Hoi An (VNA) - More than 1,000 artistsfrom 10 countries and territories will compete in the 5th Vietnam InternationalChoir Competition in the ancient city of Hoi An from June 7-11.

Interkultur, the world’s leading organiser ofinternational choir competitions and festival, picked Hoi An for the fifth timeas the favourite location to host the 30-choir event. Since the success of thefirst event in 2011, the competition has become an inherent part of internationalchoir tours.

The city’s culture and arts centre said thecompetition has been a positive promotion for culture and tourism, highlightingHoi An as a peaceful rendezvous for choirs. It’s also an opportunity forVietnamese artists to exchange performance experience with international choirsat the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site.

The Hanoi Catholic Youth Choir, found in 2015,will represent Vietnam at the competition. The team will focus on sacred musicthat it usually performs in masses. The singers, aged 18-31, qualified lastyear for the TV show "Vietnam’s Got Talent".

Japan will be represented by the female LaFontana choir that has been singing together for over a decade. The choirconsists of working women and has a wide range in its repertoire, includingmainly unaccompanied pieces. The group visits hospitals and nursing carefacilities and holds concerts in and around Kagoshima, according to the organisers.

The organisers also said the competition’sartistic committee will include Prof Dr. Ralf Eisenbeiß (Germany), VietnameseDang Chau Anh and Johan Rooze (the Republic of Korea/Netherlands). The jurycomprises Randy Stenson (the USA/Japan), Kittiporn Tantrarungroj (Thailand),Jonathan Velasco (the Philippines) and Wang Jin (China).

In 2015, the PSM Unpar Tabela Harati choir teamfrom Indonesia won the highest prize at the fourth Vietnam International ChoirCompetition. The Hue Academy of Music Choir won gold in the Mixed Choircategory.

Vinschool One Choir received a gold and Hoi AnChildren’s Choir Club bagged the silver in the Folklore category. A Vietnameseteam also performed Ba Trao ("holding paddle"), a special dance fromthe coastal central region. The organising committee gave out 41 gold and 12silver prizes in the competition in 2015.

The five-day event will be held at Hoi AnTheatre, Hoi An beach resort, Kazik Park and the old quarter. The event’sorganising committee will present awards to winners at the Hoi An Theatre onJune 11, and all participating teams will join a parade in the old streets of HoiAn with a farewell party.

The tournament is part of the 6th Quang NamHeritage Festival, to be held in Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary and Tam Ky city fromJune 7 to 14.-VNA