Thanks for that info, countess, but i havent got the technology to listen in on a computer. But I think I heard a smattering of most of the people. And it's given me a little project for the next year: to persuade some of the more raw youngsters I know to enter the competition. The overall impression of the contestants seemed to me to be polished rather than rough, careful rather than exuberant, impressive rather than moving. That may just reflect the tastes of the judges, but we shall see.......