European Grand Prix for Choral Singing: Difference between revisions
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Each individual contest is usually referred to by the name of its host city instead of the competition's official title. The grand prize winners of each contest are automatically eligible to compete at the GPE. |
Each individual contest is usually referred to by the name of its host city instead of the competition's official title. The grand prize winners of each contest are automatically eligible to compete at the GPE. |
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The hosting of each annual GPE competition is rotated among the six member cities. The last GPE in [[2006]] was held in Tolosa. |
The hosting of each annual GPE competition is rotated among the six member cities. The last GPE in [[2006]] was held in Tolosa, Basque Cuontry, Spain. |
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<!-- In [[2007]], the GPE will be held in '''Varna'''[http://www.choircomp.org/site_en/grand_prix_en.html]. ***commented this first to verify which is which. The Florilege (Tours) site says it's in Arezzo, but Varna lists it as Varna. Will be checking information from the other four competitions to confirm which is which. Please do not un-comment unless definite proof has been presented...if you think you have beaten me into this, please let me know at the discussions/talk page. --- Titopao --> |
<!-- In [[2007]], the GPE will be held in '''Varna'''[http://www.choircomp.org/site_en/grand_prix_en.html]. ***commented this first to verify which is which. The Florilege (Tours) site says it's in Arezzo, but Varna lists it as Varna. Will be checking information from the other four competitions to confirm which is which. Please do not un-comment unless definite proof has been presented...if you think you have beaten me into this, please let me know at the discussions/talk page. --- Titopao --> |
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== Regulations == |
== Regulations == |
Revision as of 10:48, 17 November 2006
The European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (in French, Grand Prix European de Chant Choral, commonly abbreviated as European Choral Grand Prix or GPE) is an annual choral competition between the winners of six European choral competitions. It was inaugurated in 1989.
Despite its name, the GPE is not limited to European choirs; this is because choirs from any part of the world (inside and outside Europe) can join the choral competitions in any of the the GPE's member-cities. As of 2006, two choirs from the United States, one choir from Japan and one choir from the Philippines have won the GPE. In addition, the contest is not limited to adult choirs; two of the grand prize-winning choirs are children's choirs.
The latest winner of the GPE (2006, in Tolosa, Italy) is The University of Utah Singers from Salt Lake City, United States.
Organizing committee and member cities
The GPE is organized by the organizing committees of the following choral competitions, from which the GPE contenders are selected:
- Concorso Polifónico Guido d'Arezzo (International Guido d'Arezzo Polyphonic Contest) - Arezzo, Italy
- Bela Bartok International Choir Competition - Debrecen, Hungary
- Concorso «Cesare Augusto (C.A.) Seghizzi» (C.A. Seghizzi Competition) - Gorizia, Italy (also known as the Seghizzi contest)
- Concurso Coral de Tolosa (Tolosa Choral Competition) - Tolosa, Spain
- Florilège Vocal de Tours (Tours Vocal Competition) - Tours, France
- International May Choir Competition «Prof. G. Dimitrov» - Varna, Bulgaria
Each individual contest is usually referred to by the name of its host city instead of the competition's official title. The grand prize winners of each contest are automatically eligible to compete at the GPE.
The hosting of each annual GPE competition is rotated among the six member cities. The last GPE in 2006 was held in Tolosa, Basque Cuontry, Spain.
Regulations
Eligibility
As mentioned earlier, the contest is open only to the grand prize winners of the six member European choral competitions in the previous year. In other words, if a choir wins the grand prize in any of the six cities' choral contests, it is eligible for then next year's GPE. Consequently, this also means that, unlike other choral competitions, the GPE does not solicit participants to the contest; no choir may directly apply or audition in order to join the GPE. If an eligible choir backs out, a substitute choir may take its place; as a penalty, any choir that backs out will not be eligible to compete in any of the six qualifying contests for the next year.
No choir may win the grand prize in more than one qualifying competition in a single year. For example, if a choir is named the grand prize winner in Arezzo, it is automatically disqualified to compete in the contests from the five remaining cities for the rest of the year.
There are no specific regulations prohibiting a former finalist (or even a former laureate) from competing in (or even winning again) the GPE more than once. For example, the Philippine Madrigal Singers (laureate of the 1997 GPE) have won the 2006 Florilège Vocal de Tours, making them eligible for the GPE for the second time (in 2007). [1]
Repertoire and choir membership
Each competing choir is required to sing the same repertoire program that they performed in respective competitions. Choirs are encouraged to perform songs from various era and composers. Songs with accompaniment (by any instrument) are allowed as long as the total length of accompanied songs do not exceed ten (10) minutes. The host city determines the total maximum performance time allowed to each finalist.
Each competing choir is also required to have the same number of singers it had from the qualifying competition, plus or minus ten percent (10%) of that number. The total number of singers per choir may be a minimum of 12 singers and a maximum of 60 singers regardless of the number of voice sections or groups; this is because the eligibility requirements vary for each of the six qualifying competitions. Because of this, it is possible for a mixed-voice choirs to compete directly against all-male and all-female choirs; it is also possible for children's choirs to compete against adult choirs (and even win, as in 2000 and 2001).
The grand prize winner
The GPE grand prize winner, or laureate, is awarded a diploma, a trophy and additional prizes to be determined by the host city, including a cash price of up to 4,000 Euros (usually awarded).
The GPE laureate is not allowed to compete in any international choral competition for seven years (i.e. until after the next time the same host city where they won gets to host the GPE again). Because of its strict regulations, no choir has won the GPE more than once. However, if the Philippine Madrigal Singers win the grand prize in 2007, they will be the only choir in the competition's history win the GPE grand prize twice (see Eligibility, above).
List of Winners
The following are the list of grand prize winners for the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing. [2] [3] [4]
Year | Host | Choir | Director/Conductor | City of Origin | Country of Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Arezzo | Kammerkoret | Poul Emborg and Fleming Windekilde | Copenhagen | Denmark |
1990 | Debrecen | (postponed) | NA | NA | NA |
1991 | Tours | Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire | Tadas Sumskas | Vilnius | Lithuania |
1992 | Gorizia | St Jacobs Kammerchör | Gary Graden | Stockholm | Sweden |
1993 | Varna | Jauna Musika | Vaclovas Augustinas and R. Skapas | Vilnius | Lithuania |
1994 | Tolosa | The Mats Nilsson Vocal Ensemble | Mats Nilsson | Stockholm | Sweden |
1995 | Arezzo | Kallos Choir | Fumiaki Kuriyama | Tokyo | Japan |
1996 | Debrecen | Pro Musica Leanikar | Denes Szabo | Nyiregyhaza | Hungary |
1997 | Tours | Philippine Madrigal Singers | Andrea Veneracion | Quezon City | Philippines |
1998 | Gorizia | University of Missisipi Concert Singers | Jerry Jordan | Oxford, MS | United States |
1999 | Varna | Lunds Vocal Ensemble | Ingemar Mansson | Lund | Sweden |
2000 | Tolosa | Vesna Children Choir | Alexander Ponomariov | Moscow | Russia |
2001 | Debrecen | Magnificat Children Choir | Valeria Szebelledi | Budapest | Hungary |
2002 | Arezzo | A.P.Z. Tone Tomsic | Stojan Kuret | Ljubljana | Slovenia |
2003 | Tours | Ensemble Brevis | Gintautas Venislovas | Vilnius | Lithuania |
2004 | Gorizia | Jauniesu Koris "Kamer..." | Maris Sirmais | Riga | Latvia |
2005 | Varna | Allmånna Sangen | Cecilia Rydenger Ahlin | Uppsala | Sweden |
2006 | Tolosa | The University of Utah Singers | Brady Allred | Salt Lake City | United States |
Here are the tally of winners by country as of 2006:
- Sweden produced the most number of laureates at four (4) choirs
- Lithuania has three (3) laureates, all from Vilnius)
- Hungary and the United States each have two (2) choirs winning the grand prize
- Denmark, Japan, Latvia, Philippines, Russia and Slovenia each have one choir emerging as the GPE laureate.
External links
- European Grand Prix for Choral Singing - GPE Official home page (slightly out-of-date)
- Official web sites for each member-city:
- Laureates of the GPE (Official websites, except where noted; arranged by year)
- Jauna Musica (1993)
- Philippine Madrigal Singers (1997)
- University of Mississippi Concert Singers (1998)
- Lunds Vocal Ensemble (1998)
- Vesna Children Choir (2000) - information page from another website, not an official web site
- A.P.Z. Tone Tomsic (2002)
- The University of Utah Singers (2006)