BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition
The current logo used since 2017
Awarded forSinging
Sponsored byBBC and Cardiff Council (main event)
Wigmore Hall (Song Prize),[1]
Cardiff University School of Music (Audience Prize)[2]
LocationSt David's Hall, Cardiff[3]
CountryWales, United Kingdom
Presented byBBC
Formerly called
  • Cardiff Singer of the World
  • BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff
Reward(s)The Cardiff Trophy and £20,000 (main prize)[3]
Song Prize Trophy and £10,000 (song prize)[3]
Crystal trophy and £2,500 (Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Audience Prize)[3]
First awarded1983; 41 years ago (1983)
WinnerAdolfo Corrado, 2023[4]
WebsiteBBC Cardiff Singer of the World website
Television/radio coverage
NetworkBBC Four, BBC Two Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Cymru.
The previous logo used from 2007 to 2015

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (known as Cardiff Singer of the World from 1983 to 2001 and BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff in 2003) is a competition for classical singers held every two years.[5]

The competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales,[3] home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The creation of the competition was overseen by Geraint Stanley Jones, who was the controller at BBC Wales at the time.[6]

Auditions are held throughout the world in the autumn before the competition, with singers being selected to take part in Cardiff the following June. Each singer represents their own country. In Wales there is a competition to select the national representative; the winner of the Welsh Singers Showcase represents Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.[7]

The competition is judged by a panel of distinguished singers, musicians and music professionals. In 2003 an audience prize was also introduced for the primary competition; in 2011 it was renamed the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize to mark the passing of the singer who was the competition's first patron.

  1. ^ "New partnership for Wigmore Hall and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World". Rhinegold Publishing. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. ^ "School of Music sponsors audience prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World". Cardiff University. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "About Cardiff Singer". BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. ^ "BBC Cardiff Singer of the World crowns 2023 winner". BBC. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Thomas, Huw (26 August 2015). "Geraint Stanley Jones, former head of BBC Wales and S4C, dies". BBC Wales. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Welsh Singers Competition – For singers at the early stages of their career, aged 18 to 32". Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2016.