Original version

BBC World Service South Asia

The Arts Hour

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

The best global arts coverage from across the BBC.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Arts Hour: Backstage: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Cardiff Singer of the World main finalists

29/06/2019 GMT

Backstage: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

BBC World Service - The Arts Hour, Backstage: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

Nikki Bedi is backstage at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition

Nikki Bedi is backstage at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, regarded as the world’s premier classical singing contest.

The Arts Hour with Nikki Bedi is backstage at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, regarded as the world’s premier classical singing contest.  Winning it can catapult a singer to international stardom.   As rehearsals take place in St David’s Hall in the Welsh capital Cardiff, Nikki meets the five finalists who come from South Korea, America, China, Argentina and Ukraine.  

Nikki speaks to the legendary Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, patron of the competition, to Frederica von Stade, the renowned American singer who is one of this year’s judges and to the dynamic Polish conductor Ewa Strusińska. 

Elin Manahan Thomas, who sang at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle,  explains how she coped with her Royal Wedding nerves and how she’s helping the finalists deal with their nerves.  

Nikki has a sneak peek at the glamorous gowns being steamed in readiness for the show, chats to the costume and makeup artists whose job it is to see the singers look their best on camera and we hear from the doctor standing by in case of voice emergencies. 


Finalists: 

Mingjie Lei (China)
Guadalupe Barrientos (Argentina)
Andrei Kymach (Ukraine), 
Sooyeon Lee, 
(South Korea) 
Patrick Guetti (USA)

Interviewees

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Patron 
Frederica von Stade, Judge
Ewa Strusińska, Conductor
Huw Williams, Voice Consultant 
Judith Jones, Costume Supervisor
Barbara Roberts, Makeup Supervisor
David Jackson, Artistic Director



Photo shows the competition finalists (c) Kirsten McTernan

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Arts Hour

Backstage: BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service South Asia

About BBC World Service