SUHAR Korua sets off for Asia: a tour of Taiwan and the Philippines

The bass choir has announced its upcoming international tour, during which it will headline the Taipei International Choral Festival and give a joint concert with the Male Ensemble Philippines in Manila

SUHAR Korua, a bass choir from the Basque Country conducted by Esteban Urzelai, is preparing to embark on a new international tour that will take it to Taiwan and the Philippines in the coming weeks. This will be the ensemble’s most ambitious international venture to date, following its appearances at the China International Choral Festival in Beijing (2024), the European Choral Singing Competition in Varna (Bulgaria) (2024) and the Open to the World Festival in Vilnius (Lithuania) (2025).

Esteban Urzelai, musical director of SUHAR Korua, emphasised that “this tour of Taiwan and the Philippines represents a further step forward in the choir’s international profile and in the promotion of Basque culture and language on world-class stages”.

Taiwan: headliner at the TICF

The choir will take part in the Taipei International Choral Festival (TICF), which runs from 24 July to 2 August and is now in its 26th year. Organised by the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation, it is one of Asia’s most important choral events, having featured over 270 international singers and nearly 800 local musicians in recent editions.

SUHAR Korua will be among the festival’s headliners alongside choirs such as Cantemus, Megaron and Kammer, and will give a total of five concerts during its stay. The highlight will take place on 30 July at the Taipei National Concert Hall, one of the country’s leading venues.

Philippines: ‘Izar Ederrak’, a joint concert in Intramuros

Following their stop in Taiwan, the tour will continue in the Philippines, where SUHAR Korua will perform the concert “Izar Ederrak” (Beautiful Stars) alongside the Male Ensemble Philippines choir. The event will take place on Sunday 2 August at 6.00 pm at the Intramuros Tourism Centre in Manila, within the city’s historic walled quarter.

The concert is organised by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, through ANIMADZ, in collaboration with the Intramuros Administration, and marks the first time that two male choral groups from different continents have shared the stage.

A repertoire that bridges tradition and modernity

The programme that the choir will perform in Asia combines historical repertoire – including works by the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen – with European choral music and contemporary compositions, with a particular focus on Basque music and the Basque language as a medium for artistic creation. The composers featured include Franz Schubert, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi – who has set Basque verses to music – and several Basque composers such as Francisco Madina, Eduardo Mocoroa and Iker González. The programme also includes works by female composers such as Eva Ugalde and Junkal Guerrero.