Let the Peoples Sing

Last updated

Let the Peoples Sing
Let the Peoples Sing 2019.jpeg
Logo for the 2019 edition held in Barcelona
Awarded for Singing
Sponsored by European Choral Association
LocationVarious (in 2024, Broadcasting House)
CountryVarious (in 2024, United Kingdom)
Presented byVarious national broadcasters (in 2024, BBC Radio 3)
Formerly calledLet the People Sing
Reward(s)The Silver Rose Bowl
First award1961;64 years ago (1961)
Highlights
Most recent winner Flag of Denmark.svg Copenhagen Girls' Choir (2024)
Website Let the Peoples Sing
Television/radio coverage
Network Eurovision and Euroradio

Let the Peoples Sing (known until 1964 as Let the People Sing) is an international choral competition currently organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The final, encompassing three categories and around ten choirs, is offered as a live broadcast to all EBU members. The Silver Rose Bowl is awarded to the best choir in the competition.

Contents

History

The competition was first organised by BBC Radio in 1957, originally as a national contest for amateur British choirs under the title Let the People Sing , and ran until 1982 as a weekly series each year. [1] The final round of the first competition was broadcast in the Light Programme on 23 April 1957 and was followed four days later by a special concert relayed from the Royal Albert Hall. [2] In the two subsequent years (1958–59) the final concert was held at the Royal Festival Hall. [3] [4] The contest also led to new choral works being commissioned.

In 1965 the annual competition became an international one, with participation extended to include choirs from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. [5] It was further extended in the 1970s with entrants also coming from other countries with radio networks belonging to the EBU, each of the networks organising the national qualifying rounds leading to the international finals. Broadcasters submitted tapes of the choirs which they entered, and these were then listened to and evaluated by the professional jury who decided the winners in each category. There was no broadcast of the entire competition at this time. In 1993, the Euroradio-networked choral competition moved to a biennial schedule, [6] held in the autumn of odd-numbered years. In 1995, at the initiative of Danish Radio, it was decided that while recordings would continue to be used for the preliminary rounds, however the finals should be hosted as a live radio event. These were broadcast via the Union's Euroradio satellite network, with the choirs performing in their home cities to listeners across Europe and to the jury. Since 2001, the finalists have been invited to perform at a concert by the host broadcaster. The competition has become more or less a festival with many more concerts and a supporting workshop program.

After the 1982 competition, the BBC ceased broadcasting the national selection and international heats, and for a number of years aired only the final round. The BBC had hosted the international finals since its inception. In 1983, Germany's national public radio broadcaster Deutschlandradio hosted the final round, they were later joined as host by Finnish broadcaster Yle from 1987; both took over the organisation of the competition held on an alternating basis in Cologne and Helsinki respectively. [7] [8] The 1991 competition finals was the last to be held in Finland until 2017. [9]

In 1984, BBC Two broadcast a new national competition in association with Sainsbury's supermarket; Choir of the Year ran every two years until 2002, [10] however after Sainsbury's sponsorship ended that year, [11] it was taken over by BBC Radio 3 (supported by Arts Council England and Sing Up) in 2005 [12] where it continued until 2016. [13] BBC Four aired highlights of the final. [14] The winning choir often proceeded to represent the UK at the international Let the Peoples Sing competition.

Since the late 1990s, Radio 3's broadcast of Let the Peoples Sing has moved away from the main evening concert (except when hosting in 2011), towards coverage in specific choral programmes such as Performance on 3 (1999, 2003), Choirworks (2001–2003), Choir and Organ (2007–2011), The Choir (2009, 2013–2015) and since 2017, Through the Night . [15] BBC Radio 3 hosted the 2001 and 2003 competitions live from the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in London [16] [17] and the 2011 edition was staged at the new MediaCityUK studios in Salford, Greater Manchester. [18]

In 2019, the competition took place in Spain for the first time and was hosted by Catalunya Ràdio, at the 2,049-seat Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona on 13 October. The previous competition, hosted by Finnish broadcaster Yle, took place at the Helsinki Music Centre on 15 October 2017. [19] German radio station BR-Klassik hosted the 2015 edition in Munich at the Funkhaus studios. [20] Luxembourg’s Philharmonic Hall was the host venue in 2013. [21]

In November 2021, the 60th anniversary was celebrated with the BBC Singers performing a dedicated concert at St Peter's Church, Eaton Square, in London that was later broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and many other EBU radio stations. [22] [23] The next competition took place on 6 October 2024 with the competing choirs, selected for the final concert, performing from their home countries. The winner was decided by an eight-member jury panel who voted from the BBC's Broadcasting House in London. [24] For the first time, a youth jury prize was awarded in collaboration with the European Choral Association.

Categories

The competition has three categories, with a winner selected in each category in addition to the overall winner of the Silver Rose Bowl.

List of winners

By competition

Let the Peoples Sing – Winners of the Silver Rose Bowl (since 1961) [25]
YearChoirChorus MasterCountry of OriginHost city
1961Glasgow Phoenix Choir Peter Mooney Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London
1962Barrhead Philomen SingersMina ForrestFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
1963Orpington Junior SingersSheila Mossman MBEFlag of England.svg  England
1964Redhill Madrigal SingersJoyce HooperFlag of England.svg  England
1965Glasgow Phoenix ChoirPeter MooneyFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
1966 Orphei Drängar Eric Ericson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
1967 Orphei Drängar Eric Ericson Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
1968Rodna PessenMichel MilkovFlag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria
1969Mariakören Västerås Bror SamuelssonFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
1970Louis Halsey Singers Louis Halsey Flag of England.svg  England
1971Tapiolan Yhteiskoulun KuoroErkki PohjolaFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
1972 NRK JentekorMarie FossFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
1973Gara Iskar Cultural Center ChorusUn­knownFlag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg Bulgaria
Ifjúsági Egyetemi ChorusRezső LantosFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
1974 ELTE Béla Bartók ChorusGábor BarossFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
1975 NRK JentekorMarie FossFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
1976Ontario Youth ChoirJon WashburnFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
1977Veszprém Város VegyeskaraIstván ZámbóFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
1978Franz Liszt Chamber ChorusIstván PárkaiFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
1979 Exeter College Choir Un­knownFlag of England.svg  England
Marktoberdorf Large Chamber ChoirUn­knownFlag of Germany.svg  West Germany
1980CandominoTauno SatomaaFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
Váci Vox HumanaJózsef MakláriFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
1981 NRK Studio ChorusMarie FossFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
1982Stockholm Motet ChoirPer BorinFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
1983"Júlia Bányai" Elementary School ChoirKatalin Weiser-KissFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Flag of Germany.svg Cologne
1984Frankfurt Chamber Chorus Hans Michael Beuerle Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
1985 Bergen Cathedral Choir Magnar Mangersnes Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
1986Gösta Ohlin Vocal EnsembleGösta OhlinFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
1987Chamber Chorus of the Franz Liszt Music Academy, Weimar Gerd FrischmuthFlag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki
Hollabrunn Chamber ChorusHerbert BöckFlag of Austria.svg  Austria
1988 Bergen Cathedral Choir Magnar Mangersnes Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Flag of Germany.svg Cologne
1989Phoenix Chamber ChoirCortland HultbergFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki
1990Jubilate Astrid Riska Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Flag of Germany.svg Cologne
Konzertchor DarmstadtWolfgang SeeligerFlag of Germany.svg  West Germany
1991BalsisMāris Kupčs and Kaspars PutniņšFlag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki [9]
1992 New Zealand National Youth Choir Karen Grylls Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Flag of Germany.svg Cologne [26]
1993Universitetskoret Lille MUKOJesper Grove JørgensenFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Vancouver
1995 Det Norske Solistkor Grete HelgerudFlag of Norway.svg  Norway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Manchester [27]
1997Det Jyske KammerkorMogens DahlFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Brussels [28]
1999EmblaNorunn Illevold GiskeFlag of Norway.svg  Norway Flag of Hungary.svg Budapest [29]
2001Choir of the Latvian Music Academy Arvīds Platpers Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London
2003Pro MusicaDénes SzabóFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
2005Children's Chorus of the Tallinn Music High School Ingrid KõrvitsFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Flag of Germany.svg Cologne [30]
2007 Schola Cantorum Tone Bianca DahlFlag of Norway.svg  Norway Flag of Germany.svg Wuppertal [31]
2009Girls' Choir of the Classical Diocesan GymnasiumHelena Fojkar ZupančičFlag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Flag of Norway.svg Oslo [32]
2011 The Swedish Chamber Choir Simon Phipps Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Salford [33]
2013Cor Infantil Amics de la Unió de GranollersJosep Vila i JoverFlag of Spain.svg  Spain Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg City [34] [35]
2015 Aarhus Girls' Choir Helle Høyer VedelFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of Germany.svg Munich
2017Collegium MusicaleEndrik ÜksväravFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki
2019BarbarosJonas RasmussenFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of Spain.svg Barcelona
2021Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2024 Copenhagen Girls ChoirAnne-Terese SalesFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London (jury voting)

In 1973, 1979, 1980, 1987, and 1990 the Silver Rose Bowl was awarded ex aequo .

In 2015 the Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC) became the first American choir to place first in the competition's history of 54 years. After Sunday's competition performances among YPC, the Aarhus Girls' Choir from Denmark and the Romanian Radio Children's Choir, the judges named the Danish choir the winner. However, on Monday morning, the judges rethought their initial decision and determined that the American chorus should tie with the Danish choir for first place in the Children's and Youth category. However, the Aarhus Girls' Choir ultimately prevailed in the finals of the competition. [36]

By country

The table below shows the years that a country won the Silver Rose Bowl.

CountryWinsYears won
Flag of Norway.svg Norway 8
  • 1972
  • 1975
  • 1981
  • 1985
  • 1988
  • 1995
  • 1999
  • 2007
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 7
  • 1973
  • 1974
  • 1977
  • 1978
  • 1980
  • 1983
  • 2003
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 6
  • 1966
  • 1967
  • 1969
  • 1982
  • 1986
  • 2011
Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 5
  • 1993
  • 1997
  • 2015
  • 2019
  • 2024
Flag of England.svg England 4
  • 1963
  • 1964
  • 1970
  • 1979
Flag of Germany.svg Germany 4
  • 1979
  • 1984
  • 1987
  • 1990
Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 3
  • 1961
  • 1962
  • 1965
Flag of Finland.svg Finland 3
  • 1971
  • 1980
  • 1990
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 2
  • 1968
  • 1973
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 2
  • 1976
  • 1989
Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia 2
  • 1991
  • 2001
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia 2
  • 2005
  • 2017
Flag of Austria.svg Austria 1
  • 1987
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 1
  • 1992
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 1
  • 2009
Flag of Spain.svg Spain 1
  • 2013

Years in italics indicate joint wins ( ex aequo )

References

  1. "Let the Peoples Sing - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com.
  2. "Light Programme Choral Event 1957: Let The People Sing". 23 April 1957. p. 37 via BBC Genome.
  3. "BBC Home Service Basic - 23 February 1959 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  4. "Let the People Sing". 31 January 1958. p. 46 via BBC Genome.
  5. "Let the Peoples Sing". 29 May 1965. p. 12 via BBC Genome.
  6. "VIDEOTIEŠRAIDE! Konkursa "Let the Peoples Sing 2017" Fināls Helsinku "Musiikkitalo"". klasika.lsm.lv.
  7. "EBU.CH :: LTPS History". 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  8. "Chronik der ARD | Internationaler Chorwettbewerb". web.ard.de.
  9. 1 2 "Let the Peoples Sing -kilpailu Helsingin Musiikkitalossa". yle.fi.
  10. "Belfast choir wins top accolade". 18 November 2002 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. Maddocks, Fiona (5 December 2010). "Choir of the Year 2010 – review". The Observer via www.theguardian.com.
  12. "BBC - Press Office - Radio 3 highlights Jan to Jun 2005 classical music". www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. "BBC Radio 3 - Radio 3 in Concert, Choir of the Year 2016". BBC.
  14. "BBC Four - Choir of the Year". BBC.
  15. "BBC Radio 3 - Through the Night, Let The Peoples Sing 2017 semi-finals (1/2)". BBC.
  16. "BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  17. "BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
  18. "BBC Radio 3 - Let the Peoples Sing 2011, Part 1". BBC.
  19. "YourClassical from American Public Media". www.yourclassical.org. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  20. "Let the Peoples Sing: Auszeichnung für den Aarhus Pigekor - BR-Klassik". www.br-klassik.de. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  21. "Spanish Choir Wins 'Let The Peoples Sing' Competition 2013 In Luxembourg". Pizzicato. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  22. "The Gift to Sing: 60 Years of 'Let The Peoples Sing'". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  23. "BBC Radio 3 - Radio 3 in Concert, The gift to sing: 60 years of Let the Peoples Sing". BBC. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  24. Granger, Anthony (17 December 2023). "Let The Peoples Sing 2024 on October 6". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  25. "Let the Peoples Sing List of Winners" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  26. "Choir pays way around world". 30 June 2000. Retrieved 20 October 2019 via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  27. "Let the Peoples Sing 1995". 23 October 1995. p. 126 via BBC Genome.
  28. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. "Performance on 3 Let the People Sing". 8 November 1999. p. 134 via BBC Genome.
  30. "YOUTH CHOIR OF TALLINN MUSIC HIGH SCHOOL Sacred choral works from all over the world". patmosfestival.gr.
  31. "Junges Vokalensemble Hannover - Ereignisse". www.vokalensemble-hannover.de.
  32. Bratt, Anne Christine (19 January 2009). "Finalists Let the Peoples Sing". NRK.
  33. "Wellensian Consort perform in Let the Peoples Sing". 15 October 2011.
  34. "Let the Peoples Sing: Winning performances". www.ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 14 October 2013.
  35. "Let the Peoples Sing". Philharmonie Luxembourg.
  36. Newhouse, Brian. "Better late than never: New York choir to share choral laurels with Denmark singers". www.classicalmpr.org.