The Eurovision Young Musicians 2016 was the eighteenth edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians contest, which took place on 3 September 2016, outside the Cologne Cathedral, in Cologne, Germany. For a second consecutive time, German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) was the host broadcaster for the event, with Daniel Hope and Tamina Kallert being the presenters for the show. Musicians representing eleven countries with European Broadcasting Union (EBU) membership, participated in the contest, with San Marino making their debut, while Greece, Moldova, Netherlands, and Portugal decided not to participate in this edition. The candidates were accompanied by the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Clemens Schuldt. A five-person jury decided which of the participants would be awarded with the top-three prizes. Łukasz Dyczko of Poland won the contest, with Czech Republic and Austria placing second and third respectively.
Locations of the bidding countries. The eliminated countries are marked in red. The chosen host country is marked in blue.
Bidding phase
Two cities were interested in hosting the 2016 edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians, Budapest and Cologne. Following the bid presentations to the contest's Steering Group members, representatives of Norwegian broadcaster Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), Dutch broadcaster Omroep NTR (NTR) and Slovenian broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO) decided to award the hosting of the 2016 contest to Cologne and the German broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR).[1]
Host city announcement
The contest was held on an open-air stage outside Cologne Cathedral, Cologne.
It was announced on 9 December 2014, that the 2016 contest would take place at the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany on 3 September 2016.[1][2] This was the second consecutive time that the German city had hosted the Young Musicians, with the last being the Eurovision Young Musicians 2014. This was the sixth time that the competition was held on an open-air stage.[3] It was also the third time that Germany had been the host nation, with their first in Berlin for the Eurovision Young Musicians 2002.[4]
Format
Each of the eleven participants performed a piece of up to six minutes in length, which was judged by a five-person professional jury. Each of the jurors commented on the performances after each participant had finished their piece, adding to the interaction during the show. After all of the performances, the jury then awarded points to each participant, with the total scores being used to decide the winner. Prizes were awarded to the first, second, and third placed participants.[5]WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Clemens Schuldt, accompanied each of the eleven the participating musicians during their performances.[6]
On 28 April 2016, it was announced by the EBU and host broadcaster WDR that Daniel Hope and Tamina Kallert [de] would be the presenters for the eighteenth edition of the Young Musicians contest.[7] Hope is better known as a British classical violinist who is of German descent,[8] won the prize for young British classical performer of the year at the Classic Brit Awards in 2004.[9] and more recently was awarded the 2015 European Cultural Prize for Music, presented at the Dresden Frauenkirche in October 2015.[10] Kallert started her career with WDR in 1995 as a journalist and television host for the German broadcaster, and has presented programmes including the German travel show, Wunderschön! [de].[7]
The following countries participated in the 2016 contest. The semi final elimination stage of the contest was expected to return this year,[18] with the first semi final scheduled to take place on 28 August 2016 and the second on 29 August, and the final on 3 September 2016.[19] However the semi-finals were later removed due to the low number of participating countries.[20] This year, only eleven countries participated in the contest.[20]San Marino made their debut at the Eurovision Young Musicians. Greece, Moldova, Netherlands and Portugal withdrew from this year's competition.[21]
Finalists
The Grand Final was held on 3 September 2016. Awards were given to the top three countries. The third-place musician received €3,000, second-place €7,000, and the winner €10,000 and a solo concert performance with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne.[22] The table below highlights these using gold, silver, and bronze. The placing results of the remaining participants is unknown and never made public by the European Broadcasting Union.[23]
The following countries, listed in order of broadcasting dates, confirmed that they will broadcast the contest along with the dates of broadcasting schedules.[27]
Cyprus – On 18 October 2015, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) announced that they will not participate at the event. Cyprus last participated at the 2010 Young Musicians event.[31]
Israel – On 19 October 2015, Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) announced that they will not participate at the event. Israel's last, and only, participation was at the 1986 Young Musicians event.[32]
Latvia – On 15 October 2015, the Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) announced that they would not take part in the 2016 event. Latvia last participated at the 2004 Young Musicians event.[33]
The following list of countries have participated at least once since the inaugural contest in 1982 but have not stated their reasons for their continued absence in competing:[34]
^Banel, Philippe (16 July 2012). "Interview de Jonathan Cohen, chef d'orchestre" [Interview with Jonathan Cohen, conductor]. tutti-magazine.fr (in French). Tutti Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
