BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition
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The Cardiff Singer of the World competition (Also the BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff competition in 2003) is a singing competition held every two years. It is considered one of the most prestigious competitions in the opera world.
The competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales, home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Auditions are held throughout the world in the autumn before the competition, with 25 singers being selected to take part in Cardiff the following June. Each singer represents their own country, and since 2003 a rule was introduced whereby two singers can take part from countries with very high populations.
The competition is judged by a panel of distinguished singers, musicians and music professionals. In 2003 an audience prize was also introduced for the primary competition.
[edit] History
In 1983, the first year of the competition, eighteen singers participated. The winner was Finnish soprano Karita Mattila.
In 1987, a Lieder Prize was introduced, as artsong and opera are both important forms of song, but very different. The 1989 competition was particularly noteworthy with Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel winning the Lieder prize and Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky taking the overall title. Both singers went on to enjoy extremely successful careers with international acclaim.
In 1999, the Lieder Prize was renamed the Song Prize, to clarify that it applies to artsong and folksong rather than German Lieder only. The Song Prize became a separate event in 2003, as the BBC Cardiff Singer Rosenblatt Recital Song Prize. It is not compulsory, and the only entry requirement is that the singer is taking part in the primary competition.
For the 2003 competition, 951 singers from 56 nations applied, of whom 483 were shortlisted for audition. They were heard in forty locations across thirty countries around the world. The shortlist was finally narrowed down to twenty-five singers, with two reserves. The winner was Finnish baritone Tommi Hakala.
For the 2005 competition, over 700 singers from 62 nations applied, of whom 507 were shortlisted for audition. They were heard in 39 locations around the world. The shortlist was finally narrowed down to 25 singers, with three reserves. The Prize was won by American soprano Nicole Cabell.
Many prominent singers have served in the jury, including Carlo Bergonzi, Geraint Evans, Marilyn Horne, Gundula Janowitz, Sherrill Milnes, Christoph Prégardien, Joan Sutherland, Dame Anne Evans, René Kollo and Galina Vishnevskaya.
The competition is televised (BBC 2 and BBC 4 in the UK) and followed with great interest by the music-loving public in the UK.
