Eurovision Choir
Eurovision Choir (formerly Eurovision Choir of the Year) is a biennial choral competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Interkultur. The competition is modeled after Interkultur's World Choir Games. It is open to broadcasters that are members of the EBU. The inaugural competition took place on 22 July 2017, in Riga, Latvia.
Eurovision Choir | |
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Also known as | Eurovision Choir of the Year |
Genre | Choral competition |
Based on | World Choir Games |
Country of origin | List of countries |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 2 contests |
Production | |
Production location | EBU member states |
Running time | 120 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Distributor | Eurovision |
Release | |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) (2017–present) |
Original release | 22 July 2017 – present |
Chronology | |
Related shows | |
External links | |
Official website | |
Production website |
Origins
Eurovision Choir is an event launched by the EBU, and the latest event to be launched since the Eurovision Magic Circus Show. The event consists of non-professional choirs who are members of the EBU, with the inaugural contest having taken place on 22 July 2017, hosted by the Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV), and coincided with the closing ceremony of the European Choir Games 2017.[1] The event was officially confirmed on 30 November 2016 depending on a reasonable amount of interest from active members of the European Broadcasting Union.[2] On 21 July 2017, it was announced that the Eurovision Choir of the Year would be a biennial contest unless viewing figures were higher than expected.[3]
The concept of Eurovision Choir was first discussed in 2014 as a contest organised by the Latvian national broadcaster, Latvijas Televizija (LTV), and the network Arte, following the positive reception of "Born in Riga", a concert organised by LTV. LTV approached multiple broadcasters including the EBU and Interkultur regarding the organisation of a new contest reaching a wider audience.[4]
Format
Participating EBU-member broadcasters select a non-professional choir or a cappella ensemble to represent their home country to compete for the title of the Eurovision Choir of the Year, with prizes including a recording contract for the winning choir. Each choir performs an unaccompanied set of approximately six minutes in any genre and is adjudicated by a panel of choral music professionals who decide the winner. In 2019, three finalists were chosen to present a second set by which the final ranking was decided.
Participation
Listed are all the countries that have ever taken part in the competition alongside the year in which they made their debut:
Year | Country making its debut entry |
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2017 | |
2019 |
Hosting
Unlike other Eurovision contests, where the host country is or is chosen by the previous year's winning country, Eurovision Choir has been held as a component of Interkultur's Grand Prix of Nations & European Choir Games, with the contest being held in the country hosting said events.[5] Most of the expense of the contest is covered by commercial sponsors and contributions from the other participating nations. The table below shows a list of cities and venues that have hosted Eurovision Choir, one or more times. Future venues are shown in italics.
Contests | Country | City | Venue | Years |
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1 | Latvia | Riga | Arena Riga |
|
Sweden | Gothenburg | Partille Arena | 2019 |
Winning entries
Year | Date | Host city | Participants | Winner | Song(s) | Choir |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | 22 July | Riga[6] | 9 | Slovenia | "Ta na Solbici" "Adrca" "Aj, zelena je vsa gora" |
Carmen Manet |
2019 | 3 August | Gothenburg[7] | 10 | Denmark | "Viola" | Vocal Line |
References
- Granger, Anthony (8 August 2016). "EBU to launch "Choir of the Year" contest". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- Trustram, Matthew. "Choir of the Year 2017". ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- Granger, Anthony (21 July 2017). "Eurovision Choir of the Year Scheduled to be a Biennial Contest". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- Granger, Anthony (19 July 2017). "Concept for Eurovision Choir of the Year Was First Discussed in 2014". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- "Eurovision Choir Gothenburg 2019: INTERKULTUR". www.interkultur.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- "EBU launches Eurovision Choir of the Year". ebu.ch. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Eurovision Choir of the Year 2019 to Be Held in Gothenburg". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.