PMICF FAQs
Send any questions not answered below to PMICF@albanypromusica.org
Cost
Is the Festival really offered at no cost for all students?
Applying
Can high school choirs and individual singers apply?
Can high school graduates attend?
Chaperones
Are there chaperones at the Festival?
Yes, trained chaperones and staff from Albany Pro Musica will be supervising the Festival.
How many chaperones should a visiting choir bring?
Choral groups need to bring 1 adult chaperone for every 10 student participants. Choral directors count as chaperones. For example, a choir bringing 25 students will need to bring 3 adult chaperones, such as 1 director, 1 parent volunteer, and 1 accompanist.
What do chaperones pay?
The choral director for each participating chorus may attend at no cost.
The fee for each additional chaperone is $1,200, which covers room, board, materials, and in-festival transportation.
Concerts
How many concerts are there?
There will be 4 concerts during the Festival:
- Canadian Chamber Choir
- Student Choir Showcase
- Coffeehouse
- Festival Finale concert
How will the Student Choir Showcase work?
Each participating chorus will prepare 10-15 minutes of material to present at the showcase concert. Singers who attend the Festival as individual applicants will rehearse and present one piece as part of the Wayfarer Chorus, conducted by Festival Artistic Director José Daniel Flores-Caraballo.
Artistic Preparation
Do student choruses need to bring their own pianist?
Not necessarily. Choral Directors should share their performance needs with Festival staff so pianist needs can be coordinated.
When will I get my sheet music?
Digital sheet music and learning materials will be emailed in April 2027. Physical scores will be distributed at the Festival on arrival.
Staying on Campus
What do I pack?
A detailed packing list will be sent to all participants in April 2027.
Where are accommodations?
Festival participants will be housed in Queen’s University dormitory accommodations. Each student will have a private, air-conditioned room with a shared bathroom. Linens are provided.
Where will we eat?
Meals will be provided at Queen’s University dining halls and can accommodate all food requirements and dietary restrictions.
How are rooms assigned?
Students attending as part of a chorus will be placed in a single room that shares a bathroom with a member from their own choir. PMICF staff will work with the Choral Directors in conjunction with participant-provided information on room assignments.
Students not affiliated with a participating chorus will be placed in a single unit that shares a bathroom with one other student attending the Festival individually. Accepted singers will provide shared bathroom gender needs when registering for the Festival.
Where will we rehearse and perform?
All Festival activities will take place at the Isabel Bader Center for the Performing Arts at Queen’s University.
Traveling to The Festival
How do I get to Kingston, Ontario?
What do I need to bring if I’m traveling to the Festival from outside Canada?
It is the responsibility of all program participants, faculty, staff, chaperones, and others traveling to the Pro Musica International Choral Festival to ensure they possess the required documentation needed to travel to and from Kingston, Ontario in Canada. For persons crossing international borders, travel documents and forms of identification may include valid passports or enhanced individual state-regulated driver licenses.
Chaperones traveling with choir students are strongly encouraged to secure signed guardian paperwork and travel consent letters.
Should I get travel insurance?
The Pro Musica International Choral Festival strongly recommends that participants purchase travel insurance to account for any unexpected expenses, including medical emergencies, travel delays, lost or stolen luggage, and trip cancellations.
Some options to purchase travel insurance are below. Contact your own insurance company or financial institutions for additional options.
- https://www.travelguard.com/
- https://www.insuremytrip.com/
- https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/
Please see the U.S. State Department’s guidance on travel insurance below.
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad/insurance-providers-overseas.html