Over Two Hundred Hours Of Singing And 67,000 Visitor Nights - World Choir Games Opens Next Week

The biggest choral music event New Zealand has ever hosted – by the numbers

In just over a week, 250 choirs and groups made up of 11,000 singers from over 40 countries, spanning six continents, will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, making history with the biggest choral music event the country has ever hosted.

Across 11 days from 10 to 20 July, the 13th World Choir Games, presented in partnership with New Zealand Choral Federation, New Zealand Major Events, and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, will lift the roof off 10 city centre venues with a global choir competition comprising 28 categories each in two sections – Open and Champions – along with two huge ceremonies – an opening and closing – four awards ceremonies, nine Celebration Concerts, 15 workshops, and a vibrant Parade of Nations along Auckland’s Quay Street. In addition, 15 venues across the region will host 61 free daytime Friendship Concerts.

Hundreds of staff are bringing the Games to life, and 350 volunteers, who speak 41 languages among them, are supporting our many international visitors.

World Choir Games 2024 Executive Director Kylie Sealy says, “It’s incredible to think that so many hundreds of people are working together on an event that celebrates singing, yet I can’t think of something we all need more right now than the joy and connection choral music can bring. We have a huge team of music, arts and events managers working with hundreds of performers, volunteers and crew and we’re doing all of this while showcasing the beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand to over 9000 people travelling from overseas. Audiences in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and visitors to the city are in for an absolute treat – the World Choir Games will be a wonderful and inspiring event.”

The event is forecast to generate over $10 million in GDP and nearly 67,000 visitor nights for the Auckland region in July 2024 – traditionally a quiet month for Tāmaki Makaurau.

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director Destination, Annie Dundas, says, "As a UNESCO City of Music, the World Choir Games will not only enrich our local cultural landscape but also provide a significant economic boost, foster community engagement, and enhance Auckland's global reputation as a premier events destination.

"Auckland celebrates its diversity through music, and we’re thrilled to welcome over 250 choirs and groups from around the world to join in this celebration," Dundas adds.

Across the course of the Games choirs will collectively perform 82 hours - or three days and 10 hours - of uninterrupted music in the various competition categories. Add to this, another 125 hours of singing in the Games’ Friendship Concerts, and our international guests will return home filled with song!

The biggest choir is All Together Now from Auckland, with 176 singers. The smallest is Bianglala Voices from Indonesia, with six singers. There are 51 choirs from across Aotearoa, 88 choirs from China, and 55 children’s choirs participating, among many others. The most popular competition categories are Folklore and Indigenous Music with accompaniment, and Secondary School Choirs - with 32 choir performances in each - and Young Children’s Choirs with 28 choir performances. The visiting choirs includes the world’s first and only choir for hearing-impaired children, Little Dolphin Hearing Disabled Children's Choir from the city of Tianjin.

Thirty-six esteemed jurors from across the globe will assess the performances and award prizes in 28 competitive categories at two separate competition levels, Open and Champions.

Artistic and Games Director John Rosser says, “The World Choir Games is perhaps the most inclusive singing festival and competition on the globe, and almost certainly the most fun! What’s more, the 250 choirs coming to Auckland have fully embraced what the Games have to offer by enrolling to sing in an astonishing 550 activities between them. For audiences, this means a chance to hear and see a truly wonderful array of choral music genres and performance styles, the like of which our country has never experienced before.”

INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch is excited to bring his international World Choir Games team to New Zealand for the first time: "The 13th World Choir Games mark a significant milestone – at 18,166 kilometres, the farthest event from our organisational office in Germany to date! This impressively showcases our mission to unite people around the globe through music. I am looking forward to a unique cultural exchange and, most especially, to experiencing the incredible Māori culture and music,” he says.

On Wednesday 10 July, Spark Arena will be transformed by an Olympics-style Opening Ceremony, complete with an international flag parade, national anthems and a breathtaking show featuring over 200 local performers.

The WCG2024 Official Song Te taukaea tangata / Breathing In, Breathing Out, composed by Don McGlashan and Hana Mereraiha, will be performed at the Closing Ceremony by Marlon Williams (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) and Ria Hall (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia and backed by the 600-voice Festival Stage Choir.

The World Choir Games was established in 2000 by INTERKULTUR, the world’s leading organiser of international choir events. Held every two years, the Games has become the largest international choral competition and festival in the world. The philosophy behind the Games is to unify people and nations in fair competition through song, based on the premise that music, the common language of the world, can act as a bridge between countries and cultures. Inspiring people to experience the power of singing together, the Games places personality and team spirit over competitive outcomes.

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