2027 Seoul World Youth Day Choir and Orchestra Inaugural Mass... Over 200 Members Planned

Held at Myeongdong Cathedral on January 17
126 Choir Members, 78 Orchestra Members

The inaugural mass for the "2027 Seoul WYD Choir and Orchestra," which will be responsible for the main liturgical music at the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day (WYD), was held on the afternoon of January 17 at the Familia Chapel of Myeongdong Cathedral.

After the inaugural mass of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Festival choir and orchestra, Archbishop John Sun-taek Jung and related personnel are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by the Archdiocese of Seoul

The event was jointly led by Archbishop John Sun-taek Jung, Chair of the 2027 Seoul WYD Organizing Committee, and priests from the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).

The "2027 Seoul WYD Choir and Orchestra" is a liturgical music organization formed to oversee the music used in the main liturgies of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day. Taking into account the international nature of the event, it is tasked with musically supporting participants' engagement in the liturgy.

During the ceremony, the newly selected members were introduced, and the operational direction and future schedule of the choir and orchestra were shared. Additionally, Father Choi Hoyoung was introduced as the Chair of the Liturgical Music Committee, who will oversee all liturgical music for the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day.

The choir and orchestra are composed of members selected from across the country, ranging in age from their teens to their thirties. The choir launched with 126 mixed voices in four parts, while the orchestra began with a total of 78 members, including 68 Western instrument players and 10 Korean traditional instrument players. The organizing committee plans to expand the choir to 200 members and the orchestra to 100 members in the future, with an additional audition scheduled for January 31 to achieve this. The members will begin full-scale rehearsals and preparations starting in February.

Meanwhile, the Liturgical Music Committee of the 2027 Seoul WYD Organizing Committee is currently holding a theme song contest for the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day, alongside the operation of the choir and orchestra. The contest is now in its final stage, with five finalist songs undergoing review by the Vatican, after which the winning song will be selected.