2008 Grand Prix der Volksmusik Scandal

It seems every year there is a lot of drama surrounding the Grand Prix der Volksmusik. This year it started with the Zellberg Buam (Austria) who were slated to compete, but they let the news out before the competition took place. They were disqualified for not sticking with the rules.

On May 23, Sudtirol had their Vorentscheid competition in Algund, Italy. Markus Frings was scheduled to host this show, but the last minute Markus Frings fell ill and Rudy Giovannini (here is a link to his Italian site or take a look at his fanpage-Neckar Alb) stepped in. This would have been all OK, but Rudy had written the song under a pseudonym (pen name), Fabio Omero, that Sauguat sang (and landed 1st place), "Die Schaefer von Schnalstal". This is not allowed according to the rules and promptly Sauguat was disqualified.

Now the 5th place winner, Bergdiamanten (Ein Bisschen Gottvertrauen), will compete for Sudtirol at the finals in Zurich, Switzerland on August 30. Take a look at their website, it already has a Grand Prix der Volksmusik icon with "Auch wir sind dabei". They sure did not waste any time! It's a chance they didn't think they would get.

If you would like to see what the standings were for the Sudtirol Vortentscheid, go the fanclub page for Vincent & Fernando that Maria Olliges hosts. You can see all the standings for the Sudtirol Vorentscheid. A great big THANKS to Maria Olliges who sent me this news. She found this reported on the Bergfeuer website and for those of you who can read German, here is a link to the Bergfeuer webpage. Maria Olliges was the Talent Coordinator for the Stimmung Stunde and is still very active in the Volksmusik scene.