SHANGHAI/SHAOXING/CHINA - Michael Jackson’s “We are the world“ rang out in front of an audience of thousands at the World EXPO in Shanghai, China – sung by choirs participating in the 6th World Choir Games in nearby Shaoxing. The performance featured singers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Estonia, Croatia, Malaysia, Namibia, Indonesia and Venezuela. It was the first time the organiser of the World Choir Games, the German-based INTERKULTUR Organisation, got the opportunity to introduce itself, accompanied by choral music, as part of the cultural programme at the world’s leading exhibition of technical expertise and craftsmanship.

The Artistic Director of the World Choir Games, Gabor Holerung, led the musical preparations for the international choir’s appearance and also conducted the performance, which was accompanied by a large orchestra, in the main hall of the EXPO Cultural Center. The choirs involved were the Female Chamber Choir "Banjalucanke" (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Grupo Chorus (Brazil), The Mixed Choir of European Capital of Culture (Estonia), Carobna Frula (Croatia), Caipifruta (Malaysia), Namibian Voices (Namibia), Paduan Suara El-Shaddai Universitas Sumatera Utara (Indonesia) and Rapsodia Coro de Cámara (Venezuela).

Among the audience was President of the World Choir Games and President of INTERKULTUR, Günter Titsch, who arrived in the company of a high-ranking delegation from the host city of the 6th World Choir Games in Shaoxing. The selected programme went down well with the audience, the majority of whom were Chinese. Well-known evergreens such as the Italian hit "O sole mio" and the Mexican global chart-topper "La Bamba" got the audience at the Shanghai EXPO in the mood and soon everyone was clapping and singing along. For the grand finale, hundreds of Chinese singers joined the choirs for the EXPO song "The Sound of Love."

The EXPO 2010 in Shanghai is being held under the motto "Better city, better life "and runs until 31 October 2010. The 6th World Choir Games, jointly organised by INTERKULTUR and the city of Shaoxing, will come to an end in the EXPO city’s neighbour on 26 July 2010.