The World Harmony Chorus, a non-profit and non-Government support group for Pyeongchang's campaign, is planning a Grand Chorus Celebration that will see volunteers from around the world sing together and show their backing for the bid from the South Korean city.

The Grand Chorus Celebration, scheduled for 19:00-21:00 (KST) on Saturday (May 14), aims to show the world that Korean people are passionate about wanting to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to Pyeongchang in 2018.

The event will take place simultaneously at various locations, including at Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, the Alpensia Resort Ski Jumping Stadium in Pyeongchang and New York City.

The event will be broadcast live by the Korean Broadcasting Corporation (KBS), Korea's public broadcasting network.

Two leading choirs for the World Harmony Chorus, each in Seoul and Pyeongchang, will comprise 2,018 volunteers and the organisers were inundated with applications with all the places being filled within a week of the recruitment process starting.

With 2,018 participants in the leading choir, the World Harmony Chorus will aim to establish a new Guinness World Record for the greatest number of people in a chorus line.

The current record, set in California in April 2004 involved 1,628 participants.

Under the direction of world-renowned maestro Myung-Whun Chung, the leading choir in Seoul will sing along with thousands of voluntary participants who will gather at Seoul Plaza.

At the same time, choirs in Pyeongchang and New York will join the singing and also watch the performance in Seoul via a KBS live feed.

The choir group in Seoul will be performing "Triumphal March" from the opera Aida while the group in Pyeongchang will be singing "Pyeongchang's Dream" and "Why We Sing".

New York  will be singing "I Have A Dream", which was sung in Pyeongchang during the visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission earlier this year.


At the end of the event, the choirs will be singing "Symphonic Fantasia Korea" and "Arirang" together with the public.

This will be the first time that choirs in three different locations sing under the direction of the same conductor.

Chung said: "I believe the spirit of harmony and balance required for a beautiful chorus is in tune with the Olympic spirit.

"This Grand Chorus Celebration will show the world our passionate desire to host the 2018 Winter Games."

Korean Winter Olympic medallists including Pyeongchang 2018 athlete ambassadors Sang-hwa Lee, the Olympic 500 metres short track speed skating champion, and Young-jo Hwang, the 1992 Olympic marathon gold medallist, will also join the celebration choir event.

Anyone who wants to join the event in person can enlist through the World Harmony Chorus website by clicking here or showing up on the day.

Yang Ho Cho, the chairman and chief executive of Pyeongchang 2018, said: "As we enter the final two months of our campaign, we are grateful for the unwavering support of people in Korea and around the world.

"This special event will be an inspiration for us and it gives us the momentum as we prepare for the important IOC technical triefing in Lausanne next week.

"We will remain committed to our efforts to promote our message of 'New Horizons' until the very last moment."

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