The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, soon to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, has launched the careers of many well-known singers. Not all have won the final prize, but the competitive exposure to concerts in front of a distinguished jury, and a discerning audience has brought them to the notice of agents, opera managements and future audiences. Attending the concerts as part of the audience or at the Master Classes gives an insight into what goes into success as a singer - the importance of presentation, the choice of programmes to exhibit the voice and the personality, but not to overstrain it, the stamina to make it through the competition and, of course, a fair measure of luck. Humphrey Burton, who has been involved in the competition since its inception as producer, director and presenter, will illustrate for us the successes and failures from the early days to the present. We have the best seats in St David’s Hall for all the concerts and tickets for the song prize and master classes
It was Mervyn Williams’ inspiration to bring the best young singers from all over the world to Wales, the land of song. This appealed to Aarno Cronvall, then head of music for the Finnish Broadcasting company, who felt a kindred affection for Wales, also having a minority language and a strong singing tradition. Asked to bring a singer by Mervyn Williams he chose Karita Mattila, a promising young talent who had recently won a competition in Finland. He called her, settled matters over a cup of coffee and brought her to Cardiff, where she became the first winner of the competition.
Ever since it came up with a pair of stunning winners in Bryn Terfel and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in 1989, the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World has ranked at the forefront of international classical singing competitions, and is given additional prestige by its broadcast on network television.
It was Humphrey Burton's Young Musician of the Year competition which inspired BBC Wales’ producer Mervyn Williams to devise a competition for young opera singers - and Mervyn went one better: he invited entries from all over the world. In 1983 and 1985 Humphrey cheered from the sidelines but later he joined the team in Cardiff, serving variously as presenter, director and producer. So he is perfectly placed to tell us the Cardiff story, highlighting some of the great success stories on the final night (including the "Battle of the Baritones" when Hvorostovsky and Terfel came head to head) and picking out some of the late flowerers such as the reigning Wagnerian diva Nina Stemme.
Programme details:
Saturday 11 June
New Theatre, 7.30pm Song Prize, Recital 1
Sunday 12 June
New Theatre, 2.00pm Song Prize, Recital 2
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Main Competition, Concert 1
Monday 13 June
New Theatre, 2.00pm Song Prize, Recital 3
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Main Competition, Concert 2
Tuesday 14 June
New Theatre, 2.00pm Song Prize, Recital 4
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Main Competition, Concert 3
Wednesday 15 June
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Main Competition, Concert 4
Thursday 16 June
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Main Competition, Concert 5
Friday 17 June
St David's Hall, 7.30pm Song Prize Final
Saturday 18 June
New Theatre, 11.00 am and 3.00 pm Masterclasses
Sunday 19 June
St David's Hall, 6.00pm Main Competition, Final
The package price includes: Tickets, an illustrated talk by Humphrey Burton, reception, and an excursion to St Fagans (an open-air museum of Welsh life standing in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, a late 16th-century manor house).
This package can be purchased separately at a price of £450 per person, or with accommodation as below.
Hotel: We offer a choice of two Hotels – The Park Plaza, a sophisticated 4-star deluxe hotel located in the heart of the city centre, or The Big Sleep, which claims big value at small prices. Both hotels are within easy walking distance of St David’s Hall.
All prices for hotels include the package listed above.
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2011
15 – 20 Jun 2011 - Big Sleep - 5 nights including package
Price: £625 per person Single Supp: £125 per person
15 – 20 Jun 2011 - Park Plaza - 5 nights inluding packag)
Price: £915 per person Single Supp: £260 per person
11 – 20 Jun 2011 - Big Sleep - 9 nights including package
Price: £775 per person Single Supp: £200 per person
11 – 20 Jun 2011 - Park Plaza - 9 nights incuding package
Price: £1,200 per person Single Supp: £425 per person
Deposit: £450 per person
Travel: Travel to and from Cardiff is not included.
