BPK Penabur Jakarta Teams Up with DKI Government for PICF 2026 Choir Festival

The Penabur International Choir Festival will return to Jakarta in September with its biggest response yet, according to organizers. The seventh edition, known as PICF 2026, will bring together 152 choir teams that passed the selection process.

The festival will take place from Sept. 7 to 12 at the Penabur Intercultural Secondary & Junior College hall in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. Indonesian participants come from 17 provinces, including Papua and Southwest Papua. International teams will travel from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

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The enthusiasm is much greater than at the PICF held two years ago. There are participants from Papua, and even neighboring countries are taking part. We are very grateful and proud because this represents a high level of trust.

Emma P. Balubun, the festival's steering chair and a BPK Penabur Jakarta board member, said the response had exceeded that of the previous festival two years ago. "The enthusiasm is much greater than at the PICF held two years ago. There are participants from Papua, and even neighboring countries are taking part. We are very grateful and proud because this represents a high level of trust," she said.

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I give my highest appreciation to BPK Penabur Jakarta. As someone involved in choral music for decades, I feel how beneficial a festival is for choirs.

The festival, first held in 2013, will feature professional judges from Indonesia and other countries. Organizers said participants will receive not only competition experience, but also assessments, advice and expert instruction through choir clinics. The panel includes Indonesian judges Avip Priatna, Agastya Rama L, Rainier Revireino and Luciana Dharmadi Oendoen, alongside international judges from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Bulgaria.

Avip, who is also the festival's art director, said the event could improve the quality of Indonesian choirs while helping the public appreciate choral art. He said this year's theme, "Sing Together, Rise Together," emphasizes cooperation, mutual support and setting aside individual egos to build a strong choir. Bulgarian judge Theodora Pavlovitch also reminded participants that the festival involved extensive criteria and required serious preparation.

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Through choral singing, every individual can learn a great deal.