MORE than 47 male voice choirs, numbering 2,000 singers in all, will be converging on Cornwall this weekend.

The Duchy is playing host to the first-ever Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival, with almost 30 festival concerts and events at locations throughout the county.

The festival opens tomorrow and continues until the Bank Holiday Monday.

Truro, Falmouth, Newquay, St Austell, Bodmin, Penzance, Bude, Saltash, Torpoint, Launceston, Wadebridge, the Eden Project and the Carnglaze Slate Caverns at St Neot, near Liskeard, will all be echoing to the sound of music as Cornish voices go head to head with those from Finland, Hungary, Armenia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Faroe Island and Eire.

The festival, sponsored by Barclays, will also feature some new music, written by Cornish, Midlands-based and Australian composers and will include contributions from schools throughout the Duchy.

Said Festival Director Roy Wales: 'Cornwall has a long historic tradition of male voice choir singing dating back to the early tin mining and fishing industries, and the growth of the Methodist Church in the county. While the industrial situation has changed over the years, male choir singing is very much alive and well.'

For details, contact the Festival Box Office on Truro (01872) 277868.

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Dateline: Wednesday, April 30, 2003