Save the dates: the fifth annual International Schools Choral Music Society (ISCMS) music festival is almost here. Hosted this year by Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), the event is called Lumen and takes place from February 15 to 19, bringing together more than 450 participants from around the world for music workshops. The climax of the festival is a gala concert involving students, faculty, and a special guest. This year, that guest is world-renowned Welsh music luminary Karl Jenkins, the most widely-performed living composer in the world.

ISCMS was founded in 2008 and has since held festivals annually for students from 26 different international schools. The organization’s goal is to bring together music students and teachers from different countries to build an international choral music experience. The ISCMS festival gives budding musicians a chance to sing and play with a full-sized symphony orchestra and learn from world-famous practitioners.

This year’s edition marks the third time that DCB is hosting the event. Students and staff taking part in the ISCMS music festival can attend a variety of workshops, including piano master classes, gospel music workshops, conducting master classes, composition workshops, and more.  The classes will be taught by artists like mezzo-soprano Beverly J. Vaughn, composer Christina Trulio, and conductor Robert G. Hasty.

Tickets are already on sale for the gala concert, which will take place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on Saturday, February 18. Each half of the concert will include three pieces. The first half features West Side Story (Medley) by Leonard Bernstein, selections from Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, and Lord of the Dance Medley by Ronan Hardiman. The second half features compositions by Karl Jenkins: Te Deum, Gloria, and the world premiere of Qing Zhu (Celebration) – composed especially for ISCMS and conducted by Jenkins himself.

For more information, visit the ISCMS website. To reserve tickets for the gala concert, email festival@iscms.net with your name, the number of tickets required, and your phone number.