The Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, the Environment and Culture together with the Malta Tourism Authority and INTERKULTUR Foundation (Germany) have once again joined forces to organise The Malta International Choir Competition Festival of Sacred and Secular Music. The event will take place from the 3rd to the 6th of November, 2011 and is open to various categories of choirs which hail from all over the world. The 2009 edition saw some 550 choristers participating amongst twenty international choirs. It is expected that for 2011 the number of participants will be greater. The festival takes place in various locations, ranging from theatres to churches and other public places in Malta and Gozo. The festival is made up of an optional competitive part as well as performance according to preference by the choir. Appropriately enough, the Sacred Music Competition will be held in St. Publius Parish Church, Floriana. The competitive secular music section will be held at the Catholic Institute, which is situated close by. Apart from the competitive aspect of the programme, choirs will be able to perform to the public on Friday and Saturday in various outdoor locations.  On Friday 4th November, a Peace Ceremony will be held between choirs of different denominations inside St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.  On Saturday 5th November, the choirs will be performing at the historic Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, together with the participation of Malta’s National Philharmonic Orchestra. The festival programme will come to an end on Sunday, 6th November, with the closing ceremony at the Catholic Institute, where participating choirs will be presented with awards and certificates. All performances are open to the public. Should you wish to find out more about this prestigious and entertaining festival, or if you wish to participate, please contact INTERKULTUR (MUSICA MUNDI) or visit their website: www.interkultur.com. Contact: Malta Tourism Authority - Email: info@visitmalta.com