Qatar School Choir of the Year returns for fifth edition

After a two-year pandemic-imposed hiatus, international school Doha College brought “Qatar School Choir of the Year” back to the music scene. Inaugurated in 2017 to add new breadth to the music education in Qatar, the competition exploded in popularity and participation, with choirs doubling in size or forming specially for the occasion.

Hosted for the first time on Doha College’s new Al Wajba campus, this edition involved sixteen choirs from all around the country; they sang in three age categories, namely 5 to 8, 7 to 11 and 11 to 18. 

Lead adjudicator Greg Beardsell, international musician and conductor involved in an astounding number of music education and performance initiatives, has been with the competition from the very beginning. This year, he was assisted in the difficult task of adjudicating the competition by long-time panel member Olga Protopopova, Principal of the International Centre for Music, and valued new addition Zlatan Fazlic, Director of the Qatar Music Academy.

In addition to the category winners and runners up, Qatar School Choir of the Year rewards other aspects of the choral experience. The "Stagecraft Award" recognises the all-important choir choreography, which makes songs exciting to watch, not just listen. The "Conductor Award" recognises the qualities that a music teacher requires in order to get the best from their students: enthusiasm, energy, fun, decisiveness, clarity and - most of all - patience!