INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR FESTIVAL CELJE 2026.
Anniversary year, 80 years of uninterrupted activity.
Since 1946, when the Youth Choral Festival (YCF) was first heard in the city of counts, Celje has been ranked among the most important choral centres in Slovenia and Europe. In 2026, the festival enters a jubilee year, celebrating 80 years of uninterrupted activity, which places it among the oldest and most prominent youth choral festivals in this part of Europe.
The 2026 jubilee edition (the 37th Youth Choral Festival Celje and the 28th National Competition and Review of Youth Choirs) is organised in cooperation with the Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Cultural Activities, the Celeia Celje Institute, the Municipality of Celje, the Museum of Recent History Celje, Mohorjeva Publishing House Celje, the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, the Department of Music of the Faculty of Education of the University of Maribor, the Celje Music School, RTV Slovenia, and other national and local cultural and educational institutions. The jubilee edition builds on the festival’s long tradition and places it in a contemporary cultural and educational context.
Throughout its eighty-year history, the YCF has always adapted to the spirit of the time while preserving its core mission, set by its founders led by Jurče Vreže: bringing generations together through music, encouraging youthful creativity and optimism, fostering cooperation, and caring for Slovenia’s rich choral heritage.
The jubilee celebrations will begin on 31 March 2026 with a press conference and the opening of an exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of the YCF at the Museum of Recent History Celje. The festival programme will continue with the Pésemca choral review, professional workshops for conductors, music teachers, and conducting students, as well as non-competitive and competitive performances by youth choirs from all over Slovenia.
The artistic highlight of the festival will be the ceremonial opening concert on 8 April 2026, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the YCF. United youth choirs from Celje’s primary and secondary schools will perform with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Celje-born conductor Simon Dvoršak. The programme will include the children’s cantata Where Is Tina? and the world premiere of the Cantata for Peace by Celje composer Matevž Goršič.
A rich accompanying programme featuring the Pésemca choral review and the screening of a documentary film.
In addition to competitive and review performances, the central events of the 28th National Competition of youth primary school, girls’, boys’, and mixed choirs will also offer professional reflection and educational content. The festival programme will be enriched by Minutes for Song (short choral performances in the city centre), a screening of a documentary film marking the 80th anniversary of the YCF by director Tadej Čater, the presentation of the jubilee monograph Let the Youth Sing! Jurče Vreže – Conductor and Visionary of the Youth Choral Festival in Celje by Dr Darja Koter, and many accompanying events throughout the city.
A special place in the jubilee year is also given to the Celje choral tribute on the holiday of the Municipality of Celje, when youth choirs will sing together in front of the Prothasijev Mansion, just as they did at the first festival in 1946. The festival will also be linked to the Grand Prix of Europe competition, which will take place in Maribor this year. On 17 April, one day before the competition in Maribor, one of the finalists will perform at the National Hall in Celje. The jubilee festival will conclude on 19 April 2026 with the traditional singing walk through the old town centre, held as part of the nationwide Day of Singing with Hearts, symbolically connecting the festival with the wider public.
All events of the Youth Choral Festival are open to the public and free of charge. Even in its jubilee year, the YCF remains a vibrant meeting place for young people, professional excellence, and shared celebration of choral art, as well as an important bearer of the cultural identity of the city of Celje and Slovenia.
Program
You can find the detailed schedule of the festival and competitions here (TBD).
PRESS CONFERENCE
Press conference ahead of the start of the 37th MPF and the 28th National Competition
EXHIBITION OPENING
Opening of the exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of MPF Celje Sings: Jurče Vreže and the Youth Choir Festival, by Dr Marija Počivavšek
PÉSEMCA
Regional review of children’s and youth choirs from the municipalities of Celje, Dobrna, Štore, and Vojnik
WORKSHOPS
Workshops led by Tadeja Vulc in collaboration with music pedagogy students from the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor
GUIDED EXHIBITION TOUR
Guided tour of the exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of MPF Celje Sings: Jurče Vreže and the Youth Choir Festival, by Dr Marija Počivavšek
FESTIVE OPENING CONCERT
A celebratory opening concert marking the 80th anniversary of MPF, featuring a joint performance by youth choirs from Celje primary and secondary schools and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Simon Dvoršak Programme: Matevž Goršič – Children’s Cantata Kje je Tina? and Cantata for Peace (world premiere)
WORKSHOPS
Workshops led by Marko Vatovec in collaboration with students of the Academy of Music, University of Ljubljana
NATIONAL COMPETITION
28th National Competition of Girls’, Boys’, and Mixed Youth Choirs, 15:30 (girls’ choirs), 17:30 (boys’ and mixed choirs), Concert Hall of the Celje Music School, 19:00 partial announcement of results at Zvezda (competition schedule)
A MOMENT FOR SONG
A Minute for Song, 16:45 and 18:45 at Zvezda in the city centre, with a partial announcement of results at 19:00 (in case of bad weather, the announcement will take place at the Celje Music School)
FILM SCREENING
Screening of the documentary film The Celebration of Youth Song – Eighty Years of the International Youth Choir Festival in Celje, directed by Tadej Čater, followed by a discussion with the creative team
NATIONAL COMPETITION
National competition for youth choirs, 11:00 and 14:00 (competition schedule)
A MOMENT FOR SONG
Celje amateur cultural associations, Moments for Song, 11:45, 12:45, 14:45, 15:45 at Zvezda in the centre of Celje
ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS
Ceremonial announcement of the results of the 28th National Competition and awards ceremony
MONOGRAPH PRESENTATION
Presentation of the monograph Let the Youth Sing! Jurče Vreže, Conductor and Visionary of the Youth Choral Festival in Celje by Dr Darja Koter
COME TO THE STAR
“Come to the Star”, event celebrating the City of Celje Municipal Holiday
VOCAL TRIBUTE
Celje Choral Tribute to the 80th Anniversary of MPF, the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Jurče Vreže, and the Municipal Holiday of the City Municipality of Celje, 18:00, Trg celjskih knezov. Performers: the combined choirs of Celje primary and secondary schools and the Wind Orchestra of the Celje Music School. Conductor: Gašper Salobir. (In case of bad weather, the concert will take place at the Celjski dom)
GUIDED TOUR
Guided tour of the exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of MPF Celje Sings: Jurče Vreže and the Youth Choir Festival, by Dr Marija Počivavšek
FILM SCREENING
Screening of the documentary film The Celebration of Youth Song – Eighty Years of the International Youth Choir Festival in Celje, directed by Tadej Čater
SINGING WALK
Traditional singing walk through the old town centre on the occasion of the National Day of Singing with Hearts
Organisers, supporters and patrons
The Jubilee Youth Choir Festival Celje 2026 is being organised in cooperation with the Javni sklad RS za kulturne dejavnosti, Zavod Celeia Celje, Mestna občina Celje, Muzej novejše zgodovine Celje, Mohorjeva družba Celje and the Akademija za glasbo Univerze v Ljubljani. The festival is also supported by Glasbena šola Celje, I. gimnazija v Celju, Osrednja knjižnica Celje and Zgodovinski arhiv Celje.
The Honorary Patron of the Youth Choir Festival 2026 is Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia.
Ferstival sponsors are Cinkarna Celje d. d, Reklama Celje d. o. o. and ZPO Celje d. o. o.
Festival is made possible by
Honorary patron of the 37th YCF Celje 2026
dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenija