Eurovision Choir Of The Year 2017 ~ Austria
Photo taken from Hard-Chor Linz official Facebook page
In just 2 days time. This Saturday 22nd July, the very first ever Eurovision Choir Of The Year will Take Place in Riga Latvia. It will be held in the Arena Riga and will see nine countries from Europe compete to see who will be crowned Europe's best. Over the next two days Eurovoxx will give you all the details of the artists. The 9 choirs are given six minutes to perform as many songs as they wish. The first to be premiered is Austria. ORF will be the national broadcaster.
Who Are Austria's Choir?
The choir representing Austria are "Hard-Chor Linz" are based in the Linz region of Austria and comprise of around 40 members. They were founded in the Spring of 2007, with Alexander Koller being one of the original founding members. According to their website, " Hard-Chor is orientated on what is demanded and what needs to be expressed. However, authenticity is fundamental to the choir and its conductor Alexander Koller". They sing in a variety of styles ranging from Acapella to a more modern sound. They sing with or without musical instruments, and do not necessarily need microphones to show the power of their voices. Check out their official website out here, and their Facebook here.
What Will They Sing?
They have chosen three songs and they are:
Ave Maria – Anton Bruckner I tua wos i wü – Folk song Rah – John Muehleisens
Who Is the Conductor?
(Photo: Claudia Börner)
The Conductor is the one of the original founding members of the group Alexander Koller. He was born in 1979, graduated from the University of performing Arts in Vienna in 2004, and completed his Masters in 2005.He also taught music, and has been managing the Linz Singakademie. In an interview with OTS he stated that the Choir was very excited and that, "Everything is possible in Riga. We give our best and if we do not become last, that is already great. But, of course, we hope for the first place".
How Will The Winner Be Chosen?
Unlike Eurovision there will be no tele voting, and no 'douze point', instead a winner will be chosen by a professional and impartial jury. The jury will consist of Latvia's Elina Garanca (a mezz- soprano), Switzerland's Nicolas Fink (a conductor), and finally United Kingdoms John Rutter (composer).
What Are The Rules?
The choirs have up to six minutes to perform one or more songs in the time allocated, and they can use any genre of music to sing. However they, “should in part reflect national or regional character in some way”.
Eurovoxx would like to wish Austria all the best this Saturday. Check them singing in the video below.
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