At a glance 

• 30th edition of the competition · July 2–5, 2026 in Debrecen, Hungary 
• TRCC scored 95.5 points in the Children's Choir category and 98 in Free Program 
• Only 11 choirs from 4 continents were selected to compete. 

The Resonanz Children's Choir (TRCC), conducted by Avip Priatna, won the Grand Prize  the top overall title  at the 30th Béla Bartók International Choir Competition, held in Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city, from July 2 to 5, 2026. TRCC also took first place in the Children's Choir category and the Free Program category, and Avip Priatna personally received the Gulyás György Conducting Prize for his interpretation of contemporary works.

What Is the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition?
Founded in 1961, it's one of the most demanding choral contests in Europe, feeding into the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing  a circuit that rotates between cities like Arezzo, Debrecen, and Varna. This year marked the 30th, jubilee edition, and organizers accepted just 11 choirs worldwide after reviewing applications and audition videos.

The rules are brutal by design. Every choir must sing works composed after September 26, 1945  the day Bartók died  with no exceptions except Bartók's own music. That means no folk songs, no crowd-pleasers, just dense 20th- and 21st-century choral writing that's genuinely hard to sing in tune, let alone with feeling.

How Did TRCC Pull Off the Win?

Only four ensembles made it to the final Grand Prize round: TRCC, Riverside City College Chamber Singers (USA), Coralia from the University of Puerto Rico, and Latvia's MASKA Mixed Choir. TRCC performed first, opening with Hodie Christus Natus Est by József Karai, followed by Spiritus Domini by Michele Josia and A Poem to the Mother of the Gods.

Indonesia's Ambassador to Hungary, Penny Dewi Herasati, was in the audience and admitted she expected a winning choir to sound big and full. Instead, what she heard was something lighter  clear, precise children's voices that, according to her, turned out to be technically harder to pull off than the powerhouse adult sound everyone assumed would win.

"Contemporary 20th- and 21st-century repertoire is an enormous challenge. I'm proud of how hard these kids worked  they didn't just get through the difficulty, they delivered it beautifully on an international stage."  Avip Priatna, conductor, TRCC

The most counterintuitive part of the story: in the Free Program category, TRCC  a children's choir  was competing directly against grown adult ensembles, and still walked away with first place and 98 out of 100 points.

The win locks in TRCC's spot at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing 2027 in Arezzo, Italy, where they'll face the reigning champions from other prestigious European choir circuits.