The following 13 ensembles were selected as finalists in the qualifying round in this year’s Contest for Vocal Ensembles: A Capella Boğaziçi (Turkey), Anima Solla (Latvia), AORA (Sweden), Femma Fatale (Finland), From the Roots (USA), Gretchens Antwort (Germany), niniwe (Germany), Les Itinérantes (France), NoVI (UK), StimmGold Vokalensemble (Germany), Total Vocal (Israel), Vox Populi Project (Mexico) and Åkervinda (Sweden). Unlike previously announced, this year’s contest will be held entirely online; the category division was abandoned because of the small number of entries in the live category for Finnish ensembles.
There were 23 ensembles from 14 countries in the qualifying round in the online category, with a wide range of genres and styles, including jazz, soul, ethno and classical.
The jury for the qualifying round notes: “It was brilliant to notice that the coronavirus pandemic has not defeated vocal ensembles or restricted international entries to the Contest.
“The standard of performance was high, and it was fascinating to see how many different styles and ways of making music were represented. Positive motivation always shines through, even on recordings.”
It was also gratifying that there were so many young singers among the applicant ensembles, and also that there were several ensembles wishing to return to Tampere to compete again. This bodes well for the future of the Contest for Vocal Ensembles.
The videos of the finalists’ performances for the final round and the results of the Contest for Vocal Ensembles will be published during the Tampere Vocal Music Festival, 9 to 13 June 2021.