Sopot International Song Festival

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The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contests, often compared to the Eurovision Song Contest[citation needed]. It has been organized annually by the Polish state television TVP and later private channel TVN in the coastal resort of Sopot, Poland.

The first Sopot festival was initiated and organized in 1961 by Władysław Szpilman from Polish Radio with the help of Szymon Zakrzewski of Polish Artists Management Pagart. Between 1977 and 1980 it was replaced by the Intervision Song Contest which was still held in Sopot. Unlike the Eurovision Song Contest, the Sopot International Music Festival often changed its formulas to pick a winner and offered many different contests for its participants. The festival has always been open to non-European acts and countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa and many others have been represented in this event.

The contest lost popularity in Poland and abroad in the 80s and even more in the 90s and the rather unconvincing organizations by the TVP made the authorities of Sopot give the organization of the 2005 Sopot International Song Festival to a private TV channel, the TVN.

Since 1999 there was no Grand Prix contest within the festival. TVP chose to invite well known artists instead including the likes of Whitney Houston or The Corrs. In 2005, TVN was expected to bring the contest back. In 2006 TVN invited Elton John. Sopot International Song Festival is usually considered bigger than the Benidorm International Song Festival or Karlshamn Baltic Song Festival because of its ability to attract star performers.

[edit] Stars of Sopot Festival

[edit] Winners of the Sopot International Song Festival 1

1961-1973 - Price for the Masterpiece

1974-1976 - Grand Prix de disque

  • 1974 - Finland - Marion Rung - for many songs performed
  • 1975 - United Kingdom - Glen Weston - for many songs performed
  • 1976 - USSR - Irina Ponarovskaya - for many songs performed

1977-1980 - Intervision Song Contest

  • 1981 - no festival
  • 1982 - no festival
  • 1983 - no festival

1984-1987 Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix

1988-1990 - Golden Disc

  • 1988 - USA - Kenny James - The Magic In You
  • 1989 - Norway - Dance With The Strangers - many songs
  • 1990 - Poland - Lora Szafran - many songs

1991-1998 Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix

  • 1991 - Latvia - New Moon - many songs
  • 1992 - Austria - Mark Andrews - many songs
  • 1993 - Lithuania - Arina - Rain Is Coming Down
  • 1994 - Poland - Varius Manx - many songs
  • 1995 - Poland - Kasia Kowalska - many songs
  • 1996 - no contest within the festival
  • 1997 - Netherlands - Total Touch - many songs
  • 1998 - Italy - Alex Baroni - many songs
  • 1999 - no contest within the festival
  • 2000 - no contest within the festival
  • 2001 - no contest within the festival
  • 2002 - no contest within the festival
  • 2003 - no contest within the festival
  • 2004 - no contest within the festival
  • 2005 - Poland - Andrzej Piaseczny - W głebi duszy (only Polish contest)
  • 2006 - United Kingdom - Mattafix - Big City Life

Entries in 2006:

1 This list includes only winners of the most prestigious contests within the Sopot Music Festival. Sometimes one given contest has overshadowed the other one with time. Grand Prix de disque was the most prestigious one between 1974 and 1976 but with the start of the Intervision, it was relegated to a second plan, yet continued until 1979. The Sopot Music Festival has also given the prizes for the Best Interpretation during the 60's, the Amber Nightingdale in the 80's and 90's and Winner Of The Polish Day on and off from the 60's to the 80's.

Winners by country: Poland (8), USSR, United Kingdom (4), USA (3), Canada, Finland, Greece and Switzerland (2), Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden (1)

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