German National Girls' Choir Congress in Bamberg 2026 - Foederatio Internationalis Pueri Cantores

“Under God’s Mantle of Stars”: Pueri Cantores Brings Together 1,200 Young Singers in Bamberg

Cologne/Bamberg, September 21, 2026. The German Federation of Pueri Cantores organized a nationwide festival for girls’ choirs and unison youth choirs in the Upper Franconian episcopal city of Bamberg. From September 18 to 20, 2026, 44 ensembles with approximately 1,200 singers from all parts of Germany participated under the festival’s motto “Under God’s Mantle of Stars.”

This special event marks a highlight of church music during the association’s 75th anniversary year and underscores the relevance of the Catholic choral scene in Germany and of the association itself.

The festival’s theme draws on the famous star-embroidered cloak of Emperor Henry II, which is housed in the Diocesan Museum in Bamberg. It builds a bridge from the rich historical heritage of the Upper Franconian episcopal city to God’s promise of protective and sheltering guidance in the present. The festival was organized by the Archdiocese of Bamberg and carried out by the Bamberg Cathedral Music team and the project office of the Archdiocese of Bamberg.

Message from Archbishop Herwig Gössl

In his sermon during the closing service, Herwig Gössl, Archbishop of Bamberg, emphasized: “Your singing during the service – and I think we’ve all just experienced this – is not a performance for an audience, but rather a prayer, a praise of God’s greatness and love for humanity. In this way, your singing can also be a gift to yourselves; it can sustain you in difficult life situations where you feel very small; it can envelop you like a precious, protective mantle of stars, through which you come to realize: In God’s greatness, I am not lost, but safe.”

A Celebration of Liturgy and Encounter

The program for the three-day event began with an official opening ceremony on Friday, September 18, at Bamberg’s central Maxplatz. From there, the singers proceeded in a festive procession to the Imperial Cathedral to liturgically open the festival with a joint prayer for peace.

Saturday was entirely devoted to musical and personal encounters: In addition to traditional choral exchanges, the young singers performed their music at a wide variety of social institutions throughout the city. A cultural program also gave the young people insight into Bamberg’s unique history. The day concluded with festive concert gatherings and a large choir party in the evening.

The festival’s spiritual and musical finale was the festive closing service held yesterday, Sunday, at Bamberg Cathedral, presided over by Bamberg Archbishop Herwig Gössl as the principal celebrant.

Youth Engagement and Logistical Foresight

The festival’s concept was developed collaboratively by the festival team centered around Bamberg Cathedral Music: The youth working group of the Pueri Cantores Federal Association was involved in the planning from an early stage and actively helped shape key program elements. This involvement ensures that the planned activities reflect the realities of young people’s lives.

Since some of the participants are staying in surrounding cities and towns – such as Nuremberg, Bayreuth, Schweinfurt, and Pottenstein – during the festival, the Bamberg region was also musically enriched with selected, decentralized program events.

75 Years of a Vibrant Community

The festival for girls’ choirs and unison youth choirs is part of the 75-year tradition of the German Choral Association Pueri Cantores. Since its official recognition at the fall plenary assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference in 1951, the association has been dedicated to introducing young people to the liturgy through sacred music. In Bamberg, it was once again demonstrated that choral singing in the Catholic Church is not an aesthetic end in itself, but rather a form of proclamation and a source of strong community that fosters lifelong friendships, provides musical fulfillment, and, not least, fosters a lasting connection to the faith.

Text: Johannes Moussong

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Bamberg Cathedral Music, the Archdiocese of Bamberg, and everyone involved who helped make this festival a success. To all the choirs, we say: THANK YOU, and we hope to see you in June 2027 at the national choir festival for all choir categories in Freiburg!