From 5 to 8 March 2026, the European School Brussels 1 Secondary Choir, under the direction of Joanna Musko and accompanied on piano by Agnieszka Zywert, participated in the Fingal International Festival of Voices in Dublin, Ireland. The group consisted of 88 participants, including students from years S3–S7 as well as teachers, educational advisers, and a science technician, who are also active members of the choir.

The Fingal International Festival of Voices, held in Balbriggan near Dublin, brings together choirs from Ireland and abroad for several days of concerts, workshops and competitions celebrating the diversity of choral music and the spirit of international collaboration through singing.

The festival gathered more than 1000 singers representing 33 choirs, with 30 competition programmes presented across a range of categories. Alongside leading Irish ensembles, choirs from North Macedonia, the United States and Belgium also took part.

During the competition, the European School Brussels 1 Secondary Choir was awarded 1st Prize in the Sacred Music category, receiving the highest score in the category. The programme requirements called for two contrasting works: one piece of early music composed before 1780 and one freely chosen composition.

The choir presented a programme combining Baroque and Orthodox sacred repertoire. The first work was In Virtute Tua by Baroque composer Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, an important figure in early Polish sacred music. The second piece was The Lord’s Prayer (Otche Nash) by Nikolai Kedrov, a well-known a cappella setting of the traditional prayer performed by choirs around the world.

The choir was also nominated for the Grand Prix of the festival, together with three other ensembles selected from among the participating choirs. In this final stage, the group performed alongside distinguished choirs from Ireland and the United States.

Festival concerts and competition performances took place in two notable venues: St Peter and Paul Church and The Lark Concert Hall. Performances were evaluated by an international jury of experienced choral conductors and educators from the United States, Norway, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

An additional highlight of the visit was a concert and cultural exchange with students and staff of Sandford Park School in Dublin, which provided an opportunity for young musicians to meet, share music and learn about each other’s school communities.

The trip was made possible thanks to the Call for Projects funding, which supported the choir’s participation in the festival and helped cover part of the transport costs for the visit to the Sandford Park School campus.

Participation in the festival offered students a valuable opportunity to perform on an international stage, collaborate with singers from different countries and represent the European School Brussels 1 community through music.