April 9 – 12, 2026 | Philharmonie Berlin, Kammermusiksaal
A Celebration of Contemporary Choral Music
CHORALSPACE presents the third edition of WALKING IN BEAUTY – a festival dedicated exclusively to contemporary choral music.
The first event in April 2023 was led by Latvian composer and conductor Ēriks Ešenvalds and the second by the Norwegian-American composer Ola Gjeilo.
For the third edition, we are very honored to welcome another star of the international choral scene: the british composer Bob Chilcott.
Bob will be present at the festival as a composer, conductor, and workshop leader for the participants.
Sing with Bob Chilcott
in one of the best concert halls in the world
Would you like to perform with us?
“Walking in Beauty” provides an opportunity for individual singers and choirs from around the world not only to perform works by Bob Chilcott but also to bring contemporary choral music from their home countries, thereby offering young composers an international platform at the Philharmonie Berlin.
Registrations are now open for singers and ensembles.
Read more and join us today!
What do we sing?
The Festival Choir, as in all CHORALSPACE projects, consists of participating choirs and ensembles as well as individual singers from around the world.
The following works have been selected by Bob Chilcott to be performed by the Festival Choir:
Five Days that Changed the World (all 5 movements)
Aesop’s Fables (all 5 movements)
Londonderry Air
Scores are available in our webshop or in music stores.
The participating choirs and ensembles bring their own repertoire and present it in various concerts and at the closing concert in the Philharmonie.
Who will lead the project?
The Festival Choir of the WALKING IN BEAUTY Festival is conducted by Bob Chilcott.
Where will rehearsals and concert take place?
Rehearsals are scheduled in the Otto Braun Saal (Potsdamer Str. 37, 10785 Berlin).
The presentation concerts are scheduled in the Matthäuskirche (Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin).
The final rehearsal and the closing concert will take place in the beautiful Kammermusiksaal of the Philharmonie Berlin.
All venues are in a short walking distance to each other.
What costs are involved?
The participation fee for the festival for all registrations received until July 21, 2025 is 98 EUR per participant. The participation fee for all registrations received from July 22, 2025 is 110 EUR per participant.
Non-performing accompanying persons are offered a reduced participation fee of 55 EUR per person, which includes access to all rehearsals and tickets in the best category for the concerts, including the performance at the Berlin Philharmonie.
Accompanying persons, friends, and fans who only wish to attend the concerts can purchase tickets in our webshop.
Where can I find accommodation?
For this project, we have selected several hotels near the Philharmonie that offer special rates for participants. You can find the offers here.
Walking in Beauty Festival 2026
Bob Chilcott, Composer in Residence
Perform with us!
The schedule of the project
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Festival Choir Rehearsal
15:00 – 17:30 Otto Braun Saal
All participants work with Bob Chilcott on the joint pieces to be performed at the final concert in the Philharmonie.
Welcoming Concert
20:00 – 22:00 Matthäuskirche
A wonderful opportunity for participating ensembles to introduce themselves and get to know the other ensembles.
Friday, April 10, 2026
Workshop with Bob Chilcott
10:00 – 13:00 Otto Braun Saal
Bob Chilcott will introduce to the participants of the festival some of his new compositions.
Festival Choir Rehearsal
15:00 – 17:30 Otto Braun Saal
All participants work with Bob Chilcott on the joint pieces to be performed at the final concert in the Philharmonie.
Presentation Concert 1
20:00 – 21:30 Matthäuskirche
A selection of participating ensembles to perform a 20-minute program of their choice in the beautiful Matthäuskirche.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Festival Choir Rehearsal
10:00 – 12:30 Otto Braun Saal
All participants work with Bob Chilcott on the joint pieces to be performed at the final concert in the Philharmonie.
Presentation Concert 2
16:00 – 18:00 Matthäuskirche
A selection of participating ensembles to perform a 15-minute program of their choice in the beautiful Matthäuskirche.
Presentation Concert 3
20:00 – 22:00 Matthäuskirche
A selection of participating ensembles to perform a 15-minute program of their choice in the beautiful Matthäuskirche.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Final Rehearsal
9:30 – 12:30 Kammermusiksaal of the Philharmonie Berlin
Preparatory rehearsal for the concert including the solo showcases and the joint repertoire.
Final Concert
Walking in Beauty Festival 2026
20:00 – 22:00 Kammermusiksaal of the Philharmonie Berlin
The highlight of the festival with solo showcases and joint repertoire in the world-famous Philharmonie Berlin.
Get-Together
22:00 – Location tbd
Celebrate the third edition of the Walking in Beauty Festival.
Artistic Leadership
Bob Chilcott (Composer and Principal Conductor)
Bob Chilcott has become one of the world’s most widely performed composers and arrangers of choral music. His compositional output reflects his wide taste in music styles and his commitment to writing music that is both singable and communicative. He has been involved in choral music most of his life he was a chorister and then a choral scholar in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and was a member of the British vocal group The King’s Singers for whom he made a number of popular arrangements of well-known songs from all genres. As well as being a full-time composer he is also a highly acclaimed choral conductor. He has been privileged to conduct many choirs all over the world. He is Principal Guest Conductor of The BBC Singers and in 2019 he was appointed Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers. His music has been widely recorded by many choirs and groups including The King’s Singers, Tenebrae, and The BBC Singers.
Take the stage with us
Register today
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any question or comments.