Gallus – Maribor International Choral Competition first took place in 1992 alongside the 12th national choral competition Naša pesem. Since then, it is held every two years (with the exception of two consecutive events in 2008 and 2009) and exchanges turns with the national competition. The competition has been a member of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Association since 2008.

Since 2002, due to the novelties and improvements prepared by the artistic council of the competition, the form and contents have become internationally recognized: 8 female, male and mixed choirs composed of at least 12 and no more than 48 singers and vocal groups with up to 11 members take part every time. They perform for three days in a hall with excellent acoustics and supported by a numerous and competent audience – choirmasters and singers from the entire country attend. The challenge of international competitions entangles Slovenian choirs and choirmasters in a network of constant comparison and achievement evaluation. It requires them to think their creative process over and contemplate upon it.

The choirs present from three to four programs: a wholesome and rounded program, characteristic for the country of the choir’s origin (non-competitive performance), a historical periods’ program, and the free program, whereas the best five choirs perform an aditional one in the finale. The competition is extremely demanding, since a choir can only repeat a single composition in the course of the entire competition, while having to prepare as much as 45 minutes of sheer music.

They are evaluated by the jury of the competition, always consisting of five members: two from Slovenia and three from abroad. Jury members are chosed based on a strict criteria – every juror has to have internationally acclaimed achievements of high artistic value. Evaluation rules applied in Maribor by the jury are adapted to the most difficult international competitions. It was due to this criteria that since 1992, we have met on the Maribor stage many future prize-winners of important competitions abroad, including the Grand Prix of Europe (Pro Musica Leanykar, Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, cond. Dénes Szabó, Tone Tomšič Academy Choir, Ljubljana, Slovenia, cond. Stojan Kuret in Urša Lah, Brevis, Vilnius, Litva, cond. Gintautas Venislovas).

A new era began after 2002 for the International Choral Competition Maribor: the form of the competition and its contents have settled, and foreign experts and organizers of competitions abroad have been invited to participate. Especially important were the visits of artistic and organizational directors of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Association. For the first time in almost 20 years, they have recognized a competition that would have been suitable for membership in this prestigious association. It had met all the conditions:

• at least five realizations of the competition,
• quality organization,
• non-commercial,
• a jury of no less than five members,
• consisting of internationally acclaimed experts,
• competition cathegories have to be strictly defined,
• the competition has to receive at least two recommendations from the association,
• the competition can not take place during another association competition,
• the competition has to be at a topmost musical level,
• majority of the program must be performed a capella.

After a couple years of verifying the Maribor competition was admitted in 2002 as the new member of the association. The European Grand Prix for Choral Singing Association was otherwise formed in 1988 on the initiative of the competitions Concorso Polifonico Guido d’Arezzo, Arezzo, Italy, Béla Bartók International Choral Competition, Debrecen, Hungary, C. A. Seghizzi, Gorizia, Italy, and Florilège Vocal de Tours, France. The G. Dimitrov May Choir Competition, Varna, Bolgaria joined in 1989, and Certamen Coral de Tolosa, Basque Country, Spain a year later. In 2008 the Maribor competition was admitted, whereas the competition in Gorizia is no longer a member.