RTBF has confirmed to Eurovoix that they have opted for an internal selection process to select their participant for Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 in Edinburgh.
Belgium are returning to Eurovision Young Musicians after a 12 year break from the competition. Laetitia Huberti, Head of Delegation for Belgium confirmed to Eurovoix that due to time constraints the broadcaster has opted to internally select their participant for Eurovision Young Musicians 2018.
RTBF has partnered with the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel to find the Belgian participant. The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel was founded in 1939 and is one of the premier institutions for artistic education in Belgium, specifically focusing on young and developing talents.
Belgium made their debut in Eurovision Young Musicians in 1986, with their best results being third place finishes in 1990 and 1992. Belgium hosted the competition in 1992 with twelve countries taking part in the contest, this included debuts from Poland and Hungary.
Albania will make their Eurovision Young Musicians debut in this year’s contest. Seven countries will make their return to the contest. These are Belgium (last participated in 2006), Estonia (2004), Greece (2014), Israel (1986), Russia (2010), Spain (2002) and the host nation, the United Kingdom (2010). Austria, who is the most successful country in the contest with five wins, will not take part for the first time since 1982.
The 2018 edition of Eurovision Young Musicians sees the return of a semi-final elimination round, which will take the form of public chamber recitals (St. Cecilia’s Hall) by all contestants on 18-19 August, with all recitals produced by BBC Radio 3 for distribution to the Euroradio network (as well as via web streaming).
Source: RTBF
Eurovision Young Musicians has been held bi-annually since 1982. The contest was based on the format of The BBC Young Musician of the Year in the United Kingdom. Performers in the contest must be aged under 18 years and are selected by their participating broadcaster. Each performer performs a piece of classical music of their choice accompanied by the local orchestra. The winner is decided by a jury made up of classical music experts and talents.
