Shure announces winner of Montreux Jazz Voice Competition 2016

Latvian Vocalist Arta Jekabsone Wins Prestigious Title At Montreux Jazz Festival

Montreux Jazz Voice Competition 2016

The Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition was established to nurture  and promote talented young singers from all around the world. As sponsor  of the competition since its inception in 2003, Shure is proud to  announce the winners of the 2016 contest, the finals for which were held  on July 9th in the Petit Théâtre at Montreux Palace during the  world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival. This year 164 entrants from all  over the world took part, with 10 semi-finalists performing in Montreux  before an international jury of singers, composers and journalists,  presided over by Beninese singer/songwriter Angélique Kidjo. With great  difficulty, three contestants were chosen to go through to the final:  Fabio Giacalone from Italy, Arta Jekabsone from Latvia and Erik  Leuthäuser from Germany.

Following a final set of performances, Jekabsone was announced as the  winner, with Leuthäuser in second place, and Giacalone third.

A former violin student and graduate of the Riga Choir cathedral  school in the Latvian capital, Jekabsone is currently studying on a  scholarship at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New  York. She tried to make her winning performance at the competition as  personal as possible, as she explained in an interview straight after  receiving first prize: "When I was thinking about the concept of what to  sing, for me the first condition was: be yourself. I chose the songs  where I felt a connection."

All three of the 2016 finalists will take home Shure products of  their choice to a value of 2000 Euros each, along with other prizes.

Videos of the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition, including  Jekabsone's winning performance, interviews and other highlights, can be  seen at: https://shureatmontreux.wordpress.com