Regio Songfestival
Also known asDutch Song Contest
GenreSong competition
Created by
Based onEurovision Song Contest
Country of originNetherlands
Original languageDutch
No. of episodes2 contests
Production
Running time~2 hours
Original release
Release25 May 1995 (1995-05-25) –
present

The Regio Songfestival (Dutch: [ˈreːɣioː ˈsɔŋfɛstivɑl]) is a song competition held among regional public broadcasters in the Netherlands.[1] Held for the first time in 1995 under its original title Dutch Song Contest (Dutch: Het Nederlandse Songfestival),[2] the contest's format is loosely based on the Eurovision Song Contest, with slightly different rules aimed at promoting local music.[3][4][5] After a 28-year hiatus, the competition returned in 2023.[2]

History

Logo of the 1995 edition

The concept for the competition had been in existence for several years before it was ultimately organised through the joint efforts of the Regionale Omroep Overleg en Samenwerking (ROOS) – the umbrella organisation of Dutch regional public broadcasters – and Stichting Conamus.[6][7] It was decided to stage the inaugural edition on Ascension Day in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Omroep Limburg (founded in 1945 as Regionale Omroep Zuid), marking half a century of regional public broadcasting in the Netherlands.[6][7] In addition, the event would fill the "gap" left by the Nationaal Songfestival, which would not be held that year due to the Netherlands' exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest 1995.[6][8]

Although the contest was not intended as a substitute for the Eurovision Song Contest itself,[6] there were plans for the format to potentially replace the Nationaal Songfestival as the Dutch national selection process in future years.[9][10] Its main objective, however, was to provide a platform for regional artists to gain nationwide recognition.[6][7] Despite its ambitions to become an annual event,[11] the contest was not held again in 1996. Instead, the regional broadcasters were invited by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to contribute to the organisation of the Nationaal Songfestival 1996.[3]

In May 2023, twenty-eight years after the 1995 edition, a revival of the competition was announced by the thirteen regional public broadcasters. The contest was held on 4 November 2023 and used a slightly adapted format, with a primary emphasis on promoting music in regional languages and dialects.[4][5]

Overview

Year Date Location Presenter Winner
Region Artist Song Language
1995 25 May Utrecht Karin Bloemen  Groningen Wia Buze "Bij alles wat ik doe" Dutch
2023 4 November Utrecht Stefania Liberakakis, Riks Ozinga and Bernadette Keizer  Limburg Emmy Ackermans "'t Letste rundje" Dutch, Limburgish

Format

Original songs representing different regions of the Netherlands are performed in a live programme, broadcast simultaneously by all participating broadcasters.[12][13] A "region" as a participant is represented by its regional public broadcaster. The programme is staged by one of the participant regions and is broadcast from an auditorium in the selected host city. As of 2023, the winner is determined by a combination of televoting and votes from regional juries.[12][14] Participating regions cannot receive points from their own regional jury.[12] The participating broadcaster of the winning entry is given the honour of organising the following year's event.[13][15]

1995 edition

Karin Bloemen, the show's presenter

The contest's first edition was held on Thursday 25 May 1995, beginning at 21:00 CEST (19:00 UTC), and lasted two hours.[6][16] The programme was broadcast solely on radio.[3][10][17] It featured thirteen entries – one from each province, with the exception of South Holland which was represented by two broadcasters: one serving the province's northern subregions (The Hague and surroundings; presented as "West"),[18] and one serving the southern subregions (Rotterdam and surroundings; presented as "Rijnmond").[19][20]

Muziekcentrum Vredenburg's Grote Zaal, venue of the contest

The contest was staged in the Grote Zaal ('Great Hall') of Muziekcentrum Vredenburg – a music venue in the city of Utrecht – in front of an audience of around 1,000 people, who were shown a slide show during the performances.[6] The performing artists were accompanied by a backing track.[6] The show was hosted by Dutch singer and cabaret performer Karin Bloemen.[8]

Rules

Only songs in Dutch were eligible to enter the competition.[7] After the submission window opened in November 1994,[7][21] a call for entries was published in the December issue of Buma/Stemra Magazine.[6][22] More than 600 compositions were received, from which an expert jury led by Conamus director John de Mol Sr. selected ten finalist entries.[6][7] In addition, three composers were personally commissioned to write an entry for the competition.[6][7]

Each of the thirteen entries was assigned to a regional broadcaster, which selected its own representative to perform the song.[7] Each broadcaster also appointed one jury member, who would distribute points to their favourite performances among the other regions' entries, while also taking into account the opinions of two listeners from their region.[8] The entry that received the most points would win the competition.[8] In the event of a tie, the entry that received the most top scores (10 points) from the juries would be declared the winner.[8]

Contest overview

The winner was Groningen represented by the song "Bij alles wat ik doe", composed by Kees Smit and performed by Wia Buze. Buze had won the jury vote by a small margin ahead of runner-up Joke Bruijs, who represented the Rijnmond region.[23][24] As the winning composer, Smit won ƒ10,000 (≈ €4,500) in prize money, while Buze was awarded promotional airplay on the participating broadcasters' radio stations and a cultural trip to London.[7]

Participants and result[7][25][26]
Region Broadcaster Artist Song Songwriter(s) Place
 Drenthe Radio Drenthe Eri-Kah "Ik ben verliefd" Elbert Kok 9
 Flevoland Omroep Flevoland Rudy Ray "Een leven zonder jou" Gaby Dirne [?]
 Friesland Omrop Fryslân Gina "Ga je mee?" Kees Smit [?]
 Gelderland Omroep Gelderland Margriet Markerink "Huid en haar"
  • Jeroen Kramer
  • Joop Maes
 [?]
 Groningen Radio Noord Wia Buze "Bij alles wat ik doe" Kees Smit 1
 Limburg Omroep Limburg Etienne Borgers "Wie kan zonder?"
  • Ernst Reichrath
  • Gregor Theelen
 [?]
 North Brabant Omroep Brabant Roland Verstappen "Hou me vast"
  • Marieke Bootsma
  • Habbo Beem
 [?]
 North Holland Radio Noord-Holland Jacques Kloes "Een leugentje om bestwil"
  • Eddy de Heer
  • Danny de Heer
  • Hans van Vondelen
 [?]
 Overijssel Radio Oost Helene Heine "Net als een droom" Kees Smit [?]
Rijnmond Radio Rijnmond Joke Bruijs "De laatste dans" Rowin Schumm 2
 Utrecht Radio Utrecht Peter Douglas "Mijn beste kameraad"
  • Boudewijn Spitzen
  • Lucy Steymel
  • Koen van Baal
 [?]
West Radio West Nurlaila "Blijf jij bij mij?" Kees Smit [?]
 Zeeland Omroep Zeeland Peter Adriaanse "De woorden, die schieten tekort"
  • Annemiek Woudt
  • Michiel Pos
 [?]

Reception

External videos
video icon Peter Adriaanse performing at the 1995 contest (footage from Omroep Zeeland)

The show was met with a negative critical reception, due to the alleged low quality of the performances.[26] The competition was ultimately not renewed for a second edition in 1996. Instead, the regional broadcasters were invited by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to contribute to the organisation of the Nationaal Songfestival 1996.[3]

Two contestants of the Dutch Song Contest, Roland Verstappen (North Brabant) and Gina de Wit (Friesland), were selected to compete in the Nationaal Songfestival 1996. The songwriters of the Zeelandic entry "De woorden, die schieten tekort" – Michel Pos and Annemiek Woudt – also entered the festival with the song "Neem me mee", performed by Lucretia van der Vloot. Following her win in the Dutch Song Contest, Wia Buze, whose repertoire had consisted primarily of songs in Gronings dialect, released a studio album entirely in Dutch.[27]

2023 edition

The contest's second edition was held on 4 November 2023, beginning at 20:30 CET (19:30 UTC), and lasted approximately two hours.[28] It was organised by the Netherlands' thirteen regional public broadcasters, with the (financial) support of Buma Cultuur, AVROTROS and the K.F. Hein Fund.[29][30] Unlike the 1995 edition, the show was broadcast on television by all participating broadcasters.[28] In addition, the show was broadcast by AVROTROS on the national television channel NPO 1 Extra.[31]

Venue and presenters

Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, venue of the 2023 edition

RTV Utrecht, the regional public broadcaster of Utrecht, was asked to host the first edition of the competition's reboot due to the province's central location within the Netherlands.[32][33] It was subsequently announced that the event would be staged at the Stadsschouwburg, a theatre in the city of Utrecht.[32] The venue has a capacity of 1,000 spectators.

On 2 October 2023, it was revealed that the show would be hosted by Greek-Dutch singer Stefania Liberakakis, alongside RTV Utrecht reporters Riks Ozinga and Bernadette Keizer.[34] RTV Utrecht announced that Liberakakis and Ozinga would be the show's main presenters, while Keizer would serve as green room host.[34]

Competing entries

For the first time, each participating broadcaster had sole discretion over the process it could employ to select its entry for the contest.[1][13] Entrants were not allowed to have had a Top 40 hit prior to participation, and had to sing in a regional language or dialect or in Dutch.[1][12] Regional contests that served as a broadcaster's selection process include Liet (Omrop Fryslân) and the Drèents Liedtiesfestival (RTV Drenthe).[35][36]

The performing artists were accompanied by a backing track.[37] The winner was determined by a combination of thirteen regional juries (67%) and a public televote (33%).[12][14]

Participants of the Regio Songfestival 2023[38]
Region Broadcaster Artist Song Language Songwriter(s)
 Drenthe RTV Drenthe Lisa Harms "Tot de zun uutgiet" Low Saxon[lower-alpha 1]
  • Roy Keuter
  • Dennis Hendriks
  • Rowdy Prins
 Flevoland Omroep Flevoland Abtin Salem "Kleurenblind" Dutch
  • Abtin Salem
  • Arjan Venemann
  • Marco Verhagen
 Friesland Omrop Fryslân Melissa Pander "Foarby" West Frisian Melissa Pander
 Gelderland Omroep Gelderland AleXingt! "Treinreis" Dutch Alex van der Horst
 Groningen RTV Noord Wat Aans! "Wakker in Grunn" Low Saxon[lower-alpha 2]
  • Rik Baptist
  • Teun Heuvel
 Limburg L1 Emmy Ackermans "'t Letste rundje" Dutch, Limburgish
  • Emmy Ackermans
  • Kirsten Michel
  • Didier de Ruyter
 North Brabant Omroep Brabant Sam & Merijn Knoop "Proost op het leven" Dutch[lower-alpha 3] Roy Koopmans
 North Holland NH Emma Koning "Mag het licht nog één keer aan?" Dutch Emma Koning
 Overijssel RTV Oost Leon Moorman "Dat ik leef" Low Saxon
  • Jord Brinkhuis
  • Karel Schepers
  • Leon Moorman
Rijnmond RTV Rijnmond Remedy "Nooit is het genoeg" Dutch
  • Jay van Leeuwen
  • Jurian Mooren
  • Soraya Oosterbaan
  • Wendy van der Torre
 Utrecht RTV Utrecht Melanie Ryan "Achterom" Dutch Melanie Reindertsen
West Omroep West Lien "Waar ben je dan" Dutch
  • Dylan Siemerink
  • Lien Cornelissen
 Zeeland Omroep Zeeland Smaakstof "Nacht van de nacht" Dutch
  • Dylan den Hartog
  • Niels Hariot

Contest overview

The running order for the live show was published on 27 October 2023.[39] The ABBA tribute band We Want ABBA!, featuring singers Mandy Huydts and Sandy Kandau, performed as the interval act.[40]

R/O Region Artist Song Points Place
1  Friesland Melissa Pander "Foarby" 159 5
2  Overijssel Leon Moorman "Dat ik leef" 172 3
3  Gelderland AleXingt! "Treinreis" 41 13
4  Zeeland Smaakstof "Nacht van de nacht" 78 11
5  Drenthe Lisa Harms "Tot de zun uutgiet" 96 8
6  Limburg Emmy Ackermans "'t Letste rundje" 177 1
7 Rijnmond Remedy "Nooit is het genoeg" 148 6
8  Utrecht Melanie Ryan "Achterom" 102 7
9  North Brabant Sam & Merijn Knoop "Proost op het leven" 172 2
10  Groningen Wat Aans! "Wakker in Grunn" 172 4
11  Flevoland Abtin Salem "Kleurenblind" 84 9
12  North Holland Emma Koning "Mag het licht nog één keer aan?" 80 10
13 West Lien "Waar ben je dan" 49 12

Spokespersons

The 10, 11 and 12-point scores from the juries were announced by a spokesperson from each region in the following order:

  1.  Friesland – Iris Kroes[41]
  2.  Overijssel – Willie Oosterhuis
  3.  Gelderland – Linda Geerdink
  4.  Zeeland – Elsa van Hermon
  5.  Drenthe – René Steenbergen[42]
  6.  Limburg – Henk Hover[43]
  7. Rijnmond – Esther Hart[44]
  8.  Utrecht – Pearl Jozefzoon[45]
  9.  North Brabant – Tom van den Oetelaar
  10.  Groningen – Wia Buze[46]
  11.  Flevoland – Marco Verhagen
  12.  North Holland – Maarten Faber
  13. West – Dennis Weening and Celine Huijsmans[47]

Detailed voting results

Voting procedure used:
  67% jury vote
  33% televoting
Total score
Jury vote score
Televoting score
 Jury vote
Friesland
Overijssel
Gelderland
Zeeland
Drenthe
Limburg
Rijnmond
Utrecht
North Brabant
Groningen
Flevoland
North Holland
West
Contestants
 Friesland 159 87 72 1067589487599
Overijssel 172 113 59 999121111106126126
Gelderland 41 21 20 111332111241
Zeeland 78 65 13 1055473544855
Drenthe 96 63 33 8672662510722
Limburg 177 112 65 78115981212891112
Rijnmond 148 102 46 5981079119114811
Utrecht 102 76 26 642311212751068
North Brabant 172 120 52 111110118101099111010
Groningen 172 94 78 121212121155311317
Flevoland 84 45 39 2314102473234
North Holland 80 73 7 37382478106123
West 49 43 6 424661162317
12 points awarded by juries
# Recipient Regions giving 12 points
4  Groningen  Friesland,  Gelderland,  Overijssel,  Zeeland
3  Limburg  North Brabant,  Utrecht, West
 Overijssel  Drenthe,  Groningen,  North Holland
2  Utrecht  Limburg, Rijnmond
1  North Holland  Flevoland

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Specifically Drents
  2. ↑ Specifically Gronings
  3. ↑ Contains one word in Brabantian

References

  1. 1 2 3 Granger, Anthony (1 May 2023). "Regio Songfestival Announced". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 Vries, Marion de; Grimmon, Marco (31 July 2023). "Regio Songfestival: Wie haalt 'douze points' voor Groningen?". RTV Noord (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 August 2023. We hebben goede hoop, want het is één keer eerder georganiseerd in 1995; toen hebben wij Wia Buze die kant op gestuurd en toen hebben we gewonnen. [We have high hopes, because it was organised once before in 1995; that year we sent Wia Buze [as our representative] and we won.]
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Jaarverslag 1995 – Eerste Nederlandse songfestival, live op 13 radio's". Stichting ROOS (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 7 March 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Regionale omroepen komen met eigen songfestival". Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Regio Songfestival promoot streektaal". NPO Radio 1 (in Dutch). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Songfestival met 'regionale' artiesten". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Delpher. 3 May 1995. p. 23. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hermens, Martin (6 May 1995). "Eerste Nederlands songfestival". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nationaal songfestival alternatief voor debâcle". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Delpher. 8 May 1995. p. 9. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Peter Adriaanse voor Zeeland naar Nederlands Songfestival". Zierikzeesche Nieuwsbode (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. 18 May 1995. p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Nummer Bredase producer Gaby Dirne kanshebber op alternatief songfestival: 'Een liedje moet op een draaiorgel kunnen'". De Stem (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. 20 May 1995. p. 29. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Songfestival-strijd tussen Wia Buze, Gina en Erikah". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 13 May 1995. p. 45. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Reglement van deelname Regio Songfestival 2023". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 "13 regionale publieke omroepen organiseren samen het allereerste Regio Songfestival". L1 (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Met deze 5 artiesten heeft Brabant het Regio Songfestival nu al binnen". Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Regionale omroepen organiseren eigen songfestival in Utrecht". RTL Boulevard (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Omroep Zeeland – Donderdag 25 mei". Scheldebode (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. 23 May 1995. p. 7. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "Regionaal 'alternatief' Eurovisie songfestival". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 22 May 1995. p. 13. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Uitzendgebied". Omroep West (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  19. ↑ "Over ons". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Het RTV Rijnmond uitzendgebied" (PDF). RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "Alternatief regionaal Songfestival". De Stem (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. 4 May 1995. p. 29. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Buma Stemra Magazine 5 (1994)". LastDodo (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Persoonlijk". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Delpher. 27 May 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Songfestival". Zierikzeesche Nieuwsbode (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. 26 May 1995. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  25. ↑ d'Ancona, Jacques (20 May 1995). "Songfestival gokt op talent uit de regio's". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). p. 47. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  26. 1 2 Hermens, Martin (26 May 1995). "Wia Buze wint songfestival". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). Delpher. p. 9. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Smit, Els (12 August 1995). "Wia Buze zingt geen smartlappen". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. p. 25. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Dertien kandidaten bij eerste Regio Songfestival". 1Limburg (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "Van Fries tot Veluws: Omroepen gaan strijd aan bij eerste Regio Songfestival". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  30. ↑ "Oud-Songfestivaldeelnemer Stefania presenteert landelijke finale Regio Songfestival". ANP Persportaal (in Dutch). Omroep Brabant. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  31. ↑ Granger, Anthony (4 November 2023). "Tonight: Regio Songfestival 2023". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  32. 1 2 "RTV Utrecht organiseert het eerste Regio Songfestival: doe jij mee namens Utrecht?". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  33. ↑ "Uniek Songfestival met alle regionale publieke omroepen". NH Nieuws (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  34. 1 2 "Dit zijn de presentatoren van het Regio Songfestival". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  35. ↑ "Winnaar Liet gaat Fryslân vertegenwoordigen in finale Regio Songfestival". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  36. ↑ "Regionale omroepen organiseren gezamenlijk allereerste Regio Songfestival". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  37. ↑ "Reglement van deelname - Regio Songfestival 2023". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  38. ↑ Keizer, Bernadette (28 October 2023). "Dit zijn de finalisten van het Regio Songfestival". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  39. ↑ "Dit zijn de finalisten van het landelijke Regio Songfestival". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  40. ↑ "De finalisten van het landelijke Regio Songfestival zijn bekend". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 30 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  41. ↑ Visser, Arjen (3 November 2023). "Aftellen naar het Regio Songfestival: wie zijn de kandidaten en hoe wordt er gestemd?". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  42. ↑ Granger, Anthony (3 November 2023). "Drenthe: Lisa Harms Looks Ahead to Tomorrow's Regio Songfestival Final". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  43. ↑ "Limburgse vakjury is klaar voor het Regio Songfestival". L1 (in Dutch). 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  44. ↑ "Limburg verrassende winnaar Regio Songfestival, 'onze act' Remedy eindigt op zesde plaats". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). 4 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  45. ↑ "Zaterdag is het zover: het eerste Regio Songfestival!". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 1 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  46. ↑ Grimmon, Marco; Vries, Marion de (2 November 2023). "Wie krijgt 'douze points' van Groningen? Dit is de Groninger jury". RTV Noord (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  47. ↑ Granger, Anthony (3 November 2023). "West: Omroep West Announces Regio Songfestival 2023 Jury". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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