Built as a theatre from 1818 to 1821 under the name of the Schauspielhaus Berlin, later also known as the Theater am Gendarmenmarkt and Komödie, its usage changed to a concert hall after the Second World War and its name changed to its present one in 1994. It is the home to the Konzerthausorchester Berlin symphony orchestra.
A total of twenty countries took part in the preliminary round of the 2002 contest, of which seven qualified to the televised grand final. The following countries failed to qualify.[1]
Awards were given to the top three countries. The third-place musician received €2,000, second-place €3,000, and the winner €5,000. The table below highlights these using gold, silver, and bronze. The placing results of the remaining participants is unknown and never made public by the European Broadcasting Union.[3]
The 20th anniversary competition was transmitted live over the Eurovision Network by 11 out of the 27 broadcasters in 23 countries. Belgium, Iceland and Malta broadcast the contest (the latter two for the first time), in addition to the competing countries.[4][5]