Voices festival Esplanade 2026: choirs, a cappella, workshops

Voices – A Festival of Song returns to Esplanade from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December 2026, and its most useful part for adult singers is the weekend: four paid workshops from S$15 on 5 and 6 December (voice training in English or Mandarin, the Alexander Technique, vocal arranging and a Filipino choral session), two concerts at S$35 and S$40, free singalongs and choral showcases, and a new Voices Lounge. Esplanade&Me early-bird discounts on the two concerts run until 1 November.

If you sing in a choir, an a cappella group or only in the car, this festival is built as much around taking part as listening. Below are the ticketed sessions, what each suits, how to fit them together, and what the festival has not yet published.

Which singing workshops are at the Voices festival?

All four are listed on the festival page with standard prices; each page states an admission age and a language.

• Voices of You, an Estill Voice Training experience, with Aaron Matthew Lim. Saturday 5 December, Esplanade Black Room, one hour, S$15, ages 8 and above. Two sessions: 2pm, "Your Voice. Your Way.", in English, an introduction that also takes on "common myths about singing"; and 4pm, "Beyond Good Singing", in Mandarin, on the vocal colours of contemporary Mandopop (event page).
• Alexander Technique for Singers, with Vivien Chong. Saturday 5 December, 4pm, Esplanade White Room, 1 hour 15 minutes, S$15, ages 11 and above, in English. Basic anatomy and exercises such as "Whispered 'Ah'" and "Walking Backwards", for singers who want to sing with "less unnecessary effort" (event page).
• How I Hear It, vocal arrangements by Owen Li. Two levels in the Esplanade Black Room: a one-hour Beginner Workshop at 1pm and a 90-minute Advanced Workshop at 3pm, for intermediate to advanced singers; S$15, ages 14 and above, in English. The festival listing and the page's date panel give Sunday 6 December, while the session descriptions on the same page say 5 December, so confirm the date when you book (event page).
• Sama-Sama, Let us Sing Together!, with Male Ensemble Philippines. Sunday 6 December, 2pm, Esplanade Recital Studio, 1 hour 30 minutes, S$25, ages 13 and above, in English. Warm-ups, musicianship and learning a Filipino song together (event page).

Which workshop suits you?

Our reading of the descriptions, as a quick picker:

• You have never had a lesson: the 2pm Estill session in English, or Owen Li's Beginner Workshop, "suitable for anyone with an interest in how vocal arrangement works".
• You sing Mandopop: the 4pm Estill session in Mandarin.
• You sing in a choir and get tired or tense: the Alexander Technique session.
• You arrange for an a cappella group: Owen Li's Advanced Workshop.
• You want to sing with others straight away: Sama-Sama, which ends with a group performance of a Filipino song.

How do you fit the workshops and concerts together?

Several sessions clash, so plan by the clock. On Saturday 5 December, the Mandarin Estill session and the Alexander Technique session both start at 4pm. If Owen Li's sessions are on Sunday 6 December, as the listing says, Sama-Sama (2pm to 3.30pm) overlaps his Advanced Workshop (3pm) and follows his Beginner Workshop (1pm to 2pm) with no gap and a change of room.

An illustrative singer's weekend, using standard prices and no discounts:

1. Saturday, 2pm: Estill in English (S$15).
2. Saturday, 7.30pm: Songs of Journey, Songs of Home by Male Ensemble Philippines, Esplanade Recital Studio, 1 hour 15 minutes (S$40).
3. Sunday, 2pm: Sama-Sama with the same ensemble (S$25).
4. Sunday, 5pm: The Voices We Meet, Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 hour 40 minutes with an interval (S$35).

That comes to S$115 in standard prices. Esplanade's visitor FAQ lists SISTIC booking fees of S$1 per ticket below S$20 and S$3 from S$20.01 to S$40, which would add S$10 for these four tickets. Three offers on the pages can lower the total: a Concert and Workshop Package giving 20% off Sama-Sama when bought with a ticket to the Saturday concert (numbers of tickets must match); an E&Me Ensemble Package from 2 November giving 15% off when you buy at least four tickets for one or both concerts; and Esplanade&Me member savings on standard concert tickets (Black 20%, White 15%, Discover 15% with at least two tickets until 1 November; 15%, 10% and 10% from 2 November). The workshop pages list no member discount. If you have SG Culture Pass credits, The Voices We Meet accepts them; our SG Culture Pass guide shows how.

What has the festival not announced yet?

The festival page promises more than its event list shows. It says Korean a cappella group Voice Band EXIT will make its Singapore debut, that "the popular singalongs return with refreshed themes", that choral showcases will pair festival-connected choirs with new ones, and that the Voices Lounge at the Esplanade Annexe Studio will host musical theatre, a cappella and other activities. None of these had its own listing, time or price on 17 October 2026, and the festival page lists events only on 5 and 6 December although the festival starts on 3 December. Check the page again in late November before planning around a free session.

Bringing a group or your choir

Esplanade's ticketing page says group bookings need at least 20 tickets and apply to Esplanade Presents programmes, and that paid group bookings cannot be refunded, exchanged or cancelled. For a smaller group of friends, buying individually with the member offers is simpler. Our guide to making a group plan helps fix a date, our list of concerts in Singapore from November to January has other evenings, and the going-out topic page lists more events.

Common questions