Who are the Friends of the European Choral Association?

The Friends of the European Choral Association is a community of individuals, choirs, ensembles, and other legal entities – like-minded enthusiasts of collective singing – who want to support the work of the European Choral Association and remain closely connected to it.

The Friends hosts the Noël Minet Fund, which specifically supports young musicians who would like to come to the events of the European Choral Association.

Why do we have the Friends of the European Choral Association?

In 2021, the European Choral Association changed its membership structure to become an umbrella organisation for other associations. However, the Association has a long tradition of welcoming individual members and choirs who feel personally connected to its work and wish to support it. It was therefore important to preserve this opportunity for engagement.

Today, individuals, choirs, ensembles and other legal entities are warmly invited to become Friends of the European Choral Association!

The Friends of the European Choral Association is a separate organisation. However, the two organisations are closely connected. The Board of the Friends reserves two seats for members nominated by the Board of the European Choral Association. Conversely, the Board of the European Choral Association reserves one seat for a representative of the Friends. In this way, individuals, choirs, ensembles and other legal entities are officially represented on the Board and can contribute to and influence the strategic direction of the European Choral Association.

The Friends was founded in 2011 with the primary purpose of providing financial support to the European Choral Association.

Support the work of ECA

Network with likeminded

Get membership advantages

Benefits
Benefits for you and the European Choral Association

As a Friend of the European Choral Association, you will enjoy the benefits available to indirect members of the European Choral Association. This means that you will be invited to events reserved for members and indirect members, such as the annual Membership Weekend, and that you will benefit from reduced participation fees at events under the label of the European Choral Association. If you join the Friends as a choir, ensemble or other legal entity, two of your members will be entitled to these reduced participation fees.

As a Friend of the European Choral Association, you will also play an important role in supporting the work of the European Choral Association. In addition, you will help strengthen its financial sustainability, as the income of the Friends can be retained as a reserve fund—an option that is not available to the European Choral Association itself.

What is more, you get to be part of a wonderful community of collective singing enthusiasts from all over Europe and beyond.

Become a Friend
The membership fees of the Friends of the European Choral Association are: 
  • Individual members: €50,00 per year
  • Choirs, ensembles, and other legal entities: €100,00 per year
Application form for individuals (natural persons)  
Application form for legal bodies (choirs, ensembles, and other legal entities) 

 

Donate to the Friends

You can support the Friends by:

  • Becoming a Friend 
  • Donating to the Friends
  • Making a donation specifically to the Noël Minet Fund
  • Organising a fundraising activity for the Friends

Thanks to your donations, the Friends will:

  • increase the Noël Minet Fund, enabling the Fund to support more young musicians through scholarships;
  • support the European Choral Association whenever needed.

For donations you can:

  • Transfer the amount with the keyword “Donation” to the following bank account: 

Friends of the European Choral Association
Sparkasse KoelnBonn, D-53111, Bonn
IBAN: DE 0237 0501 9819 2985 8932
BIC: COLSDE33

Noël Minet Fund Scholarship
The Noël Minet Fund administered by the Friends offers funding to applicants under 30 with limited economic means to participate in the cooperation events of the European Choral association or events held under its label.
Applicants must fill in an application form with:
  • Reasons for applying
  • Information if they have applied for or will receive other funds
  • Total budget with participation fees, travel, accommodation, meals and scores
  • Plans on how to share the new knowledge and experience with their local community afterwards
  • CV
  • 2 recommendations

Learn more about the scholarship here.

Contact: scholarships@friendsofeca.org

Statutes, Elections and General Assemblies
ONLINE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2025

This year, the General Assembly will take place on 25 November 2025, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. CET on Zoom.
Please, register via the link we have sent you in the invitation. If you have become a member after we sent the invitation, please, contact us info@friendsofeca.org.

All members — old and new (there’s still time to become one!) — are warmly welcome to join!

ELECTION AND HYBRID GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2024

In autumn this year, elections will be held for the board of the Friends of the European Choral Association. This also means the term of the first board of our renewed association will come to an end. In the past two years, the new board worked on a strategy and action plan. This strategy includes several fundraising activities, but also developing the new home to both the Noël Minet Scholarship Fund and individuals and choirs that want to support and be closely connected to the work and activities of the European Choral Association.

The results of the election will be announced during the next General Assembly of the Friends, taking place in a hybrid format at the European Choral Association Membership Weekend in Leuven on November 15th.

You can find the full call and further instructions on the elections here

ONLINE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2023

In 2023, the Association’s General Assembly took  place on October 23rd, 18.30 CET.

ONLINE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2022 preceded by ONLINE ELECTIONS – CALL FOR CANDIDATES

On November 2nd, 17.00 CET will take place online the first general assembly according to the new statutes, preceded by online elections.
At this General Assembly, the members will be able to elect new board members.

Find further information on the document below:

2021 Statutes

Download the Statutes below, available both in English and in German.

Board

Current Board (2024 – 2027)

Susanna Kantelinen (Finland) – President (as of Oct 21, 2025, before that Vice President)
Daphne Wassink (The Netherlands) – Vice President (as of Oct 21, 2025, before that President) Alfred Jürgens (Germany) – treasurer
Marine Alaverdyan (Armenia)
Flannery Ryan (Germany)
Henrike Schauerte (Germany)

Board 2022-2024

Daphne Wassink (President)
Flannery Ryan (Vicepresident)
Afred Jürgens (Treasurer)
Susanna Kantelinen
Henrike Schauerte
Jean-Claude Wilkens

Board until 2022

Daphne Wassink (President)
Flannery Ryan (Vicepresident)
Afred Jürgens (Treasurer)
Reijo Kekkonnen

FAQ

I was previously an individual member, family member or member choir of the European Choral Association. What do I need to do to become a member of the Friends?

We are looking forward to having you as a Friend! Please fill out this online form.  

I was already a member of the Friends before 2022 and would like to continue my support. Is there any action required from my side?

Thank you so much for your continued support! Yes, in order to build up our membership base within the new system, we need to re-register all members.
Please fill out the one of the two forms:
Individuals 
Choirs, ensembles, and other legal entities

My choir wants to go to an event organised by the European Choral Association and we all would like to get the reduced prices. What can we do? 

We’re happy that you want to join one of the events of the European Choral Association. The easiest way for your full choir to get the reduction is to become a member of your regional/national choir association as long as this organisation is a member of the European Choral Association. You can find a full list of all members of the association here.  

Of course your choir members are also always welcome to support the work of the Friends and the European Choral Association directly by becoming individual members of the Friends. 

I don’t want to become a member, but I still want to support the Friends of the European Choral Association. What do I do?

Donations or fundraising activities that will benefit the Friends of the European Choral Association are of course welcome. See our sub-point “Donate to the Friends” for more information. 

Can I use the logo of the European Choral Association if I am a member of the Friends?

You can use the logo of the Friends and write “I am / we are a ” in front of it. This logo includes the logo of the European Choral Association. You can also add it in text form writing “I am / We are members of the Friends of the European Choral Association” or “I am/ we are a Friend of the European Choral Association”. To avoid confusion you cannot, however, use the logo of the European Choral Association alone. 

Contact the Friends

Contact us: info@friendsofeca.org

Follow the  Friends of the European Choral Association on Facebook!