The winning singers

Cardiff announces its favourites

The Cardiff Singer of the World 2005 Competition is over and the winners have been announced. In a fascinating finale, five contestant battled it out and were acompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales while doing so. Wendy Dawn Thompson (New Zealand), Dario Masiero (Italy), Andrew Kennedy (England) and Luis Olivares Sandoval (Chile) offered some billiant singing, but it was one of the USA's two participants that had the strongest breath: Nicole Cabell. Aparts from roles in "Thais" and "Le Nozze di Figaro", Cabell has displayed a remarkable interest in Mahler and is soon to appear in a rendition of his fourth symphony. On the night, however, she stole the jury's heart with a program of Tippett, Berlioz and Mozart's "Se il padre perdei" from Idomeneo. The public, however, once again voted someone else onto the podium: Korean Ha Young Lee won the Audience Prize, was showered with emails and prominantly featured in the BBC's "In Tune"-radio show despite her not reaching the finale. The third winner of 2005 was Andrew Kennedy, who despite losing out in the main competition, defended the masculine honour by snatching the Rosenblatt Recital Song Prize and earning 5.000 Pounds, exactly half of what Cabell got.

As always, the BBC, whose internet pages are so good that some newspapers are starting to complain because of fear of losing business, has done a remarkable job presenting the event - you can download clips of the competition and watch those young talents sing. And you can already decide to receive the latest news on the 2007-round.

Homepage: Cardiff Singer of the World 2005
Homepage: Ha Young Lee