BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983–2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for
classical singers held every two years.
The competition was started by
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...
in 1983 to celebrate the opening of
St David's Hall
St David's Hall (Welsh: ''Neuadd Dewi Sant'') is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff, Wales.
St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales. It hosts the annual Welsh Proms and the bienni ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
,
home of the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...
. The creation of the competition was overseen by
Geraint Stanley Jones
Geraint Stanley Jones (c. 1936 – 26 August 2015) was a Welsh television executive. From 1981 to 1989, Jones was the Controller of BBC Wales, from which he oversaw the launch of S4C, the Welsh-language public-service television channel, in 198 ...
, who was the controller at BBC Wales at the time.
Auditions are held throughout the world in the autumn before the competition, with singers being selected to take part in Cardiff the following June. Each singer represents their own country. In Wales there is a competition to select the national representative; the winner of the
Welsh Singers Showcase represents Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
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; in 2011 it was renamed the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize to mark the passing of the singer who was the competition's first patron.
History
In 1983, the first year of the competition, eighteen singers participated. The winner was Finnish soprano
Karita Mattila
Karita Marjatta Mattila (born 5 September 1960) is a Finnish operatic soprano.
Mattila appears regularly in the major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, Théâtre du Châtelet, Opéra Bastill ...
.
![Bryn Terfel in Stockholm 2013-23](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Bryn_Terfel_in_Stockholm_2013-23.jpg)
A
Lieder
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...
Prize was introduced in 1989, as art song and opera are both important forms of singing, but very different. The 1989 competition was particularly noteworthy with Welsh
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
Bryn Terfel
Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', ''Leporello'' and ''D ...
winning the Lieder prize and Russian baritone
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Хворосто́вский, ; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic baritone. Early life and education
Hvorostovsky was born i ...
taking the overall title. Both singers went on to enjoy extremely successful careers with international acclaim.
The "Song Prize" (formerly the "Lieder Prize") was renamed in 2001 in order to clarify that it applies to art song and folksong rather than German
Lieder
In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French sp ...
only. The "Song Prize" became a separate event in 2003, named as the ''BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Song Prize''. However, after 2009, its name was changed to ''BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize''. It is not compulsory, and the only entry requirement is that the singer is taking part in the primary competition. It is not possible to enter for the "Song Prize" only. In 2001, Romanian tenor Marius Brenciu became the first singer to win both prizes.
Finnish baritone
Tommi Hakala
Tommi Hakala (born 9 August 1970) is a Finnish operatic baritone and winner of the 2003 BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff. He was born in Riihimäki, Finland.
Sources
*BBC News"Finnish flourish for song contest" 30 June 2003
*BBC ...
won in 2003, with the Song Prize going to Irish soprano
Ailish Tynan
Ailish Tynan (born 1975) is an Irish operatic soprano. She was born in Mullingar, Ireland.
Career
Tynan trained at Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 2000 ...
. The first "Audience Prize", voted for by the audience both in the hall and for the broadcasts, was awarded to Chilean soprano
Angela Marambio
Angela may refer to:
Places
* Angela, Montana
* Angela Lake, in Volusia County, Florida
* Lake Angela, in Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan
* Lake Angela, the reservoir impounded by the source dam of the South Yuba River
Fiction
* Angel ...
.
The 2005 prize was won by American soprano
Nicole Cabell
Nicole Cabell (born October 17, 1977) is an American opera singer. She is best known as the 2005 winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Cabell was born in Panorama City, California. Her grandfather, Luther Lanier, was the fir ...
, with English tenor
Andrew Kennedy winning the "Song Prize" and the "Audience Prize" being won by Korean soprano
Ha-Joung Lee.
Chinese singer Shen Yang (subsequently known as
Shenyang
Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...
) won the 2007 competition, The "Song Prize" was won by English soprano
Elizabeth Watts
Elizabeth Watts (born 1979) is an English operatic soprano.
Watts was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School for Girls. She studied archaeology at Sheffield University and graduated with first class honours. Beginning in 2002, she stu ...
, while
Jacques Imbrailo
Jacques Imbrailo (born 1978) is a South African classical baritone, who sings in operas and oratorios.
Biography and career
Jacques Imbrailo grew up on a farm in the Free State province of South Africa, and first got into singing on a dare, ...
, South African baritone, won the "Audience Prize".
In 2009, the winner was Russian soprano
Ekaterina Scherbachenko. The winner of the "Song Prize" was bass Jan Martinik from the Czech Republic and Italian tenor Giordano Luca took the "Audience Prize".
![Nafornita Valentina-4419 (17148024471) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Nafornita_Valentina-4419_%2817148024471%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Followed a revised format and schedule, the 2011 competition had 20 singers taking part in four preliminary concerts. The 2011 winner was Moldovan soprano
Valentina Naforniță
Valentina may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Valentina'' (1950 film), a 1950 Argentine film
* ''Valentina'' (2008 film), a 2008 Argentine film
Television
* ''Valentina'' (1993 telenovela), a 1993 Mexican telenovela
* Valentina (2013 teleno ...
, who also won the newly renamed "Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize". The "Song Prize" was won by Ukrainian baritone
Andrei Bondarenko
Andrei Bondarenko or Andriy Bondarenko ( uk, Андрíй Володи́мирович Бондаре́нко, born 1987) is a Ukrainian baritone opera singer.
Life
Bondarenko was born and brought up in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. He trained a ...
.
The 30th anniversary competition took place between 16 and 23 June 2013. It was won by US mezzo-soprano
Jamie Barton Jamie Barton may refer to:
* Jamie Barton (singer) (born 1981), American mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contra ...
, who also won the "Song Prize". The "Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize" was won by English tenor Ben Johnson.
Many non-winning finalists have gone on to very distinguished operatic careers. Examples include Finnish soprano
Soile Isokoski
Soile Marja Isokoski (born 14 February 1957) is a Finnish lyric soprano. She is an opera singer as well as a concert and lieder singer.
Career
Isokoski was born in Posio, Finland. She graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (a cantor ...
in 1987, Swedish dramatic soprano
Nina Stemme
Nina Maria Stemme (born Nina Maria Thöldte on 11 May 1963) is a Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer.
Stemme "is regarded by today's opera fans as our era's greatest Wagnerian soprano". In 2010, Michael Kimmelman wrote of one of Stemme's perf ...
in 1993 and Latvian mezzo-soprano
Elina Garanca in 2001 .
Organisation
The competition is organised by BBC Cymru Wales and was televised nationwide by
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
until 2013 and on
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 since 2003 (
BBC Knowledge
BBC Knowledge was a British television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 1 June 1999, broadcasting documentary, cultural and educational programmes. It was shut down on 2 March 2002, and was replaced by BBC Four.
History
L ...
in 2001). Additionally, the competition is televised by
BBC Two Wales
BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast from BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House, Central Square in Cardiff with live continuity provided by a team of announcer/directors. The channel opts out f ...
, in Welsh on
S4C and broadcast over radio channels
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
,
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales br ...
and the
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online.
The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...
. All coverage can also be found on
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
. It is supported by
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...
and the
City and County of Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United King ...
.
From 2003, the competition's first patron was Dame
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.
She possessed ...
, until her death in 2010. Since 2011, the patron has been Dame
Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...
.
Presenters
The following have hosted stages of the competition:
BBC Two (1983–2011), BBC Knowledge (2001) and BBC Four (2003–present):
*
Brian Kay
Brian Christopher Kay (born 12 May 1944) is an English radio presenter, conductor and singer. He is well-known as the bass in the King's Singers during the group's formative years from 1968 to 1982, and as such is to be heard on many of their 197 ...
(1983–1987)
* Frank Lincoln (1983)
*
Chris Stuart
Christopher Elliot Stuart (19 February 1949 – 12 July 2022) was a British journalist, songwriter and radio and television presenter and producer. He was executive producer of the BBC Two quiz series ''Only Connect''. As a presenter, he fronte ...
(1989)
*
Humphrey Burton
Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid.
Notable people with the name include:
People with the given name Medieval period
:''Ordered chronologically''
*Hunfrid of P ...
(1991)
*
Natalie Wheen
Natalie Wheen (born 1947) is an English writer and radio broadcasting, radio presenter, broadcasting on the BBC and on Classic FM (UK), Classic FM.
Wheen, born in Shanghai, was a presenter of BBC Radio 4's arts programme ''Kaleidoscope (UK radio ...
(1993–1997)
*
Iain Burnside
Iain Burnside is a Scottish classical pianist and accompanist, and a former presenter on BBC Radio 3.
Following study at Merton College, Oxford, the Royal Academy of Music and the Chopin Academy, in Warsaw he became a freelance pianist, special ...
(1993–1997)
*
Michael White (1995)
*
Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards (; born 18 August 1961) is a Welsh journalist, presenter, and newsreader. Edwards presents ''BBC News at Ten'', the corporation's flagship news broadcast.
Edwards also presents BBC coverage of state events, international events, th ...
(1997–2009)
*
Petroc Trelawny
James Edward Petroc Trelawny (born 27 May 1971) is a British classical music radio and television broadcaster. Since 1998 he has been a presenter on BBC Radio 3.
Career
James Edward Petroc Trelawny was born in Worcester and grew up in the Mene ...
(1999–present)
* Gwenan Edwards (1999–2003)
*
Barbara Bonney
Barbara Bonney (born April 14, 1956) is an American soprano. She is associated with lyric soprano roles in operas by Mozart and Richard Strauss as well as lieder performances.
Early life
Bonney was born in Montclair, New Jersey. As a child she pr ...
(2001, 2003)
*
Aled Jones
Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and radio and television presenter. As a teenage chorister, he reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and radio (for Cla ...
(2003, 2005)
*
Sian Williams
Sian Mary Williams (; born 28 November 1964) is a Welsh journalist, current affairs presenter best known for her work with the BBC, and psychologist.
From 2001 until 2012, Williams regularly presented weekday editions of ''BBC Breakfast'' as ...
(2007)
*
Danielle de Niese
Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to wi ...
(2013)
*
Angel Blue
Angel Joy Blue (born May 3, 1984), is an American opera soprano and classical crossover (music), crossover artist. She won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess in the 63rd Annual Gramm ...
(2015, 2017)
*
Josie D'Arby (2019–present)
BBC Radio 3 live coverage:
*
Catherine Bott
Catherine Bott (born 11 September 1952) is a British soprano and a Baroque specialist. She has also pursued a broadcasting career.
Following her studies at The King's High School For Girls and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Arthur R ...
(2007, 2009)
*
Fiona Talkington
Fiona Talkington is a broadcaster, writer, presenter, and curator best known in the UK for her work on BBC Radio 3 where she has been a presenter since 1989.
She is best known today as a founding presenter (1999) of the Sony Gold Award-winning pro ...
(2009)
*
Iain Burnside
Iain Burnside is a Scottish classical pianist and accompanist, and a former presenter on BBC Radio 3.
Following study at Merton College, Oxford, the Royal Academy of Music and the Chopin Academy, in Warsaw he became a freelance pianist, special ...
(2011–2015, 2019)
* Donald Macleod (2011, 2013)
*
Susan Bullock (2015)
* Kate Molleson (2017–present)
BBC Two Wales highlights:
* Aled Jones (2007, 2009)
* Josie D'Arby (2009–present)
*
Tim Rhys-Evans
Timothy Rhys-Evans MBE FRWCMD (born c. 1972) is a Welsh conductor and best known as the founder and musical director of the choir Only Men Aloud! and Only Boys Aloud. He also formed the children's choir Only Kids Aloud in 2012.
Rhys-Evans, fr ...
(2011–present)
*
Connie Fisher
Connie Fisher (born 17 June 1983) is a British actress, singer and TV presenter, who won the BBC One talent contest, '' How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?''
On 15 November 2006, she opened to excellent reviews in the part of Maria von Trapp ...
(2011, 2013)
BBC Radio Wales:
* Nicola Heywood Thomas (2009–2015)
*
Beverley Humphreys
Beverley Anne Humphreys, MBE (born November 1947), is a Welsh operatic and concert soprano and broadcaster. She has become known for her work with refugees and in 2022 was awarded the MBE for "services to Community Cohesion and Broadcasting".
...
(2011, 2013, 2019)
*
Wynne Evans
Wynne Evans BEM MStJ (born 27 January 1972) is a Welsh singer and actor, known for his role as Gio Compario and laterly himself in the Go.compare insurance adverts on television in the United Kingdom.
Evans sang the role of Ubaldo Piangi i ...
(2015–present)
*
Rebecca Evans (2017)
BBC Radio Cymru:
*
Siân Pari Huws (2009–2015)
* Alwyn Humphreys (2009–2013, 2019)
*
Beti George
Beti George (born 19 January 1939) is a Welsh broadcaster of television and radio. She began working for the BBC in Swansea and was best known for presenting the nightly Welsh-language news programme, ''Newyddion''. Since 1987 she has presented ...
(2009–2013, 2019)
* Alun Guy (2013)
*
Nia Roberts (2017)
* Heledd Cynwal (2019)
S4C highlights:
* Siân Pari Huws (2013)
* Heledd Cynwal (2015, 2017)
Jury
Many prominent singers have served in the jury, including
Carlo Bergonzi, Sir
Geraint Evans
Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans (16 February 1922 – 19 September 1992) was a Welsh bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Papageno in ''Die Zauberflöte'', and the title role in ''Wozzeck''. Evans was esp ...
,
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient of the Natio ...
,
Gundula Janowitz
Gundula Janowitz (born 2 August 1937)["Janowitz, Gundula"]
by Kiri Te Kanawa
Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...
,
Sherrill Milnes
Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an inc ...
,
Christoph Prégardien, Dame
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.
She possessed ...
, Dame
Anne Evans Anne or Ann Evans may refer to:
* Ann Evans (midwife) (1840–1916), New Zealand nurse
* Anne Evans (poet) (1820–1870), English poet and composer
* Anne Evans (arts patron) (1871–1941), art patron in Colorado
* Anne Evans (soprano) (born 1941) ...
,
René Kollo
René Kollo (born 20 November 1937) is a German operatic tenor, especially known for his Wagnerian Heldentenor roles. He also performed a wide variety of operas and operettas, and made several recordings.
Biography
Born René Kollodzieyski in ...
,
Galina Vishnevskaya
Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya (russian: links=no, Галина Павловна Вишневская, Ivanova, Иванова; 25 October 192611 December 2012) was a Russian soprano opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist o ...
and
Dame Gwyneth Jones
Dame Gwyneth Jones (born 7 November 1936) is a Welsh dramatic soprano, widely regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos in the second half of the 20th century.
Early life and career
Jones was born in Pontnewynydd, Monmouthshire, Wa ...
, Irina Arkhipova and Shen Xiang. There is a separate jury for the "Song Prize", with some members serving on both juries. The 2019 jury included Dame Felicity Lott and Robert Holl.
On the day between the two competition finals, some of the jury members give master classes to some of the non-finalists, which are open to the public.
Competition winners
Overall winners
Here are the overall winners of Cardiff Singer of the World since the contest's inception in 1983.
"Song Prize" winners
This prize was introduced in 1989; it was formerly known as the "Lieder Prize". Here are all the contestants who achieved the Song Prize since then.
"Audience Prize" winners
The "Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize" was introduced in 2003. Here are all the contestants who achieved the Song Prize since then.
See also
*
List of classical music competitions
European Classical music has long relied on music competitions to provide a public forum that identifies the strongest players and contributes to the establishment of their professional careers. This is a list of current competitions in classical ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bbc Cardiff Singer Of The World Competition
Cardiff Singer of the World competition
British biennial events
Opera competitions
Music competitions in the United Kingdom
Classical music television series
BBC Cymru Wales television shows
BBC Radio 3 programmes
Awards established in 1983
Early career awards
1983 establishments in Wales
Events in Cardiff
Music in Cardiff