EGP PARTICIPANTS 2024

Dario Tabbia has graduated with highest honors in choral conduction at the “G. Verdi” conservatory of Turin and has been teaching choral music there since 1983. During the years 1991 and 1992 M° Dario Tabbia was the director of the RAI symphonic choir of Turin. In 1994 he founded the vocal ensemble Daltrocanto, with whom he has participated in some of the most prestigious ancient music festivals and recorded several albums. In 2008 he founded the Vox libera vocal ensemble and the Turin Chamber Choir, of which he is still the conductor. Co-conducted the Italian Youth Choir with Lorenzo Donati from 2011 to 2014. With the Turin Chamber Choir and the other choirs, he has led he has won many first prizes from national and international competitions, as well as Best conductor awards. He has produced four CDs.

He has been a member of the Artistic Committee of Feniarco and of the Musical Committee of Festival Europa Cantat Torino 2012. In 2015 he has been invited to the Festival Europa Cantat in Pécs (Hungary) in quality of teacher.

He is artistic director of the National Polyphonic Competition of Lago Maggiore and member of the Artistic Committee of the “F. Corti” International Competition for Choir Directors. He has founded a school for choral conductors. He is author of the book “Il direttore di coro”. He has conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Tunisia and Hungary, as well as in major Italian cities.

As member of the jury, he has taken part in prestigious national and international choral competitions including Arezzo, Fermo, Quartiano, Lago Maggiore, Malcesine, Matera, Stresa, Vittorio Veneto and Varna (Bulgaria). He has worked with musicians such as L. Andriessen, O. Dantone, G. Kurtag, Z. Pesko, R. Robertson, J. Savall and F. Shipway.

Juan Pablo de Juan conducts the Madrid Youth Choir since its creation in 2014. In addition, he conducts the Madrid Men-voices Choir (Coro de Voces Graves). He studied in the Superior Music Conservatory of Málaga, specialising later in Singing and in Orchestra Conducting in the Royal Superior Music Conservatory of Madrid.

As a choir conductor he has worked with numerous groups, including the Coral Polifónica Melillense, the Coro Eurolírica, Coro de Jóvenes de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Filarmonía de Madrid, Orfeón Donostiarra, among others.

In 2010 he was awarded the prize for best new young conductor at the International Grand Prix Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. In 2014, the “José Hódar Talavera” prize for best conductor at the LX International Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja; in December 2016, the prize for “Best Conducting” at the 38th Certamen Nacional de Nanas y Villancicos Villa de Rojales, as well as at the 8th International Festival “Musica Eterna Roma”, held in July 2017, where it won again the prize for “Best Conducting”.

He was president of the jury at the 63rd International Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja. In 2019 he was the main conductor of the Spanish National Television Choir. In 2023 he won the Best Young Conductor Award at the XLI International Choir Competition Prof. Georgi Dimitrov in Varna (Bulgaria).

Esteban Urzelai graduated with a degree in Piano from San Sebastian Conservatory and in Choral Conducting and Orchestra Conducting from the Higher School of Music of the Basque Country, Musikene. He has conducted various choirs, including:

• Oñatiko Ganbara Abesbatza (1996-2009)
• Children’s and youth choirs of the Orfeón Donostiarra (2004-2020)
• Assistant conductor of the Orfeón Donostiarra (2007-2020)
• Basque Country Youth Choir (2016-2019, and 2024)
• Oviedo Opera Choir (2020-2021)
• Suhar male choir (2018- )
• Assistant conductor of the Spanish National Choir (2020- )

He has won various prizes with his choirs, such as the Spanish Grand National Prize for Choral Singing in 2004. In 2023, with SUHAR male choir, he got the 2nd prize at the 17th International Choral Competition Gallus in Maribor (Slovenia), and five prizes at the 54th Tolosa Choral Contest, including the Grand Prize. He collaborates actively with the Confederation of Choirs of the Basque Country, and regularly gives conducting and performance courses throughout Spain. In 2018 he created SUHAR korua, together with the pianist Amaia Zipitria.

Rasmus Krigström started singing in a choir at the age of five. He graduated the Stockholm Music Gymnasium at the age of 19 and was already then singing in some of the best amateur choirs in Stockholm. He holds a degree in choral conducting and music education and is finishing a master’s degree in choral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

During the fall of 2006, Rasmus started singing lead in the barbershop quartet Ringmasters. During this time, he started arranging more for vocal groups, something he has grown very fond of since then. He was working professionally with choir and ensemble singing, mostly in the Swedish Radio Choir. Ringmasters became Collegiate World Champions in 2008, 4th place in the world in 2009, third place in 2010, started touring Europe and the US doing shows, masterclasses and clinics. The summer of 2012 Ringmasters became International Quartet Champions. Ringmasters were invited as guest teachers at the Harmony University in the US.

Rasmus leads Zero8 since 2015. Since then, Zero8 has competed in and won classical competitions, and sung as guest artists in several places around the world. Since 2015 he has managed to become a certified barbershop music judge and is also the director of the mixed chamber choir A Scalpella in Stockholm, the mixed barbershop chorus Northern Stars and co-director of the female barbershop choir Pearls of the Sound, from Helsingborg. In 2019 he was invited to direct the Next Generation Chorus at Harmony University in Nashville. Rasmus has also directed the Taipei Male Choir during two projects, in 2019 and 2022.