The International Choir Festival has been held in Santiago De Cuba since 1961. Choir groups from around the world gather here to perform in a huge variety of venues across the city, including public squares, schools, and even hospitals and factories. The principal venue however, and the original venue for this festival, is the Santiago Cathedral. It was here that the first choir compositions where known to be written in Cuba by Esteban Salas, who was the chapel master of the Cathedral during the second part of the 18th century.
Music at the festival, however, is not limited to the ecclesial, and all choir styles are welcomed and celebrated.