St. Louis will be the host of an international choir festival in November 2010, it was announced on Wednesday. The American International Choral Festival is expected to draw approximately 2,000 singers in 50 choirs from 20 countries around the world.

The festival, scheduled to run from Nov. 17 through 21, is a joint project of the Convention and Visitors Commission and the Regional Arts Commission. Their partner is Interkultur, based in Germany, a prestigious presenter which has produced more than 90 international choir events since its beginnings in 1988. The St. Louis festival is its first event in North America; if it is successful, both parties expect it to become an annual or biannual event.

The choirs, most of them youthful, will compete for prizes in different categories. A variety of musical styles, including jazz, gospel, sacred, barbershop and more, will be represented; there are “very specific requirements for repertoire,” said Interkultur’s Swedish representative, Christian Ljunggren. Elaborate dance routines are often a part of the performances, and the festival will begin with the singers marching in a parade in their costumes.

The main events will take place at America’s Center, with some concerts at Powell Symphony Hall, the Sheldon Concert Hall, the Edison Theatre and other venues around the region. Non-competing choirs will also be encouraged to take part in performing.

RAC and the CVC expect to raise the approximate $250,000 cost of the event through sponsorships, merchandise and ticket sales, said Jill A. McGuire, executive director of RAC. Each entity is responsible for half the funding, she said.

“We turned it upside down, and looked at it every way,” she said. “We all agreed that St. Louis is a music town. Choirs are huge in St. Louis, in the U.S., worldwide. We have a commitment to raise that money to bring the event to St. Louis.” McGuire said she expects it to “put St. Louis on the cultural map.”

Said RAC chairman Donna Wilkinson, “This opportunity for St. Louis is exciting - the vitality, the diversity, the range of music, and the broad spectrum of choirs that we’re going to attract here. We hope that this is the first of many such events.”