So the results are that I came first in the Pop category, and 3rd in the Classical category, but that actually put me in 3rd overall!
Song Choices were:
- 1st Round: The Final Countdown (Europe), and The Swan (Saint Saens)
- 2nd Round: Stairway to Heaven (Led Zep), and Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)
I was super confident because I whistled the best I ever have. Better than when I won in 2009 , against harder competition (Geert). The audience also reacted really well to them both.
BUT it wasn’t my day. I think that my style (palate / tongue whistling, rather than the traditional pucker style) didn’t resonate with all of the judges (2 of the 4 were different this year than in 2009). Hand on my heart that is the only explanation for not winning again, as I nailed the performances.
The womens category was pretty good. Carole Anne Kaufman was good as always, but the winner this year was ‘Scottie’ Helm who I met in 2009. She can whistle in harmony with herself, and has a great style (check out a video of her from 2009 here). Even if I had managed to win, I think that she may have won overall (if they combined the women and the men – which I hope they don’t do now!)
