The concept of the World Choir Games (http://www.interkultur.com) roots back in the Olympic mission, which is about bringing together people and nations united by their love for song in a peaceful and honest competition. This idea is to inspire people with the power of unity through singing together. The World Choir Games is an international choir festival held every second year since 2000 on various continents. The previous Choir Olympics were hosted by Austria, Germany, China, South Korea, United States, and Latvia.

The very idea of the World Choir Games is founded on the personal experience of choir performers from all over the world, who understand and translate humanistic ideals through song.  Music is the universal language of the world, a tool for communication between cultures and countries.

The world’s major choir competition, the World Choir Games encourage people to sing together. Participation in the Games is the highest honor. The World Choir Games are focused to engage amateur choirs from all over the world, regardless of their continent, music style or styles, or artistic ambition.

Participation in this global choir event means performing, showing what one can do, comparing oneself to others and feeling the overall joy and enthusiasm of singing jointly. Every second year, choirs from all over the Earth arrive at the World Choir Games to partake in the festival of music, singing, and joy of life.

In 2016, the Games were hosted in Russia for the first time. Held in Sochi, the Games were attended by 283 choirs from 36 countries. The Komi Republic was for the first time represented at the competition by the Women’s Choir of the Komi Republic College of Arts.  Under the leadership of Olga Rocheva, the choir participated in an open competition and was chosen winner in its nomination. It received Level 4 Golden Diploma  enabling it to participate in the Champions Competition at the next World Choir Games.

The triumph of the Women’s Choir of the Komi Republic College of Arts rolled further with the choir weaving its way on the list of Top-1000 World’s Best Choirs, where its ranked 358th. This event has become an invaluable and unprecedented source of inspiration for students and teachers of the College of Arts and propelled the choir to new heights under the lead of its conductor Olga Egorovna Rogacheva. In the course of the same season, the Choir won the Grand Prix of the All-Russia “Young Classic” Festival in Vologda. Today, the choir is actively preparing to defend the honor of the Republic at the next World Choir Games in July 2018.

The Anniversary Tenth World Choir Games will unveil the new continent, for they will for the first time be held on the African continent, namely in Tswana, Republic of South Africa. By now, 220 choirs from different continents have filed their applications to participate in the competition. The Women’s Choir of the Komi Republic will be among ten other participants and the only one representing the Komi Republic at that grand world music championship.

The Student Choir of the Choral Conducting Department of the Komi Republic College of Arts was founded in 1943, at the same time as the college itself. The choir gathers girls and young women aged between 15 and 25. In addition to its educational mission, the Choir actively engages in cultural concert programs. The Choir has seen a number of very talented conductors. Since 2008, it has been led by Olga Rocheva, a faculty member of the College of Arts, Chair of the Regional Office of the All-Russia Choir Society, winner of the Vth International Competition of Performing Arts “St. Petersburg in the Mirror of the World Music Culture”, and winner of the Culture Award of the Komi Republic. Accompanier – Anna Nikitina.