Tagged with: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
Posts (47)
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Cardiff Singer of the World 2013 - the Final
Laura Sinnerton
What a wonderful Cardiff Singer competition this has been! This has been my third competition, and I genuinely believe that the standard of this year's competitors has been of the highest order.
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Cardiff Singer - Concert Three
Laura Sinnerton
For round two of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, our colleagues from the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera were on duty, and saw Hungarian soprano Maria Celeng lift the round trophy.
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Cardiff Singer - Concert One
Laura Sinnerton
Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I do not need much excuse to get excited about, well, pretty much anything.
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BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
Laura Sinnerton
Now in its 30th anniversary year, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is another of these events with its own special atmosphere.
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Frockwatch: the rules
Maggi Willis
It is important that each Cardiff Singer competitor makes full use of their short time on stage – both with voice and presentation – to capture the attention of jury and audience alike.
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Gary Griffiths on opera and performing in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2013
Laura Sinnerton
In June, the biennial Cardiff Singer of the World Competition will take place. This prestigious, international contest will see some of the finest voices, on the brink of global careers, converge upon Cardiff to compete for the title of Cardiff Singer of the World 2013.
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Dame Kiri Te Kanawa invites Cardiff Singer 2013 entrants
Cardiff Singer
In 2011 it was a great pleasure for me to follow in the footsteps of my friend and inspiration Dame Joan Sutherland by accepting the invitation to become Patron of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of this prestigious competition and we are now searching to ...
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Welsh classical performers scoop major prizes
BBC Wales Music
There's been a flurry of successes for Welsh classical musicians in the last couple of weeks, with two leading young musicians winning major national awards. Llŷr Williams Pianist Llŷr Williams beat classical music titans Sir Colin Davis and Sir Harrison Birtwistle to win the Classical Music South Bank Show Award on 1 May at The Dorchester in London. This self-effacing, serious performer does not seek the media spotlight, but his rare insight and musicality are winning him an increasingly large worldwide fan base for his solo performances and chamber music and song collaborations. The award was for Llŷr's Beethoven piano cycle at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011, in which he performed all 32 sonatas at Greyfriars Kirk over a two week period. This is a mammoth undertaking, ranging across Beethoven's output from the early, classical-style pieces to the incredibly intense, introverted sound world resulting from the composer's total deafness. The cycle was the surprise hit of the 2011 Fringe, attracting the attention of all the major national press. Reviewers included The Guardian's Fiona Maddocks: "I heard three of Llŷr Williams's complete Beethoven piano sonatas recitals at Greyfriars Kirk, each yet better than the last. Inward and serious... Williams communes with the piano as if seeking new layers in a palimpsest. The results, as in the Op 10 set last Monday, can be revelatory." The concerts soon became sell-outs. After the ceremony, Llŷr said: "It is a great honour for me to receive this award and it is particularly fitting that is should be presented for a big project of substance." He plans to repeat the Beethoven marathon in London and Glasgow. Leaders of the contemporary British arts scene gathered to celebrate the awards, now in their 16th year, representing the entire spectrum of British arts. Other winners this year included Michael Frayn, Grayson Perry, Kate Bush, Claire Tomalin, Terry Gilliam and the BBC's Sherlock team. Llŷr Williams was born in 1976 in Pentrebychan, north Wales, read music at The Queen's College, Oxford and went on to take up a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music where he won every available prize and award. As well as his recital work, he performs as soloist with orchestras across the world, collaborates with violinist Alexander Janiczek and has a strong interest in the Lieder and song repertoire. Since 2003, he has been one of the official accompanists for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Natalya Romaniw It was also a very good week for soprano Natalya Romaniw, who represented Wales in the 2009 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, reaching the song prize final. On 27 April, she received both the main and song prizes in the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Awards, the first time any singer has won in both categories. Rupert Christiansen was there for the Daily Telegaph: " ...there can be no argument that the winner of both the first and song prize is potentially a world-class talent... Natalya Romaniw has a thrillingly large and resonant soprano, which one day could enable her to embrace the big Verdi roles." Natalya comes from Swansea and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, receiving the coveted gold medal in her final year. She is currently associate artist with the Classical Opera Company and joins Houston Grand Opera's prestigious Young Artist Programme in autumn 2012.
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Cardiff Singer diary: part three
Cardiff Singer
Laura Sinnerton, a viola player in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, has been keeping a diary during the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Here's her third and final update (from the final), following on from her first and second instalments. Saturday 18 June What...
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And the winner is...
Cardiff Singer
In a fantastic final of the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition at St David's Hall, soprano Meeta Raval from England, mezzo-soprano Olesysa Petrova from Russia, soprano Hye Jung Lee from South Korea, baritone Andrei Bondarenko from Ukraine and soprano Valentina Naforniţă from Moldova dug deep into their singing reserves to give the performances of their lives. The winner of the 2011 Cardiff Singer competition was Valentina Naforniţă, who also won the Audience Prize. The distinguished jury had a difficult decision to make but the Cardiff Trophy and £15,000 was awarded to Valentina Naforniţă from Moldova. For the first time, the audience agreed with the jury as Valentina was also awarded the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize. This could have been won by any of the 20 singers competing in Cardiff whether or not they appeared in the Final, and was based only on performances from the preliminary round as the vote closed before the final took place. All the TV experts got it wrong. Joyce DiDonato, superstar mezzo, and famed voice teacher Mary King thought it would be Andrei Bondarenko or Olesya Petrova; and Nicole Cabell, who won this competition in 2005 and now has a massive career, thought that it would definitely be Andrei Bondarenko. Opinion on Facebook and Twitter is divided with some people still rooting for their favourites, but on the whole the result has been positively received. Video clips of all the finalists will be available on the website tomorrow - meanwhile you can view clips from all the preliminary concerts there now, as well as viewing and listening for the next few days on the BBC iPlayer.
