Join us at the very first Arte Musicale Festival Ghent!

Arte Musicale, an ambitious organization connecting 7 music groups in Ghent, Belgium, is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2025. In honour of our celebration, we would like to invite you to a 3-day music festival in the heart of one of Europe’s most enchanting medieval cities. From Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 16, 2025, we will be welcoming composers, choirs and orchestras from all over the world to the historic streets of Ghent to share our passion for music and culture. 

Each festival day will have its own musical interpretation. Composers will kick off the festival on Friday and are challenged to create a masterpiece for a range of ensembles, from children’s choirs to symphonic youth orchestras. Choirs and orchestras will in turn have the opportunity to perform their best for 20 minutes in front of an enthusiastic audience and professional judges on Saturday and Sunday. You can receive valuable artistic feedback and let your talent shine on the stage of the Arte Musicale Festival Ghent!

It’s more than just a festival – this event is an opportunity to grow, connect and flourish. It is ideal for choirs who want to prepare for the European Choir Games in the summer of 2025, for musical groups who want to measure their strength, for composers who want to gain experience, or simply for enthusiasts who want to make beautiful music in an inspiring environment.

The Festival aims to bring people together, create friendships and leave warm memories. You are able to meet like-minded souls, share experiences and enjoy the warm, welcoming atmosphere of our festival hub. For one, two or three days in March 2025, let yourself be carried away by the tunes of the Arte Musicale Festival Ghent and have an unforgettable experience!

Creation Concert | Friday, March 14, 2025

Composers, you are welcome to conquer the stage of creative possibilities with your own composition!

We are giving up-and-coming, talented composers the chance to have their masterpiece performed by one of the Arte Musicale groups. Whether you want to embrace the magic of a children’s choir, or explore the depth of a chamber orchestra, or compose a piece for any musical group, the possibilities are endless:

• Children’s choir unison (or simple two-voice)
• Youth choir polyphonic (SAB, SATB)
• Womens’ choir (SSA, SSAA) 
• Chamber choir (SATB, SSATB)
• Chamber orchestra (strings 5, 5, 3, 5, 1 / 2dw / 2hb / 2kl / 2fg / 2tr / 2tb / 4hn / tuba / percussion)

Unleash your creativity and let your musical vision shine! Register to participate by September 15, 2024 and submit your manuscripts by December 15, 2024 for review by our expert jury. Nominated works will be announced January 15, 2025 and will be proudly presented at a vibrant creation concert on Friday evening, March 14, 2025.

Choir Festival | Saturday, March 15, 2025

Choirs, let your voices be heard during our Choir Festival!

On Saturday, March 15, 2025, the Arte Musicale Festival Ghent is all about choirs. We are welcoming up to 15 choral groups of all sizes, levels and compositions for a day of musical splendor. 

Each group will have the opportunity to present a 20-minute repertoire to a professional jury, which will judge them on various criteria such as repertoire choice, performance and artistic quality. Whether you are preparing for a major competition such as the European Choir Games in Denmark or just want to gain your first stage experience in front of an international audience, our Festival provides the ideal opportunity.

With the intention of shared passion and connection, choirs will not perform against each other, but with each other. The judges will not pick winners, but will provide valuable feedback to encourage the growth and development of each group. And for a touch of excitement, we will award an audience award at the end of the day. Not for technical perfection, but for the choir that manages to capture the audience’s heart.

“Having fun on and off stage is more important than winning. We have already participated in a festival both at home and abroad and especially the inspiration of seeing other choirs perform, the bond between the choir members that became even stronger, and the praise from the audience that we were able to touch with our enthusiasm, remain in everyone’s thoughts!”

Orchestra Festival | Sunday, March 16, 2025

Orchestras, come and blow the audience away at our Orchestra Festival!

On Sunday, March 16, 2025, instrumental ensembles ranging from a quartet to a symphonic orchestra are welcome to shine on our concert stage in Ghent. It’s a unique opportunity for about 15 ensembles to showcase their talent to a selected professional jury.

Each ensemble will be given 20 minutes to present a versatile program. The jury is ready to give valuable feedback on various criteria, including repertoire choice, performance and artistic quality.

As with our Choir Festival, sharing passion and inspiration is key. The Festival is not competitive; we want the groups to perform not against each other, but side by side. Each group will receive constructive feedback from the judges, which they can use to grow further and to strengthen their artistic operation.

To crown a day of musical delight, we will award an audience award at the end of the day. Not only for technical perfection, but especially for the orchestra that manages to win the hearts of the crowd.

“Our symphonic youth orchestra brings together an amalgam of young musicians, mixed in level and individual ambition, but in playing together everyone can do their part and one enhances the other. The musical joy of playing radiates from our performances and allows us to really interact with our enthusiastic crowd. The specific choice not to audition allows everyone to join us, and that is precisely why this type of Festival is right up our alley … valuable advice from a professional jury is welcome, but we only compete with ourselves and with the goal of really ’touching’ the audience present.”

Get ready to be part of the Arte Musicale Festival Ghent!

Composers, choirs and instrumental ensembles: this is your invitation to let your musical passion shine on our world stage.

Composers, ignite your creative spark! Apply by September 15, 2024 and send us your masterpiece by December 15, 2024. The selection of chosen works will be announced on January 15, 2025. Seize this opportunity to bring your musical vision to life!

Choirs and orchestras, register for our very first Arte Musicale Festival Ghent before October 15, 2024 via our registration form at artemusicalefestivalGent.be/register and provide us with recent visual material for promotional purposes. Musical scores can be submitted until January 15, 2025.

Finalize your registration by paying the registration fee. Send your payment to BE36 7370 1075 148 and clearly mention the name of your group. The festival organization will confirm your registration via email.

• Composers and groups up to 8 participants: 150 EUR
• Groups between 9 – 25 participants: 250 EUR
• Groups with more than 25 participants: 350 EUR

Ready to let your talent be heard? Join the Arte Musicale Festival Ghent and let the magic of music come alive in the majestic churches and along the picturesque alleys of Ghent!

Arte Musicale vzw

festival@artemusicale.be 

Enterprise nr. 0871.435.132