Batavia Madrigal Singers Win The 2022 European Grand Prix At Tours, France

Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) won the 2022 31st European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP) which took place at the Grand Theater in Tours, France, on Saturday (18/6) local time. (Between)

JAKARTA - Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) won the 31st European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP) 2022 which took place at the Grand Theater in Tours, France, on Saturday (18/6) local time.

BMS founder and director Avip Priatna said he was proud and happy for this achievement even though the EGP had been postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"On behalf of BMS, I thank God Almighty and thank all parties who have participated in preparing us to become champions at the 31st European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP) 2022," said Avip in a press release received by Antara on Thursday. Sunday.

In this year's European Grand Prix, each EGP finalist prepares a free performance program with a duration of 22 to 26 minutes and involves works from three different eras.

In this match, BMS was strengthened by 44 singers and one pianist, led by Avip, who performed six works by Thierry Machuel, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, Edward Elgar, József Karai, Toyotaka Tsuchida, and Ken Steven.

The seven judges who judged performances at the EGP included Brady Allred, conductor from Salt Lake City, United States, Martina Batič conductor from Slovenia, Roland Hayrabedian conductor from France, Simon Kim Phipps, conductor from England, Mikael Wedar, conductor from Sweden, and Adrian Pop, a composer from Romania.

Besides BMS, participating in the EGP event this time included the University of Padjadjaran Student Choir from Indonesia, Jāzeps Vitols Latvian Music Academy Mixed Choir from Latvia, and the SŌLA Choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture also from Latvia.

The European Grand Prix for Choral Singing is the oldest choral competition in the world that pits the overall winners from six of Europe's most prestigious competitions.

BMS can be selected to appear in the EGP event because in 2019 it became the overall champion in the Certamen Coral de Tolosa (Tolosa Choral Competition) competition in Spain.

"After this match, BMS will always give their best performances, not only in every show, but also bring Indonesia's good name in every well-known international competition that we participate in," said Avip.

In addition to winning the EGP and Certamen Coral de Tolosa events, BMS has made a number of other international achievements including two of them, namely the first winner of the “50th Tolosa Choral Contest” competition in 2018 and three titles at the 48th Tolosa Choral Contest in Spain in 2016.