Choirs Go Head To Head In Manchester For Choir Of The Year 2010

-In association with BBC Radio 3-
-Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England-

The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester will be alive with the sound of music this weekend (Saturday 20 February 2010) as over 20 choirs from across the UK compete in the regional heats for the prestigious Choir of the Year competition. Successful choirs will go through to the National Selection Stage in June 2010.  Tickets are free [details below].  

Choir of the Year (www.choiroftheyear.co.uk) is the UK’s largest group singing competition and is searching for the nation’s best amateur choir. Over 6,000 singers of all ages and music styles will battle it out for a place in the Grand Final, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC FOUR in November 2010, reflecting the range and depth of music making in communities across the UK, from classical to pop and musical theatre. 

Area Selection days are taking place across the UK, starting in Manchester, with competing choirs singing to win a place in June’s National Selection.  Choirs perform in front of a live audience and receive feedback from expert judges on their performance.  At the National Selection, recordings of all the winning choirs from the Area Selection Stages are judged, with the winning choirs going on to perform at the Category Finals, at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 6 November.

The Category Finals are broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and crown the best children’s, youth, adult and open choirs in the UK - a great achievement for the winning choir.  Category Final winners then go forward to compete for the overall title ‘Choir of the Year 2010’ at the Grand Final at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 28 November.  It takes place in front of a live sell out audience, and is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC FOUR.

Stuart Barr, Judge said: “Saturday’s event provides a wonderful opportunity to hear some of the best singing groups across the country. The whole day will be a celebration of singing and performance. I hope as many people as possible can come to share the thrill of the live competition and feedback from the judges.”
Learn To Sing
Choir of the Year in partnership with Making Music are giving people the opportunity to develop their talent through a series of six-week Learn to Sing courses for newcomers to singing. The unique series of singing coaching sessions conclude with the opportunity for singers to perform live on stage in front of a packed audience at a regional Choir of the Year event.

Learn to Sing participants from courses hosted by the Salford Choral Society from Salford and the St George's Singers from Stockport, will have the opportunity to sing live on stage and see, meet and learn from the very best vocal groups in the country, raising their aspirations and showcasing the range of singing opportunities on offer.

Tickets
Tickets to watch the regional audition rounds are FREE.  Dates and venues of all the competition events are listed on www.choiroftheyear.co.uk to reserve tickets call Kallaway Ltd, on 020 7221 7883.  Information on tickets for the Category and Grand Finals will be posted on www.choiroftheyear.co.uk during the competition. 

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Eliz Helvacioglu eliz.helvacioglu@kallaway.com 020 7221 7883
Helen Price helen@choiroftheyear.com 020 7313 6273

The Selection Process
The Selection Process takes place in three stages:

• Area Selection Stage
  Choirs compete in their chosen regions for the opportunity to become Choir of the Day in their category and progress to the next round of the competition.

• National Selection Stage
  All Choirs of the Day go forward to the National Selection Stage. A team of adjudicators will listen to recordings made of the choirs at the Area Selections and choose six choirs in each of the four categories to go through to Category Finals

• Category Finals
  Twenty-four choirs will compete in the Category Finals at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 6-7 November 2010 to pick six choirs to go through to the Choir of the Year Grand Final, which will be held at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 28 November 2010.

Categories
The 2010 competition categories are:

• Open Choirs - There are no upper or lower age limits in this category. It's ideal for singing groups which include children and adults, specialise in a particular cultural tradition or style of repertoire or simply want to do something a little bit different.
• Children’s Choirs - Majority of singers 12 and under.
• Youth Choirs - Majority of singers 18 and under.
• Adult Choirs – Same or mixed voices

About Choir of the Year  (www.choiroftheyear.com)
Choir of the Year is the UK’s national amateur group singing competition and the foremost competition of its kind – winning the competition is the ultimate achievement for any UK choir.

Over 200 choirs of all ages and music styles will be performing at regional heats at major venues across the UK from February to June 2010.  These events are FREE for the public to attend, but tickets go quickly!  The choirs are singing to win a place in the Grand Final at the Royal Festival Hall on 28 November, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC FOUR.  Competing choirs receive live feedback from esteemed judges at each event. Tickets for all performances can be booked by emailing info@choiroftheyear.com. 

Since 1984 more than 130,000 singers of all ages have taken part in Choir of the Year, a biennial festival of singing, performing in a vast array of styles – pop, gospel, barbershop, classical and World music. It is FREE to enter and choirs get to perform to a live audience and have expert judges provide live feedback and written guidance notes following the heat.   Choir of the Year is more than a competition and helps choirs to become the best they can, providing the opportunity for singers of all ages and backgrounds to meet and exchange ideas, it raises the aspirations of thousands of singers by promoting teamwork, dedication and a passion for singing.

About Making Music
Making Music, the National Federation of Music Societies, is one of the largest arts umbrella organisations in the UK, representing and supporting over 2,750 voluntary music groups. Its members include choirs, orchestras, music promoters, jazz and wind bands, community festivals, samba groups, sitar ensembles, barbershop choruses and brass bands. It provides a comprehensive range of financial, artistic and administrative services, as well as development and training opportunities to member groups. Making Music also lobbies on behalf of its members to national and local government and other agencies. Collectively, Making Music’s 200,000 musicians and music lovers present around 10,000 concerts each year to an audience of 1.6 million people.

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