'Europe in harmony'. German singing group win first prize in EESC choir/video competition

'Delta Q' from Germany was awarded first prize in the 2015 European Economic and Social Committee i's video and choir competition. The second prize went to "Only Words" submitted by Inés Poggio from Spain and the vocal group "Do Re Mi" led by Svilena Georgieva from Bulgaria took third prize.

The three winners received their prizes from EESC vice-president Jane Morrice at the Award Ceremony in Brussels last night. "Europe in Harmony has brought together a huge variety of backgrounds, all singing from the same song sheet! Young and old, jazz, rap and classical, different groups from the far reaches of Europe submitted their versions of Ode to Joy and their results are heartwarming. Europe in Harmony isn't just a simple choir contest, it is also a way of spreading an important message about European identity, culture, belonging, togetherness, diversity, values and joy. A message which is badly needed in the Europe of today," said Jane Morrice.

The winning clip, submitted by the small a cappella group from Berlin Delta Q, is a stop motion video set to an arrangement of Ode to Joy. Delta Q described their clip as a musical journey through the entire world. "What moved us to join the competition was the chance to share our music with people that we otherwise would not have had the possibility to reach. Cultural exchange is only possible when nations learn to live together in harmony," said a member of Delta Q.

The four people behind the Spanish entry "Only words" are all from Madrid and are members of a school musical theatre group called "Musicables." Although their daily jobs are quite different - a music teacher, a sports teacher, a graphic designer and a biologist - they all share a love for music. "The most beautiful thing about this project is the large number of people involved in it - 17 different nationalities, 92 people appearing in the video and more than 10 people involved in its creation. We hope that we were able to identify with a very large number of different people and cultures," said the graphic designer Inés Poggio.

The youngest winner in Europe in Harmony this year comes from the Bulgarian town of Silistra. The 15-year-old singer Svilena Georgieva took part in Europe in Harmony together with the singing group "Do Re Mi." "Europe in Harmony symbolises music to us. We wanted to share with the audience our appreciation of the wonderful opportunities that the EU has given us. We also wanted to present our country as a worthy member of the large European family," said Svilena.

About the competition: The 2015 EESC video challenge was open to choirs, singing groups and amateur video-makers from all 28 EU Member States. Entrants were required to perform an interpretation of the anthem "Ode to Joy", accompanied by a video clip, in any EU language. There were participants from all walks of life and all age groups - children's choirs, people with disabilities, even whole schools. The emphasis was not on getting it right but rather on taking part in a musical dialogue on Europe. The competition ran from November 2014 to March 2015, during which time the EESC received more than 60 entries. This was followed by a public online vote, which determined the top 10 videos. The top ten entries were then sent to an expert jury who made the final selection of the three winners.

Watch and listen to the ten finalists here!

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For more information, please contact:

EESC Press Unit

E-mail: siana.glouharova@eesc.europa.eu

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