THE EDINBURGH SINGERS TRIUMPHS IN AREA SELECTION STAGE OF BBC RADIO 3 CHOIR OF THE YEAR COMPETITION


30 April 2008: The Edinburgh Singers, a choir from Edinburgh, was a winner in the adult category of the Area Selection Stage for the prestigious BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition, held at The Queens Hall, Edinburgh this weekend. The Edinburgh Singers is a choir of 56 conducted by Dominic Peckham. The win secures the choir a place in the Choir of the Year National Selection Stage in June.

BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year (www.choiroftheyear.co.uk <http://www.choiroftheyear.co.uk/> ) is the UK’s largest national amateur group singing competition and is searching for the nation’s best amateur singing group. Over 5,000 singers from choirs as diverse as Gospel and beat box are taking part, reflecting the range and depth of music making in communities across the UK.

Area Selection Stages are taking place across the UK with competing choirs singing to win a place in June’s National Selection. Choirs perform in front of a live audience and are recorded by the BBC. Expert judges give live feedback on their performance and select those choirs to go through to the National Selection. At the National Selection, recordings of all the winning choirs from the Area Selection Stages are judged, with the winning choirs going on to perform at the Category Finals, at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

The Category Finals are broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and crown the best children’s, youth, adult and ‘open’ choirs in the UK - a formidable achievement for the winning choir. Category Final winners go forward to compete for the overall title ‘BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year 2008’ at the Grand Final in December. It takes place in front of a live audience, and is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC FOUR.

Edward Blakeman, Editor, BBC Radio 3 said: “BBC Radio 3 is committed to encouraging live performance and fostering talent across the UK. BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year enables people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and make music, learn from each other and have a huge amount of fun!

"I wish The Edinburgh Singers together with all the other choirs all the very best for the competition and look forward to hearing them perform."

Tickets to watch the regional audition rounds are FREE. Dates and venues of all the competition events are listed on www.choiroftheyear.co.uk <http://www.choiroftheyear.co.uk/> to reserve tickets call Kallaway Ltd, on 020 7221 7883. Information on tickets for the Category and Grand Finals will be posted on www.choiroftheyear.co.uk <http://www.choiroftheyear.co.uk/> during the competition.


Choir of the Year was created and is managed by Kallaway.

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Entering the Competition

Singing groups and choirs can find out full details of the competition and apply to enter at www.choiroftheyear.co.uk <http://www.choiroftheyear.co.uk/> or call competition organisers Kallaway Ltd on 020 7221 7883.


The Selection Process

The Selection Process takes place in three stages:

• Area Selection Stage
  

Choirs compete in their chosen regions for the opportunity to become Choir of the Day in their category and progress to the next round of the competition

• National Selection Stage
  

All Choirs of the Day go forward to the National Selection Stage in June. A team of adjudicators will listen to recordings made of the choirs at the Area Selections and choose six choirs in each of the four categories to go through to Category Finals

• Category Finals
  

Twenty-four choirs will compete in the Category Finals at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool on 8-9 November 2008 to pick six choirs to go through to the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year Grand Final, which will be held at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 7 December 2008 (Finals Weekend venues and dates subject to change)



Categories

Choirs can enter in one of four categories:

• Open Choirs - a category open to all choirs and singing groups from any musical background. There are no upper or lower age limits in this category and it’s ideal for singing groups who want to so something different – maybe songs from the shows, songs from the charts or world music – and for choirs who feel they don’t fit the other categories.
  

• Children’s Choirs - Majority of singers 14 and under.
  

• Youth Choirs - Majority of singers 18 and under.
  

• Adult Choirs – Same or mixed voices
  

Press information

Images and new from the competition will be available at www.choiroftheyear.co.uk <http://www.choiroftheyear.co.uk> . Pictures from the previous competition are also available from this site.


Choir Contact

Rory Wilson rory@haviver.net 0131 478 1329