In Riga, where the competition took place, Slovenia was represented by Carmen Manet, a women’s choir from Kranj. It was chosen to take part in the Choir of the Year competition by the Department for Music and Ballet Programs at TV Slovenia. The project received financial support from the Public Fund for Cultural Activities.

Nine EBU member countries took part in the competition: Slovenia, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, and Wales. Each choir put on a six-minute performance in its chosen genre. The performances were judged by an expert jury, which was headed by British composer John Rutter and the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča. The winning choir receives a recording contract. The singers of Carmen Manet performed songs by young Slovenian composters Samo Vovk and Katarina Pustinek Rakar.

The European Choir of the Year event is a part of the popular European Choir Games, which are organized by Interkultur of Germany in association with LIVE RIGA. Since 1988, Interkultur has been the world’s leading organizer of choral competitions and festivals.

This year’s European Choir Games were the third so far. The event was based on Olympic ideals – a desire to bring people and nations together in a spirit of fair and peaceful competition. In 2014, the games were extraordinary extensive and successful, with 460 choirs and 27,000 singers from 73 countries taking part.

Translated by J. B.