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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.

As he did every year since inception, Greg held singing workshops with all participating students (over 800 of them in 2023!), in which he taught new songs and techniques in his unique, engaging way. The students - many of them new to the competition - left with an even deeper love of singing. According to Greg, the standards were incredibly high this year, on par with many reputable international competitions.

And now, we give you the winners of the Qatar School Choir of the Year 2023!

Doha College "Prestos", winners of the age category 5-8

Conductor - Paulo Vicente
Accompanist - Ryan Sullivan
Runners up - Vision International School

American School of Doha "Dragon Voice Squad," winners of the age category 7-11

Conductor - Brita Fray
Accompanist - Lisa Cheung
Runners up - Park House English School

Dukhan English School "DES SING!", winners of the age category 11-18

Conductor - Mark Young
Accompanist - Louise Clelford
Runners up - Oryx International School

American School of Doha "Dragon Voice Squad," overall 2023 winners

American School of Doha "Dragon Voice Squad" with lead adjudicator Gregg Beardsell
Previous edition overall winners: Oryx International School

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! 

Stagecraft Award - Vision International School

Conductor - Sarah Atya

Conductor Award - Gabriela Núñez

Park House English School

It was absolutely wonderful to welcome 16 choirs from across Qatar -  it highlights how strong the support for music and arts is in the country. Students from all the choirs gave fantastic performances and wowed audiences across the heats and the final. I would like to extend congratulations and thanks to all the parents, the students for all their hard work, and the teachers for their hours of dedication.

Ms. Steph Gomaa, Director of Music

To see photos from the two-day event, tap here, and to listen to the finalists, tap here. You can also flick through the programme below for more information about the heats, the songs and our esteemed adjudicators.