A record number of 25,000 children and young people from choirs and ensembles of the Catus Mundi National Programme are celebrating on Sunday ten years since the first participation within the international initiative dedicated to the planet "Earth Hour" 2026.
According to a release of the organizers sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday, the Catus Mundi National Programme sends a message of solidarity and harmony with the Earth through hundreds of simultaneous concerts and recitals.
The events will be carried out across all regions of Romania, in each of the 41 county and in Bucharest, but also in the Republic of Moldova.
At 20:30, electrical appliances are switched off, the lights are turned off for one hour, and children, together with conductors and music teachers, their parents and friends, sing in public spaces, schools, parks, squares and gardens, for the health of the Earth and the environment, as well as against waste that affects the planet.
"Year after year, more children across the country unite their voices in a very clear message of harmony with the Earth, the planet that is home to us all. We are delighted by the participation in the event of deaf children, through our close partnership with the CODA Farmecul Tacerii Foundation, with whom we make music accessible to those who cannot hear it. This year as well, we welcome the presence of Cantus Mundi choirs from the Republic of Moldova, who sing alongside us for a better world," Director of the Cantus Mundi National Programme Leila Popovici said, as quoted in the release.
The repertoires of the children's choir recitals are part of the Cantus Mundi song collection for Earth Hour, updated and edited each year by the professionals of the Madrigal Choir and the Cantus Mundi National Programme. This year, the collection was distributed free of charge to 682 choirs in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
This year, 2,000 children from kindergartens and schools for the hearing impaired are celebrating Earth Hour together with the Cantus Mundi choirs.
In Bucharest, Earth Hour is celebrated by Cantus Mundi within two major events. At the Comic Opera for Children, more than 900 children and young people have announced their participation, together with conductors, parents and friends. Record registrations have led to the scheduling of two consecutive recitals, at 17:30 and 20:30, so that all registered children can sing for changing the world for the better through music.
Maramures is the county with a record participation of over 5,000 children, while Baia Mare is once again among the top participating cities, with more than 3,800 children, hosting this year too the largest number of choristers singing in "Regina Maria" Park, Cetatii Square, in the courtyard of the "Dimitrie Cantemir" Secondary School and in the courtyard of the Sports Programme High School in Baia Mare, the release mentioned.
At the "Casa Altemberger" History Museum in Sibiu, more than 900 children will gather. The counties of Braila and Galati each bring together over 1,600 children in multiple venues, while in Suceava county, 1,000 children are singing during Earth Hour 2026.
The largest Earth Hour events with Cantus Mundi in Romania's rural areas are taking place in Branesti, Ilfov county, with 475 children, and in Zorlesti, Vaslui county, with 310 children joining their voices in unison for the planet.
Public access is free to all events held by the Cantus Mundi choirs and ensembles on the occasion of the international event Earth Hour 2026.
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