The winners of the acoustic category and the overall Grand Prix at this year’s Contest for Vocal Ensembles at the Tampere Vocal Music Festival are Les Itinérantes from France. Second prize in the acoustic category was awarded to HØST from Denmark. In the amplified category, the jury only awarded the first prize, to Flok from Finland, who were also the audience favourite in an online vote.
“The Grand Prix winners, Les Itinérantes, were in a class of their own. They distinguished themselves both with their unique repertoire and with their emotionally engaging performance,” says jury chairman Jussi Chydenius. He goes on:
“Sadly, there were fewer ensembles than usual in this year’s Contest. However, those who did come were of a consistently high standard, and the prize winners deserve their awards. Personally, I was delighted by the number and quality of Finnish ensembles of young singers. First and foremost among them was Flok, which the jury selected as their favourite, and we wish them well.”
The other jury members were Bob Chilcott (UK), Susanna Lukkarinen (Finland), Janis Siegel (USA) and Morten Vinther Sørensen (Denmark). The vote for the audience favourite was held online, on the basis of music videos submitted by the ensembles and posted on the Tampere Vocal Music Festival website.
The final round of the Contest for Vocal Ensembles had seven participating ensembles this year, from Finland, Denmark/Sweden, France and Estonia. The Contest was jointly organised with the Kalle Kaihari Cultural Foundation. The concluding concert will be broadcast on YLE Radio 1 on Wednesday 21 June starting at 19.02, and it will be available online at YLE Areena for one month after that.
The Tampere Vocal Music Festival continues until Sunday 18 June, with a generous offering of concerts, courses, performances free of charge under the Feel the Festival! banner and singalong sessions around the city. The Chorus Review runs from Thursday to Sunday, and its merit prizes will be awarded at the Concluding Concert of the Chorus Review on Sunday at 14.00.
Prize list
Grand Prix
Les Itinérantes (EUR 1,000)
Category for acoustic ensembles
1st prize: Les Itinérantes (EUR 3,000)
2nd prize: HØST (EUR 2,500)
Category for amplified ensembles
1st prize: Flok (EUR 3,000)
Audience favourite prize
Flok (EUR 500)’Flok (EUR 500)