Eurovision Young Musicians 2024: All you need to know

Do you know much about Eurovision Young Musicians? Or is this the first time that you’re hearing about it? Then you must have a lot of questions!

We here at Aussievision have produced an overview explaining what the competition is all about.

So, what exactly is the Eurovision Young Musicians?

The Eurovision Young Musicians is a competition that has been held every two years since 1982. It is an international classical music event aimed at offering the broadest possible stage to talented young classical musicians, aged between 12 and 21 years old, helping them embark on an international career.

Previous winners of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition have gone on to enjoy huge success on the world stage; they include Julian Rachlin (violin), Natalie Clein (cello) and Eivind Holtsmark Ringstad (viola).

The first Eurovision Young Musicians was held in Manchester (UK) on June 11, 1982. Since then it has been held six times in Vienna (Austria), three times in Germany (once in Berlin and twice in Cologne), twice in Switzerland (Geneva and Lucerne) and the United Kingdom (Manchester and Edinburgh), and once in Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Norway and France.

The last winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians was Daniel Matejča from Czechia back in 2022 when he competed in Montpellier, France.

So, when is the next competition?

The 21st edition of Eurovision Young Musicians is set to take place on August 17, 2024 at the Stormen Concert Hall in Bodø, Norway. The competition comes at a time when the city of Bodø also has the tenure as the European Capital of Culture.

The event will be organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) along with the Norwegian broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) who are hosting the competition.

This will be Norway's second time hosting the Eurovision Young Musicians. It was last held in Norway in the year 2000 in Bergen.

Who will be competing?

So far there are nine participating countries in this year’s competition. They include:

• Armenia

• Austria

• Belgium

• Czechia

• France

• Germany

• Norway

• Slovenia

• Sweden: Hugo Svedberg (Cello)

Back in October 2023 the EBU confirmed that this year's competition will only have a total of 10 broadcaster slots. So far only the nine have been filled.

Only Sweden have announced their participant so far.

Is the format just like the Eurovision Song Contest?

Well, not exactly. Each country is represented by one young musician. They perform a piece of classical music of their choice, accompanied by the local orchestra of the host broadcaster. A jury, composed of international experts, selects the top three participants.

From 1986 to 2012 and again in 2018, a semi-final round took place a few days before the Final, with the jury deciding which countries would qualify.

Back in 2014, there was a preliminary round which saw the jury score each musician and performance; however, all participating countries automatically qualified for the Final.

The semi-final elimination stage of the competition was expected to return in 2016. However, the semi-finals were later removed due to the low number of participating countries that year.

Is the jury set up similar to the Eurovision Song Contest?

No, there are only five jury members in total that make up the professional jury. This year's jurors have not yet been confirmed.

Where can I watch it?

The Eurovision Young Musicians Final will be broadcast live on Saturday, August 17 (European time). The EBU will provide international live streams of the competition through their official YouTube channel with no commentary.

A select number of broadcasters will be showcasing the competition, some live and some by delayed telecast.

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