Regio Songfestival

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 is set to return in 2023.[2]

Regio Songfestival
Also known asDutch Song Contest
GenreSong competition
Created by
Based onEurovision Song Contest
Country of originNetherlands
Original languageDutch
No. of episodes1 contest
Production
Running time~2 hours
Release
Original release25 May 1995 (1995-05-25)

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 upcoming contest, scheduled to be held on 4 November 2023, will use 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 Upcoming

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, votes from a professional jury consisting of well-known musicians, 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, Leiden, Gouda and surroundings),[18] and one serving the southern subregions (Rotterdam, Dordrecht and surroundings).[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]

Result

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 Southern South Holland 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]

Competing entries 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
 [?]
Northern South Holland Radio West Nurlaila "Blijf jij bij mij?" Kees Smit [?]
 Overijssel Radio Oost Helene Heine "Net als een droom" Kees Smit [?]
Southern South Holland 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
 [?]
 Zeeland Omroep Zeeland Peter Adriaanse "De woorden, die schieten tekort"
  • Annemiek Woudt
  • Michiel Pos
 [?]

Reception
External video
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 is scheduled to be held on 4 November 2023, beginning at 20:30 CET (19:30 UTC), and will last approximately two hours.[28] Unlike the 1995 edition, the show will be broadcast on television by all participating broadcasters.[28] It is also set to be broadcast on the national television channel NPO 1 Extra.[2]

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.[29][30] It was subsequently announced that the event would be staged at the Stadsschouwburg, a theatre in the city of Utrecht.[29] The venue has a capacity of 1,000 spectators.

On 2 October 2023, it was announced that the show will be hosted by Greek-Dutch singer Stefania Liberakakis and Dutch presenters Riks Ozinga and Bernadette Keizer.[31] Hailing from Utrecht, Liberakakis is known for her participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016, representing the Netherlands, and the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, representing Greece. Both Ozinga and Keizer are regular presenters at RTV Utrecht.

Rules

The 2023 edition is organised by the Netherlands' thirteen regional public broadcasters, with the (financial) support of Buma Cultuur, AVROTROS and the K.F. Hein Fund.[32][33] For the first time, each participating broadcaster has sole discretion over the process it may employ to select its entry for the contest.[1][13] Entrants may not have had a Top 40 hit prior to participation, and must sing in a regional language or dialect or in Dutch.[1][12] Regional contests that serve as a broadcaster's selection process include Liet (Omrop Fryslân) and the Drèents Liedtiesfestival (RTV Drenthe).[34][35]

The performing artists will be accompanied by a backing track.[36] The winner will be determined by a combination of televoting, votes from a professional jury consisting of well-known musicians, and votes from regional juries.[12][14][32]

Competing entries
Region Broadcaster Artist Song Language Songwriter(s) Ref.
 Drenthe RTV Drenthe Lisa Harms "Tot de zun uutgiet" Low Saxon[lower-alpha 1]
  • Roy Keuter
  • Dennis Hendriks
  • Rowdy Prins
 [37]
 Flevoland Omroep Flevoland Abtin Salem "Kleurenblind" Dutch TBA [38]
 Friesland Omrop Fryslân Melissa Pander "Foarby" West Frisian TBA [39]
 Gelderland Omroep Gelderland AleXingt! "Treinreis" Dutch Alex van der Horst [40]
 Groningen RTV Noord Wat Aans! "Wakker in Grunn" Low Saxon[lower-alpha 2]
  • Rik Baptist
  • Teun Heuvel
 [41]
 Limburg L1 Emmy Ackermans "'t Letste rundje" Dutch[lower-alpha 3]
  • Emmy Ackermans
  • Kirsten Michel
  • Didier de Ruyter
 [42]
 North Brabant Omroep Brabant Sam & Merijn Knoop "Proost op het leven" Dutch[lower-alpha 4] Roy Koopmans [43]
 North Holland NH Emma Koning "Mag het licht nog één keer aan?" Dutch Emma Koning [44]
Northern South Holland[lower-alpha 5] Omroep West Lien "Waar ben je dan" Dutch
  • Dylan Siemerink
  • Lien Cornelissen
 [45]
 Overijssel RTV Oost Leon Moorman "Dat ik leef" Low Saxon
  • Jord Brinkhuis
  • Karel Schepers
  • Leon Moorman
 [46]
Southern South Holland[lower-alpha 6] RTV Rijnmond Remedy "Nooit is het genoeg" Dutch
  • Jay van Leeuwen
  • Jurian Mooren
  • Soraya Oosterbaan
  • Wendy van der Torre
 [47]
 Utrecht RTV Utrecht Melanie Ryan "Achterom" Dutch Melanie Reindertsen [48]
 Zeeland Omroep Zeeland Smaakstof "Nacht van de nacht" Dutch TBA [49]

See also

Notes
  1. Specifically Drents
  2. Specifically Gronings
  3. Contains repeated phrases in Limburgish
  4. Contains one word in Brabantian
  5. Presented as West
  6. Presented as Rijnmond

References
  1. Granger, Anthony (1 May 2023). "Regio Songfestival Announced". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  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. "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. "Regionale omroepen komen met eigen songfestival". Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. "Regio Songfestival promoot streektaal". NPO Radio 1 (in Dutch). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. "Songfestival met 'regionale' artiesten". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Delpher. 3 May 1995. p. 23. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. Hermens, Martin (6 May 1995). "Eerste Nederlands songfestival". Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant (in Dutch). Krantenbank Zeeland. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  8. "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. "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. "Reglement van deelname Regio Songfestival 2023". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  13. "13 regionale publieke omroepen organiseren samen het allereerste Regio Songfestival". L1 (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  14. "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. 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. "Dertien kandidaten bij eerste Regio Songfestival". 1Limburg (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  29. "RTV Utrecht organiseert het eerste Regio Songfestival: doe jij mee namens Utrecht?". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  30. "Uniek Songfestival met alle regionale publieke omroepen". NH Nieuws (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  31. "Dit zijn de presentatoren van het Regio Songfestival". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  32. "Van Fries tot Veluws: Omroepen gaan strijd aan bij eerste Regio Songfestival". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  33. "Oud-Songfestivaldeelnemer Stefania presenteert landelijke finale Regio Songfestival". ANP Persportaal (in Dutch). Omroep Brabant. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  34. "Winnaar Liet gaat Fryslân vertegenwoordigen in finale Regio Songfestival". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  35. "Regionale omroepen organiseren gezamenlijk allereerste Regio Songfestival". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  36. "Reglement van deelname - Regio Songfestival 2023". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  37. "Lisa Harms winnaar Drèents Liedtiesfestival 2023". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). 18 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  38. "Abtin Salem met 'Kleurenblind' naar Regio Songfestival". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  39. "Melissa Pander wint Liet en mag Fryslân vertegenwoordigen op Regio Songfestival". Omrop Fryslân (in Dutch). 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  40. "AleXingt! grote winnaar Gelders Regionaal Songfestival". Omroep Gelderland (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  41. Vries, Marion de; Grimmon, Marco (22 September 2023). "Wat Aans! mag namens Groningen naar het Regio Songfestival (update)". RTV Noord (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  42. "Emmy vertegenwoordigt Limburg bij het Regio Songfestival". L1 (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  43. Beijk, Collin (5 October 2023). "Muziekbroers Sam en Merijn gaan voor Brabant naar het Regio Songfestival". Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  44. "Emma Koning wint Noord-Hollandse voorronde Regio Songfestival". NH Nieuws (in Dutch). 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  45. Groeneweg, Maarten (8 September 2023). "Popgroep LIEN gaat naar Regio Songfestival: 'Dit is wel heel erg gaaf'". Omroep West (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  46. "Leon Moorman namens Overijssel naar finale Regio Songfestival". RTV Oost (in Dutch). 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  47. "Popduo Remedy vertegenwoordigt Rijnmond op Regio Songfestival: 'We zijn helemaal hyper!'". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  48. Keizer, Bernadette (28 September 2023). "Melanie Ryan (24) is de Utrechtse finalist voor het Regio Songfestival". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  49. "Smaakstof wint Zeeuwse voorronde Regio Songfestival". Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
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