Music performance in sign language: ORF launched casting for sign performers at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest
On Friday, January 16, 2026, a casting call for sign performers from the international deaf community took place at the ORF Media Campus. Thirteen participants demonstrated their artistic skills and can now hope to perform at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. Their task will be to perform the songs of the participating ESC acts in International Sign. Since 2015, sign performance has been part of the accessible offerings at the Eurovision Song Contest. As the first public broadcaster to produce sign performances of the songs presented at a song contest, ORF played a key role in establishing this service.
ESC Executive Producer Michael Krön: „We want to make the Song Contest in Vienna accessible to everyone. This not only fulfills the public service mandate of ORF but also represents a commitment to what the Eurovision Song Contest has stood for decades: diversity, inclusion, and European cohesion. The song performance in International Sign is a fantastic, creative means of expression for the ESC song entries and an enrichment for our comprehensive barrier-free offering. I congratulate all 13 participants of the casting at ORF for their extraordinary performances and look forward to the entries in May.“
Selected candidates will perform at the Song Contest in International Sign
For several hours at the ORF Media Campus, the talented performances of the 13 candidates were viewed and evaluated by a select jury. Particular attention was paid to the participants' experience in sign language and International Sign, their performance, artistic competence, motivation and openness, as well as their joy in being in front of the camera and sharing their passion for the ESC with an international audience. During the casting, the 13 applicants had to introduce themselves in 15-minute slots and present a three-minute performance. Now, several performers will be selected from the pool of participants to be part of the sign performance team at the Song Contest in Vienna. The kick-off for their activity is January 31. Subsequently, the selected applicants will work with experts in several preparatory workshops to develop the artistic representation of visual-musical content and professionalize their physical expression. The finished song performances will be pre-produced at ORF and will be seen in all three live shows of the Eurovision Song Contest on ORF ON and ORF 2 Europe.
The jury of the ORF casting included Ilona Seifert (WITAF), Sabine Klein (equalizent), Helene Jarmer (ÖGLB), as well as Judith Weissenböck and Sabine Weber (both ORF). The casting was moderated by performance coaches Delil Yilmaz and Magdalena Schramek.
The casting for sign performers is based on an initiative by the ORF Department of Accessibility and Inclusion. Judith Weissenböck, head of the Sign Performance project, and Robert Ziegler, head of the Department of Accessibility and Inclusion, say: "The first insights into the applicants' skills show the quality that has already developed in this relatively young art form. We are very pleased to be able to offer these artists the largest possible stage - a significant contribution to an inclusive Song Contest."
What is International Sign and Sign Performance?
International Sign is an internationally recognized and widely used sign language which, like all sign languages, is used primarily by deaf and hard-of-hearing people to communicate.
Sign performance is an artistic form of expression that uses sign language as a central means of presenting poetic, theatrical, or musical content. It is not just a matter of translating spoken/sung text into sign language, but rather an independent artistic staging that includes elements such as body movement and facial expressions, rhythm, dance elements, etc. Sign Performance is not the same as interpreting but is its own art form. It focuses on sign language and uses it in creative ways.
Since 2015, the Eurovision Song Contest has offered sign performance in International Sign as an accessible service. ORF was the first public broadcaster to produce the presented titles with sign performance at a song contest and was instrumental in establishing this service.
Further information on the casting of sign performers can be found here:
ORF TELETEXT offers special service for ESC 2026 starting from page 450
ORF TELETEXT is also offering a special service for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. Several pages (starting on page 450) will not only provide the most important and latest news about the Song Contest, but also in-depth articles about the world's biggest TV entertainment event.
(January 19, 2026)