Mexico in the OTI Festival 1983

Mexico in the
OTI Festival 1983
OTI Festival 1983
Participating broadcasterTelevisa
Country Mexico
Selection processNational OTI Festival
Selection date25 September 1983
Competing entry
Song"Compás de espera"
ArtistMaría Medina
SongwriterAmparo Rubín
Placement
Final resultFinalist
Participation chronology
◄1982 1983 1984►

Mexico was represented at the OTI Festival 1983 with the song "Compás de espera", written by Amparo Rubín, and performed by María Medina. The Mexican participating broadcaster, Televisa, selected its entry through a national selection with several phases. The song, that was performed in position 14, was not among the top-five places revealed.

National stage

Televisa held a national selection with four televised qualifying rounds, two semi-finals, and a final to select its entry for the 12th edition of the OTI Festival. This twelfth edition of the National OTI Festival featured 28 songs in the qualifying rounds, twelve in the semi-finals, and six in the final. The top-three entries were awarded at the end. In addition to the general competition, awards were also given for Best Male Performer, Best Female Performer, Best Musical Arrangement, and Breakout Artist among all the competing artist.

The shows were held at Teatro de la Ciudad in Mexico City, were presented by Raúl Velasco, and were broadcast on Canal 2. The musical director was Chucho Ferrrer, who conducted the orchestra when required.

Qualifying rounds

The four qualifying rounds were held on Saturdays 20 and 27 August, and 3 and 10 September 1983. Each round featured seven entries, of which the three highest-scoring advanced to the semi-finals. In each round, each of the ten jurors cast one vote for each of their three favorite entries.

  Qualifier

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were held on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September 1983. The twelve songs that qualified in the qualifying rounds were distributed between the two semi-finals, and the three most voted songs from each semi-final went on to the final.

Final

The six-song final was held on Sunday 25 September 1983. The final was held in two rounds, shorlisting three songs for a superfinal. The winner was "Compás de espera", written by Amparo Rubín, and performed by María Medina.

  Winner

Merit awards

In the final, the jurors voted aloud for the Best Male and Female Performer, Best Musical Arrangement, and Breakout Artist among the shortlisted artist in each category.

Gualberto Castro received the Best Male Performer Award, Carminna the Best Female Performer Award, Sergio Andrade the Best Musical Arrangement Award for "Tierno", and Rafael Amador and Mariana Maesse the Breakout Artist Award jointly.

Official album

Las 12 triunfadoras del Festival OTI 83 is the official compilation album of the twelfth edition of the Mexican National OTI Festival, released by Gamma in 1983. The vinyl LP features the studio version of the twelve songs qualified for the semi-finals.[8]

At the OTI Festival

On 29 October 1983, the OTI Festival was held at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., United States, hosted by the Spanish International Network (SIN), and broadcast live throughout Ibero-America. María Medina performed "Compás de espera" in position 14, with Chucho Ferrer conducting the event's orchestra. At the end, only the top five places were announced, and the Mexican entry was not one of them.[9]

Televisa broadcast live the festival on Canal 2.[10]

Voting

Each participating broadcaster, or group of broadcasters that jointly participated representing a country, appointed a juror who secretly scored each entry in a scale of 5–1 points, except for the entry representing its own country. The Mexican juror was Lucía Méndez.

Notes

  1. ^ a b In the tiebreaker round "A la vuelta de la esquina" received 8 votes and "Fotografía" received 7 votes.

References

  1. ^ Primera eliminatoria del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 20 August 1983.
  2. ^ Segunda eliminatoria del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 27 August 1983.
  3. ^ Tercera eliminatoria del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 3 September 1983.
  4. ^ Cuarta eliminatoria del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 10 September 1983.
  5. ^ Primera semifinal del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 23 September 1983.
  6. ^ Segunda semifinal del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 24 September 1983.
  7. ^ Final del XII Festival OTI Nacional Mexico 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Televisa. 25 September 1983.
  8. ^ Las 12 triunfadoras del Festival OTI 83 (Media notes). Various artists. Gamma. 1983. LP PE GX01348.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ XII Festival de la canción OTI 1983 (Television programme) (in Spanish). Washington, D.C., United States: Spanish International Network. 29 October 1983.
  10. ^ "Programación de televisión para hoy sábado" [Television programming for today, Saturday]. El Informador. Guadalajara, Mexico. 29 October 1983. p. 17–C. Retrieved 14 October 2025 – via National Digital Newspaper Archive of Mexico.