Eurovision Choir Of The Year 2017 ~ Belgium

Photo taken from "Les Pastoureaux" 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 second country to be premiered is Belgium. RTBF will be Belgium's national broadcaster.

Who Are Belgium's Choir?

The choir representing Belgium are "Les Pastoureaux". The group consist of 32 boys aged between 7 and 14. The choir was started in 1974, and have been very popular in the small nation ever since. Their increased fame has led to over a thousand concerts performed, and they have sang for the Belgium royal family. They sing in a variety of styles from sacred music of the world along with other worldly styles, they state that, “Music practice and group solidarity are at the very heart of the Pastoureaux project". Check out their official website out here, and their Facebook here.

What Will They Sing?

They have chosen two original songs and that were written especially for the competition, and they are:

Dans La Troupe (In The Troop) Ensemble (Together)

Who Is the Conductor?

They have had several conductors over the years, but Philippe Favette will have the honour and duty of showcasing "Les Pastoureaux". Philippe is a bass baritone, and was gifted and passionate about music from a very young age. He began is professional career as a singer at 'Collegium Vocale Gent'. He holds several first prizes and a Diplôme Supérieur in Opera Singing. He has conducted and directed several choirs, and has become world famous for this often giving master classes in his talents.

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 has a sneaking suspicion about this choir, and we would like to wish Belgium all the best this Saturday. Check them singing in the video below.

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