Voices fund-raising for charity

The Voices choir concerts will this year be held over 10 consecutive nights at the Mediterranean Conference Centre between October 4-13.

The 2002 concerts will feature a 230-strong choir, while the band will consist of seven regular musicians and an additional number of brass and string instruments.

With over 400 people turning up for auditions, picking the members for this year's event was no easy task, choir director Tony Vella said. Rehearsals have been under way since June, although preparation for the event itself started at the beginning of the year.

Voices committee chairman Louis Naudi said that since their first performance in 1991, which took place to raise money for St Aloysius College, the six series of Voices concerts had raised some Lm170,000. The concerts are staged every two years.

This year, the concert is called 'Voices, Who Cares?', placing emphasis on the idea of support. The aim is to create awareness about institutions and organisations that provide support to members of society.

The concert is in aid of local charities.

Agenzija Appogg has been working with Voices for the past months in order to promote the support line 179. More than 20,000 people have contacted the help line during 2001.

The major contributor of the Voices concert for the second time running is Vodafone Malta. Vodafone customers may start helping the charitable institutions Voices project by sending donations through their mobile phones via an SMS. They can send a blank SMS to 617302 for a donation of Lm1; to 617903 for Lm2; and 618802 for Lm3.

Vodafone customers who would like to make any comments regarding Voices may send an SMS (costing 10 cents) to 613861.

Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who attended the launch, urged the public to attend the concerts.

Tickets for the event may be purchased from the Mediterranean Conference Centre Booking Office from mid-September. Telephone bookings may also be made on 2295 0751.