From August 22 to 25, more than 30 representatives of PUERI CANTORES from all over the world met for the annual General Assembly. This year, the General Assembly took place in Munich.
The national association had invited delegates from the national associations and the international association to the Bavarian capital due to the upcoming Choral Festival 2025 in Munich. The Executive Committee of the FOEDERATIO INTERNATIONALIS PUERI CANTORES met for a kick-off meeting on Thursday. The various working groups (Spirituality, Music, Congresses) then met on Friday morning. The actual meeting of the presidents from the Pueri nations then began on Friday afternoon. This year’s guests were representatives from: Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Catalonia, Canada, Italy, Poland and Austria. Participants from Denmark, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Congo and India joined in digitally at times.
During the meeting, a new national association was also officially accepted into the worldwide community of Pueri Cantores: A Hungarian Federation had been founded in the autumn of 2023 and is now also a member of the international association. It currently has 15 member choirs and is already in close cooperation with the Pueri choirs in Austria. We say: “Meleg fogadtatás!” (“Welcome!”).
Friday evening ran late: a “market place” was held until 9 p.m., where the national associations were able to present themselves at small stands. The exchange was so lively that time flew by. A visit to a typical Bavarian beer garden afterwards rounded off the day’s program.
On Saturday, those responsible from Germany presented the activities surrounding the international choir festival in Munich in July 2025. There was great interest in the plenary session and many questions were asked.
Father R. Mehlhart, currently director of the PIMS (Pontificium Institutum Musicae Sacrae) in Rome, was also a guest on the same day. FIPC and PIMS are striving for a concrete cooperation, among other things a professorship for children’s choir conducting is being planned at PIMS.
After this constructive second day, we first went to the Theatine Church in the early evening, where celebrant Marius Linnenborn (sermon: Fr. Robert Mehlhart) celebrated mass with the international group as well as the regular churchgoers. The theme song for the International Choir Festival 2025 in Munich was also performed for the first time. Composer Lukas Stollhof has already presented the piece “Come and sing”, so it was premiered in the Theatine Church.
Afterwards, there was a guided tour of the city, stopping of course at the Orlando di Lasso monument, the Frauenkirche, Marienplatz and the Church of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, it was time for a convivial evening and dinner.
On Sunday, the international guests had the opportunity to attend one of the Sunday masses in the city center, after which it was time to say goodbye.
The next meeting will take place in Paris in August 2025. The FIPC Board will also be re-elected during the meeting. Jean Henric will not be standing for re-election, which is why the search is currently on for candidates for the office of President.
by Anna-Kathrin Dietrich, German Federation of Pueri Cantores
