Choir competition to pit Qatar’s primary schools

Doha College hosts Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year Contest that
will see participation of students from primary schools across the country
Doha College is hosting the country’s primary schools as they launch the Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year (QPSCoY) Competition at the Shangri-La Hotel, Doha. This inaugural choir competition is open to all primary schools across Qatar and has been made possible thanks to Doha College and partner Shangri-La Hotel Doha.
Schools are invited to submit their choirs for entry into the competition before the closing date of January 26, 2017. Choirs will then be invited to take part in heats to be held at the Shangri-La Hotel Doha in March 2017 in the hope of making it to the final of the competition. The final will take place in May and will be hosted at the Shangri-La Hotel’s Ballroom in Doha. The top school choirs selected from the various heats will compete for the coveted title, Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year 2017.
The competition will be judged by a carefully selected panel of music educators, who will include established performers from the Qatar music scene and a celebrity adjudicator from Europe appearing for the first time in the Middle East.
Alison Keane, Head of Primary Music at Doha College, explained: “Many schools organise choirs as an after-school activity. Singing in a group offers many benefits enhancing children’s confidence, listening skills, develops a team spirit, and above all is great fun. I am delighted to be launching this competition and I am grateful to the team who have made this happen. I look forward to hearing primary choirs from across Qatar uniting to sing.”  
“We are really delighted to sponsor this fantastic community event which brings together so many dedicated children, teachers and parents in the shared joy of song,” said Alex Willats, General Manager of the Shangri-La Hotel, Doha. “This year is special, as it’s the very first time,” he continued. “We are looking forward to building on a great show tonight so that the ‘Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year’ competition becomes a popular annual event.”
Rowan, a member of the Doha College KS2 Choir, told us: “I can’t wait to find out what other choirs sound like, to hear different styles, different languages and music from other parts of the world. I’m sure we will learn something new from the other participants.”
Doha College is one of the oldest British curriculum schools in Qatar providing a world-class education for over 1,900 students between the ages of three and 18, who represent over 72 nationalities. In 2016, Doha College became a pioneer school for High-Performance Learning.