The BBC Singer of the World competition (formerly the Cardiff Singer of the World competition) is a singing competition held every two years. It is considered the one of the most prestigious competitions in the opera world.

The competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales, home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

In 1987, a Lieder Prize was introduced. The 1989 was particularly noteworthy with Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel winning the Lieder prize and Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky taking the overall title. Both singers went on to enjoy extremely successful careers with international acclaim.

For the 2003 competition, 951 singers from 56 nations applied, of which 483 were shortlisted for audition. They were heard in forty locations across thirty countries around the world. The shortlist was finally narrowed down to twenty-five singers, with two reserves.

Many prominent singers have served in the jury, such as Carlo Bergonzi, Geraint Evans, Marilyn Horne, Gundula Janowitz , Sherrill Milnes, Christoph Prégardien , Joan Sutherland, and Galina Vishnevskaya.

The competition is televised and followed with great interest by the music-loving public in the UK.

See also

• List of classical music competitions

External links

• BBC Singer of the World competition webpage
• History of the competition