After four days of intense encounters and deeply moving musical experiences, the 45th Pueri Cantores International Choir Festival in Munich came to an end with a festive Closing Service with Cardinal Reinhard Marx on Marienplatz. Under the motto “CANTATE DOMINO – Vielstimmig für den Frieden – #comeandsing”, around 4,500 singers in 166 choirs from 16 countries came together from July 16 to 20, 2025 to sing for peace in the Bavarian capital. This success was made possible in particular by the tireless efforts of all 537 festival helpers.
The opening ceremony – a real eye-catcher
The historic Marienplatz in the center of Munich also provided the perfect backdrop for the festive opening of the festival on Wednesday evening. Under a self-designed cross, colorful flags and banners, the participants of the children’s and youth choir festival transformed the city center into a place of global friendship. The official welcomes by the president of the international association, Jean Henric, and the president of the German national association, Elisabeth Lehmann-Dronke, were framed by the singing of the festival classics “Come and Sing” by the composer Lukas Stollhof and “Cantate Domino” by Andreas Unterguggenberger.
The waving flags above the brass band, the alphorns and the dancing Schuhplattlers emphasized the international community of the festival on their visit to Germany. On stage for the entire festival: the DiözesanJugendChor München und Freising under the direction of Christian Schramm. The almost four and a half thousand young singers were a real eye-catcher – also for hundreds of enthusiastic passers-by who gathered in clusters around the cordoned-off area.
Native language services and numerous prayers for peace
The native language services were the first highlight of the festival program on Thursday. In numerous Munich churches, the singers performed a Holy Mass in their own language. Due to the large number of German participants, four services were held in parallel. Bishop Georg Bätzing, Chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference and “Pueri Cantores Bishop”, and Bishop Hermann Glettler from Innsbruck (Austria) were invited to celebrate two of these services.
Four prayers for peace on Thursday – and three more on Friday – expressed one of the main pillars of the message of the international community of Pueri Cantores: the commitment to peace. In the prayers, which took place several times a day, solemn and multilingual songs were accompanied by quiet moments of reflection. Through this calm atmosphere of many choirs of different languages coming together, through their joint singing and the multilingual intercessions, the spiritual bond in the commitment to peace and friendship was almost tangible.
Various concert formats
The Encounter Concerts during the festival offered an impressive testimony to the musical diversity and international community of the Pueri Cantores. In the Jesuit Church of St. Michael, the Kevelaer Boys’ Choir, the Pueri et Juvenes Cantores from Torrespaccata in Rome and the Salzburg Cathedral Boys’ and Girls’ Choir impressed with a program ranging from early music to romanticism. The “Ave verum” by Mozart, which was sung together as a sign of musical unity, was particularly moving. The concert on Friday morning in St. Peter’s was also characterized by high musical quality despite small ensembles. The choirs from Erwitte, Altenburg and Lyon impressed with their fine choral sound and soulful interpretations, especially in pieces such as “Friede soll Wirklichkeit werden” and the lively joint finale “Gaudeamus”.
Another highlight was the following concert, also in St. Peter’s, in which four choirs from Germany and France presented an impressively diverse repertoire. The Jugendchor St. Remigius from Düsseldorf opened with a rousing program performed from memory, while the Fidelisknaben Hohenzollern impressed with a high level of textual confidence and clear sound. The contribution of the Maîtrise Saint-Thomas d’Aquin with French choral literature on the theme of peace was particularly impressive. The Eichstätt Cathedral Youth Choir presented modern sacred choral music at the highest level, including the moving “Inscription of Hope”. The joint final song “Dona nobis pacem” united all voices in a powerful musical prayer for peace.
The “Pueri in Concert” gala concerts also provided all visitors with free enjoyment of exceptional quality – even for the cultural city of Munich. On Friday evening, the Polish choir “Canticum Novum”, the Spanish “Coro Nuestra Señora del Carmen Crevillent” and a choral union of the “Jugendkathedralchor Sankt Hedwig Berlin” and the “Kinder- und Jugendchor am Erfurter Dom” delighted the guests at St. Peter’s. Between the pleading “De profundis clamavi” and the demanding “O salutaris hostia” by Andre Caplet, the two choirs’ lively “Mothers of Daughters” stood out in particular. At the same time, the “Coro Infantil Pedro Mena” from Spain, the girls’ choir of the Regensburger Domspatzen and the Stockholm “Pueri Cantantes Cathedralis” also enticed the audience into the cool freshness of the Theatine Church. Lasso’s “Miserere mei” and a successful interpretation of “Der Herr ist mein Hirte” by composer Eduard Birnbaum only hint at the impressive variety of the choral repertoire.
Bringing music to the people
The Pueri Cantores association expressed its commitment to social engagement through the “Singing in social institutions” on Friday. It was a heartfelt project within the festival, which, according to organizer Cordula Wilhelm from Caritas Munich, is deeply connected to the Christian mission and social aspirations of the Pueri Cantores. Its aim was to bring music to people who are unable to attend concerts themselves – in old people’s homes, hospitals, institutions for the disabled or even in a women’s prison. The response was overwhelming: 50 choirs volunteered so that suitable ensembles could be found for all 34 facilities. The visits were experienced as moving, gratefully received encounters – both by the institutions and the choirs. For Ms. Wilhelm, the project is an expression of living charity: music is not only performed here, but given as a gift – as comfort, joy and a sign of community.
Open Singing
School classes were also able to take part in the festival. At “Pueri macht Schule” Munich schoolchildren joined the festival choirs on Friday morning to sing lively songs together. The festival’s main Open Singing took place on Thursday evening. Fun songs and movements got the whole Marienplatz going.
Workshops on intercultural friendship
There was also a very special offer for the festival participants on Thursday and Friday: Workshops in which music and faith cultures could be explored in small groups or which dealt with topics that strengthen peace between cultures. In addition to Bavarian Line Dance and yodeling, the program also included Congolese rhythms and dance, spiritual songs from different cultures and a visit and prayer of reconciliation at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
After the trips into the surrounding regions on Saturday, the festival reached its climax with the lively festival of cultures. The joint program impressively reflected the international diversity of the participating choirs. In a colorful and exuberant setting, the choirs presented themselves with typical national songs, dances and even a handbell choir by the US-American “Golden Gate Boys Choir”. The performance of the singing quartet “German Gents” with classics such as “Dancing Queen” also moved the young singers to spontaneous dancing and spirited singing along.
Closing mass with Cardinal Reinhard Marx
The 45th International Choir Festival of Pueri Cantores came to a powerful conclusion with the Sunday Closing Service: the 166 choirs sang the songs from the festival choir book, which had accompanied them throughout the five days, together one last time from the bottom of their hearts. The Archbishop of Munich celebrated the service on the richly decorated grandstand in front of the town hall, surrounded by onlookers – right in the heart of Munich’s city center. In his sermon, he expressed great gratitude for the past days and praised the community of Pueri Cantores: “Thank you for your testimony; thank you for your prayer for peace”. The singers had brought so much to Munich, because “no festival can take place without music”, he explained. In his concluding words, Jean Henric, President of the International Federation of Pueri Cantores, also expressed his joy at this, his last festival as President: “This congress was wonderful”.
For the last time, the festival anthem at the end of the service was so impressively rousing. With a polyphonic echo and the wish for peace, the festival motto continues to resound in our heads, hearts and everyday lives: “CANTATE DOMINO – Vielstimmig für den Frieden.”
Youth participation
At the festival, young singers were able to have a say and get involved at both international and national level. In addition to designing the prayers for peace and having a say in the logo and merchandise, the German Youth Committee came up with an idea to bring the choirs even closer together: With a trading card campaign. Each participating choir was presented on a card with brief information. As part of the festival, each choir had the task of giving out as many of their cards as were needed to ensure that every other participating choir had a card on the last evening. The winner was the male ensemble of Dommusik Münster with the most foreign cards.
More impressions from the festival
Young Managers Program
Pueri Cantores was very happy to welcome 8 young managers from the IFCM YOUNG program who took part in the festival days. YOUNG is a project that aims to empower the next generation of choral leaders by providing them with opportunities to learn, grow and make a meaningful contribution to the choral community.
You can find more insights into the festival here:
Images:
Pueri Cantores / Christian Klenk
Pueri Cantores / Franziska Siedler
Pueri Cantores / Oliver Sold
AWO Social Center: Pueri Cantores / Anna Lauszus
JVA Stadelheim women’s prison: Alexandra Prechtel
