The Malta International Choir Competition and Festival 2007 will be held between on 1 and 4 November. 17 foreign choirs from 13 countries and a Maltese choir will be taking part in 10 different categories.

As happened last year, the organisation of this event is entrusted to a joint venture between Interkultur Foundation, an association specialising in the holding of choir festivals worldwide with headquarters in Pohlheim, Germany and the Ministry for Tourism and Culture.

Countries represented in this Choir Festival include Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. The choirs will be judged by an international panel of jurors composed of three foreign and two Maltese musicians.

The opening ceremony will be staged at Vittoriosa on the evening of Thursday 1 November. This will take the shape of a local festa. On the same day there will be site rehearsals for competitors in the morning and workshops for choirs at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in the afternoon.

On Friday 2 November, competitions of the Sacred Music categories will be held at St Augustine’s Church, Valletta; while Friendship Concerts will be organised at Freedom Square and Queen’s Square. On the same day more workshops are being organised. In the evening a Gala Concert with the participation of the National Orchestra will be organised at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

On Saturday 3 November, competitions of secular music and folklore categories will be held at the Manoel Theatre; Friendship Concerts will be organised at Freedom Square and Queen’s Square, while more workshops will be held. In the evening, prayers will be said for peace by leaders of different denominations at an inter-religious meeting at St John’s Co-Cathedral presided by Archbishop Mgr Paul Cremona, OP.

On Sunday 4 November, during the morning, different choirs will take part during church services in different localities of Malta and also in concerts. In the afternoon, a prize-giving ceremony and a concert by winning choirs will be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, followed by a farewell party for participating choirs and working teams.

Interkultur Foundation organises the Musica Mundi events with a total of 2,800 choirs with 150,000 active singers from 75 countries taking part in competitions to date. Since the beginning, over 70 competitions and festivals have been organised. Four Choir Olympic/World Choir Games events have taken place as well as several seminars and workshops in different countries. The Musica Mundi competitions have been amongst the most innovative events in the international choir scene. Almost 3,000 choirs have sung in well over 70 events carried worldwide.

Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, when launching the International Choir Competition and Festival 2007 yesterday, said that the Malta International Choir Competition and Festival gives local choirs the opportunity to mix with choirs from other countries and thus acquire that experience which only results from such contacts.