Cardiff Singer of the World
Contents |
Host
Brian Kay (1983-7)
Chris Stuart (1989)
Humphrey Burton (1991)
Natalie Wheen (1993-7)
Petroc Trelawny (1999 to present)
Huw Edwards (live final host, 2003-9)
Aled Jones (BBC2 Wales, 2007-9)
Catherine Bott (Radio 3, 2007-9)
Josie D'Arby (co-host, 2009 to present)
Fiona Talkington (Radio 3, 2009)
Donald Macleod and Iain Burnside (Radio 3, 2011 to present)
Connie Fisher and Tim Rhys-Evans (BBC2 Wales, 2011 to present)
Broadcast
BBC Radio 3, 18 July 1983 to present
BBC 2, 18 July 1983 to 19 June 2011
BBC Knowledge (qualifying rounds), 2001
BBC Four (qualifying rounds, also final since 2013), 2003 to present
BBC 2W / BBC Two Wales, 11 June 2007 to present
Synopsis
Young classical singers from around the world converge on Cardiff and, well, sing. The contest was first held in 1983, to mark the opening of St David's Hall, and has been held every second year since. There are two categories, "Opera" and "Song" (formerly "Lieder" - roughly anything that is not opera), and 25 singers aged between 18 and 36 take part in the televised stages. The Song final has been staged as a separate event since 2005.
The competition takes place in odd-numbered years, with Young Musician of the Year running in the even-numbered years.
Champions
| Year | Opera prize | Lieder prize (from 1989) | Audience prize (from 2003) |
| 1983 | Karita Mattila, soprano, Finland | ||
| 1985 | David Malis, baritone, USA | ||
| 1987 | Valeria Esposito, soprano, Italy | ||
| 1989 | Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone, USSR | Bryn Terfel, baritone, Wales | |
| 1991 | Lisa Gasteen, soprano, Australia | Neal Davies, baritone, Wales | |
| 1993 | Inger Dam-Jensen, soprano, Denmark | Paul Whelan, baritone, New Zealand | |
| 1995 | Katarina Karnéus, mezzo-soprano, Sweden | Kirsi Tiihonen, soprano, Finland | |
| 1997 | Guang Yang, mezzo-soprano, China | Christopher Maltman, baritone, England | |
| 1999 | Anja Harteros, soprano, Germany | Dae-San No, baritone, Korea | |
| 2001 | Marius Brenciu, tenor, Romania | Marius Brenciu, tenor, Romania | |
| 2003 | Tommi Hakala, baritone, Finland | Ailish Tynan, soprano, Ireland | Angela Marambio, soprano, Chile |
| 2005 | Nicole Cabell, soprano, USA | Andrew Kennedy, tenor, England | Ha-Young Lee, soprano, Korea |
| 2007 | Shen Yang, bass baritone, China | Elizabeth Watts, soprano, England | Jacques Imbrailo, baritone, South Africa |
| 2009 | Ekaterina Shcherbachenko, soprano, Russia | Jan Martiník, bass, Czech Republic | Giordano Lucà, tenor, Italy |
| 2011 | Valentina Nafornita, soprano, Moldova | Andrei Bondarenko, baritone, Ukraine | Valentina Nafornita, soprano, Moldova |
