(Originally posted October 23, 2007)
You may have seen my little interim post below about today's activities. So I thought that it would be a good thing to give you an expanded view of what we are up to.
We are a diverse collection of variously qualified individuals. We have our own biases, our own priorities, our own beliefs in what is important. Therefore, whatever we concluded today will have been affected by these rich experiences that we have been fortunate enough to have had.
So what is the scoop? I think that the first thing to be said is that I consider that the Jury's collective wisdom at the end of the voting process is quite reliable. Whatever our individual differences may have been, somehow at the end of the session we came up with an answer that we could all live with. Oddly, this was not the case with the last group between 6 and 7.30 this evening by which time we were punch drunk and losing our marbles, or whatever else it is that keeps us on the strait and narrow. So we may think about that again tomorrow.
Nevertheless the reality is that we have to discard about 34 of the 46 highly selected and admirable singers that we have selected for the finals this week. This is not just painful. It requires a ruthless determination that does not come easily to any of us.
So we have the obligation to bring 12 to the semi-finals. We will have a good deal of sympathy for those that do not "make the cut". Those who do not should not worry about this. Some remarkable singers have been "discarded" from Neue Stimmen at this stage. Violeta Urmana and Angela Denoke are but two. It really does not matter - but it would be really nice to have the prize money.......!!
We will be totally specific tomorrow. The fact is that 34 will be on the way home. That is a shame, but there is no other way. This year is as competitive as any other - and it breaks my heart that so many go home after the first round.
We are on parade again at 10 tomorrow.
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