs can also participate in educational formats for direct work with international choral experts.
In the “Evaluation Performance” the choir presents a program lasting up to 15 minutes in front of an international jury, after which it receives immediate professional feedback and the opportunity for practical work with the jury members. The format is non-competitive and is aimed at the artistic development of the ensemble.
Individual Coaching is a 45-minute practical session with an international choral specialist, in which the choir works on a previously prepared piece and receives new ideas and guidelines for its interpretation.
The competition program includes categories for mixed and homogeneous choirs at different levels of difficulty, children’s and youth ensembles, sacred music a cappella and folklore. The rich selection of categories allows choirs of different profiles, ages and repertoires to find a suitable form for participation.
The winners in the individual categories may be given the opportunity to continue their participation in the Grand Prize competition for the BLACK SEA CHORAL AWARD 2027. The winner will receive a cash prize of 2000 euros and an original statuette.
Early registration is valid until October 26, 2026, which allows choirs to register for their first activity with a registration fee of 150 euros instead of the standard 300 euros. Each additional activity has a registration fee of 200 euros. The regular registration deadline is December 9, 2026.
Detailed information on all possibilities and conditions for participation is available in the official materials of the competition – ParticipantInformation-Burgas2027
For choirs within a radius of 150 km from Burgas, which do not require accommodation, separate conditions for participation are provided.
With the first edition of SOUND WAVES Burgas in 2027, the city marks the beginning of a new international choral forum on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, creating a new opportunity for a meeting between the Bulgarian choral tradition and ensembles from different parts of the world.
More information about SOUND WAVES Burgas – Black Sea International Choir Competition, the competition categories, the conditions for participation and registration can be found on the official INTERKULTUR website: https://www.interkultur.com/events/2027/burgas.
For additional questions, please email: ingilizov@interkultur.com.
Early registration: until October 26, 2026
Registration deadline: December 9, 2026
Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/INTERKULTUR/burgas2027-registration
The event is organized by the Municipality of Burgas, the Art Music Association, chaired by Milena Dobreva, and INTERKULTUR.