This year’s EMSOC will take place from July 24th to August 3rd, 2025, in Katowice and Kraków, Poland.
Beyond the musical component, participants can look forward to a comprehensive free-time program that will immerse them in Poland’s rich history and culture.
In Katowice and Kraków, they will experience our country’s traditions through music and dance, taste the local cuisine, and (most importantly) form new friendships and strengthen existing ones in the special EMSOC atmosphere.
Join us for this 10-day event in Poland to share and create unforgettable memories. For more details, follow us on social media!
Since the early 1990s, musically talented medical students and young doctors from across Europe have come together to celebrate their shared passion for music and medicine.
This tradition began with the founding of the European Medical Students’ Orchestra (EMSO) in 1993 in Würzburg, Germany, and the establishment of the European Medical Students’ Choir (EMSC) in 1996 in London, England.
In 2009, these two groups united to form the European Medical Students’ Orchestra and Choir (EMSOC), hosting a series of inaugural concerts in Ljubljana and Piran, Slovenia.
Since then, with the exception of 2020 due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, EMSOC has organized an annual 10-day event where participants bond through music and cultural exchange.
MISSION
EMSOC’s mission extends beyond music; it aims to foster European unity by building a shared European spirit and identity.
Each year, a new host country’s local organizing committee, appointed by EMSOC’s International Council, designs a program that showcases the country’s musical heritage and cultural treasures.
These immersive experiences include visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Český Krumlov or St. Barbara’s Cathedral in the Czech Republic, hiking through the Swiss Alps or Swedish forests, solving clue-based puzzles along Dutch canals, exploring Granada’s Alhambra or Germany’s Wattenmeer, relaxing in the thermal baths of Poça da Dona Beija, or experiencing the caldeiras of Furnas in Portugal’s Azores.
These activities enable participants to connect across borders, ages, and cultures, forming lifelong friendships.
HEART
The heart of each EMSOC event lies in the intensive musical collaboration, with approximately 120 participants from over 25 European countries coming together to rehearse in a symphonic orchestra and choir.
These meetings culminate in two charity concerts supporting causes selected by the organizing committee, often linked to medicine in some way.
EMSOC’s commitment to social impact is twofold: it provides audiences with exceptional musical experiences while contributing to important local initiatives.
With over 25 years of fostering European unity through music and medicine, EMSOC continues to thrive, uniting Europe one note at a time.Music connects Europe, and EMSOC is proud to play its part in this remarkable journey.
