Adelaide’s Festival Statesmen Chorus, under the direction of Jonathan Bligh, has been crowned Champions of the 2024 World Choir Games, winning two gold medals and two World Championship trophies at the world’s largest choir competition.

The World Choir Games 10 – 20 July) brought together over 250 choirs from 40 countries to Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, to perform before their peers, the public and a panel of judges. The Festival Statesmen Chorus took out the Pop Ensemble and Sacred A Cappella categories.

Additionally, the Festival Statesmen Chorus was awarded a gold medal and the overall title of Champion of the World Choir Games in the Sacred A Cappella category with a score of 95.5/100.

Adelaide Festival Chorus

“It was an incredible honour for us to represent Australia at the World Choir Games,” said Bligh. “Aside from winning these championships it was incredibly powerful and humbling to see over 11,000 singers from over 40 countries share their culture and music with us. I don’t know of any artistic event that can bring people together on such a global scale and as a force for good.”

This was Festival Statesmen’s first international outing, having previously won...