RTVE, the Spanish national broadcaster, has revealed why it was not on the list of participating countries for Eurovision Young Musicians 2020.
Last July, Ana María Bordas, the Head of Delegation for Spain, stated that it was likely that Spain would return for the 2020 edition of the contest. However, when the list of participating countries was published by the EBU, RTVE had still not reached a decision on whether or not to participate, due to a number of factors. These included the cost of participation and the selection method. For their last participation in 2018, RTVE used the classical music talent show “Clásicos y Reverentes” to select their participant, which has since been taken off air.
RTVE has stated that their main focus is currently on both the Eurovision Song Contest and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. However, when the EBU announce the new date for the postponed contest, RTVE are open to taking part in the contest once more.
Eurovision Young Musicians 2020 was due to be held this June in King Tomislav Square in Zagreb but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The EBU and the host broadcaster HRT have not stated whether the contest will take place this year or be delayed until 2021, as the Eurovision Song Contest has been.
The broadcasters who were due to compete this year were:
• Croatia (HRT)
• Czech Republic (CT)
• Estonia (ERR)
• Germany (WDR)
• Greece (ERT)
• Malta (PBS)
• Norway (NRK)
• Poland (TVP)
• Slovenia (RTVSLO)
• Sweden (SVT)
• Ukraine (UA:PBC)
Spain first took part in Eurovision Young Musicians in 1988 and have appeared in the contest eight times since then. Their best result to date was in 1992, when harmonicist Antonio Serrano finished second. On their last participation in 2018, Spain returned to the contest after an absence of 16 years. Violinist Sara Valencia represented the country in Edinburgh, where she failed to qualify for the final.
Source: ESC-Plus.es
