LAHORE, May 23: Auditions for Zee TV Sa Ray Ga Ma Pa singing competition will be held at Alhamra Art Centre on The Mall on Friday (tomorrow) between 3pm and 9pm.

This was announced by ghazal singer Ghulam Ali at a press conference held at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.

Mr Ali said 12 candidates -- six boys and as many girls -- would be selected from Pakistan to participate in the Zee TV singing competition to be held in Dubai.

Ali, who is looking after the Zee Sa Ray Ga Ma Dubai show in Pakistan, said the recording of the show would be done in Dubai from June 9 to 20.

He said from the Pakistani side he himself, his son Amir Ghulam Ali, Fariha Pervaiz and Shafqat Salmat Ali Khan would coordinate for the show.

To a question as to how would the jury screen all Pakistani talent in such a short time keeping in view the fact that Lahore was the only centre for auditions, Ali said: “We have verbally conveyed the message for auditions through our music circles.”

Some of the young singers present in the press conference wondered how interested candidates from other cities of Pakistan would manage to take part in auditions in such a short time.

The main judges in the competition at Dubai would be Kavita Krishnamurthy from India and Ghulam Ali from Pakistan.

Ghulam Ali said he would not release any new album until the piracy and music downloading from the internet was stopped.