A choral festival will be held at the World Expo Park on July 21, in which 2,100 actors will perform nearly 30 songs from all over the world in different languages, the Shanghai Expo Bureau announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

The festival will be one of the largest cultural events at the World Expo, only second to the opening ceremony, said Jin Tao, deputy director of the activities department of the Expo Bureau.

He added that the event will be a successful example of cooperation between professionals and amateurs, interaction between the World Expo and other international events.

Amateur choirs from 18 regions in Shanghai will perform with a professional group from the Central Conservatory of Music, China's leading musical institution, on the same stage.

In addition, nine choirs from nine other countries will also perform at the festival, performing classics from their own nations.

These choirs will also participate at the 6th World Choir Games, beginning July 15th in Shaoxing, in east China's Zhejiang Province. Some 480 choirs from about 80 countries and regions, and altogether 20,000 people will attend the competition. Since 2000 the World Choir Games have been held five times.

In order to echo the international Expo theme, local choirs in the city have been practicing for 5 months. The choirs are composed mainly of senior citizens, who can now perform foreign songs in different languages such as German.

(CRIENGLISH.com July 13, 2010)