It’s a busy month for Cardiff, and joining Justin Bieber and the Champions League Final this month is the BBC Singer of the World Competition 2017. With recitals taking place at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama between Sun 11 and Sun 18 June, the final is being held at St David’s Hall on Sun 18 June.
Known throughout the classical musical world as one of the best showcases for opera and concert singers, the competition, which has been going since 1983, has launched the careers of some major stars in the musical world such as Karita Mattila, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Bryn Terfel, Anja Harteros, and Jamie Barton.
Held every two years, the event will mark see two outstanding orchestras providing musical accompaniment, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Welsh National Opera’s orchestra, led by Principal Conductor Thomas Sondergard, and the introduction of a new Musical Director, Tomas Hanus.
Singers aged 18-32 who are starting off their professional careers are able to apply after a three-stage selection process involving DVD and live auditions.
The competition is judged by a panel of distinguished singers, musicians, and music professionals, as each competitor aims to do their country proud by representing them on the big stage. The main prize winner will be awarded the Cardiff trophy, and a total sum of £15,000 worth of prize money.
Notably, there’s also an audience prize which is voted for by the audience, as you could probably have gathered, and presented during the grand finale, with the winners receiving the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize, £2,500, and a crystal trophy provided by the Cardiff University School of Music.
After hundreds of applications from all over the globe, the final 20 competitors will be practicing like there’s no tomorrow as they battle it out in front of a live audience to be crowned BBC Singer of the World 2017.
BBC Singer of the World, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Sun 18 June. Tickets: £28-£65. Info: 029 2087 8500 / www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
words DANIEL THOMAS
