Around 200 people of all ages and backgrounds will come together with one voice to entertain and raise funds for a good cause in the upcoming popular Voices concert.

Voices started in 1991 with only 70 members but has now grown into an event involving hundreds of people and has become an integral part of the Maltese cultural scene, bringing together families and friends through their concerts, held every two years.

But the Voices concerts are not only about providing entertainment. Over the past 20 years, the group has donated almost €1.2 million to charity, Antonello Gauci, Voices Foundation committee chairman said during yesterday’s launch.

Half of the ticket proceeds are donated to one major project while the remaining half is distributed to a number of other charities.

In 2008, the foundation chose a Caritas project called The Learning Centre at San Blas. Due to be launched shortly, the project will provide educational opportunities for people following the drug rehabilitation programme at San Blas.

The project for this year’s edition of Voices will be announced later, Mr Gauci said.

This year’s theme, Listen to the Music, also revolves around the concept of helping people in need, he said.

“It not only encourages the public to listen to the music but also to listen to the world around us, paying more attention to social issues and those who are in need,” he said.

With a 200-strong choir and a 10-musician live band, and hundreds of people working in the background, Voices offers a mixed repertoire of rock, pop and even classical music pieces.

Songs such as Volare, Philadelphia Freedom, Hallelujah, The Show Must Go On, Nessun Dorma and Viva La Vida are already listed in this year’s concert.

Ten concerts will be held between October 6 and 10, and 13 and 17 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. The tickets will be on sale from September 17 at €15, €20 and €25 from the MCC or online from www.voices.org.mt.