JURY 2023
Peter Broadbent is one of Britain’s leading choral conductors, known for his consistent commitment to contemporary music. In 1988, he formed the Joyful Company of Singers, which rapidly established itself as one of Europe’s leading chamber choirs, winning an impressive list of National and International Competitions. Performances have included many of the major UK festivals, including the BBC Proms, and they have given concerts and broadcasts throughout Europe and in the USA. The JCS repertoire includes over 35 first performances, and its discography extends to over 25 CDs, with recording continuing to be an important part of its activity.
He works as a guest conductor throughout Europe, including concerts and broadcasts with the BBC Singers, the National Chamber Choir in Dublin, and has conducted the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Chorus in Debrecen. He gives masterclasses and adjudicates at international competitions. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit for promoting and strengthening British-Hungarian cultural relations and in 2022 he was awarded the MBE for his services to music.
Zoltàn Kocsis-Holper (HU) is a choral conductor, bariton singer and music teacher. He is the chief conductor of the Kodаly Choir Debrecen in Hungary, the artistic leader of the choir called Kórus Spontánusz and guest conductor of the Lajos Vass Hungarian Teachers Choir in Slovakia. Earlier on he was the assistant conductor of the Hungarian National Choir and he was the leader of multiple amateur ensembles like Vass Lajos Chamber Choir, Zoltán Górdonyi Choir Sopron or Mannergesangverein Franz Liszt in Raiding.
As a conductor he worked with the Hungarian Radio Choir, the Hungarian National Choir and orchestras like the Budafok Dohnanyi Orchestra, Capella Savaria and Franz Liszt Symphonic Orchestra in Sopron.
In 2015 he won 2nd prize and special prize for the best performance of a piece of an Italian composer at the 8th International Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Turin, Italy. Mr Kocsis acts as chairman of the Association of Hungarian Choirs, Orchestras and Folk Ensembles – KУTA.
Voicu Popescu is a choir conductor. A graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania, he began his professional career as a member of the “Madrigal” National Chamber Choir and, later on, collaborated with it as choir master. In 1994 he founded the SOUND Choir, as well as the SOUND Cultural Foundation which enabled him to organise concert tours, festivals, and choral symposia and master classes.
Between 1988 and 2004 he worked as second conductor of the Romanian Radio Children’s Choir, and from 2004 until 2018 he was the choir’s principal conductor. He made special recordings for the Romanian Radio’s Sound Archives and took part in vocal-symphonic concerts and many a cappella projects. His over 60 participations in artistic tours, festivals and international competitions, in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan, have earned him numerous medals and prizes, along with professional recognition from specialised critics.
He has written articles, held choral art classes and been invited to be part of juries in national and international choral competitions. He has conducted choral workshops organised in various cultural centres by the following associations: Cantascuola – Turin, Cantica Nova – Milazzo, ARS Cori – Sicily, AERCO – Emilia Romagna, The Union of Moldavian Musician – Kishinev, COREARTE – Barcelona, Medellin, Rio de la Plata and SODRE – Montevideo, AMJ – Usedom.
Slavil Dimitrov was born in 1972. He learned to play the piano at a young age and was a part of the choir “Bodra pesen” in Shumen. Later, when he was a teenager he began studying composition with Alexander Raychev and prof. Georgii Uspenskii in Odesa. He graduated from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, specializing in “Choir Conducting” and “Opera and Symphonic Conducting”. As a student he worked in the Sofia Boys’ Choir and Academy Choir “A. Manolov”. Even before his graduation, he began working at the State Philharmonic Orchestra in Shumen. There, in 2006 he founded Choir “Simeonis”. From 2007 until 2009 he was the Choir director at the Sofia Opera and Ballet, after that he became General conductor at the State Opera in Ruse, where he led the choir “Dunavski zvutsi”. In 2012 he became the Choir director at the Opera in Izmir, Turkey and in 2013 became the conductor of the orchestra. There he founded the first ever “Choir conducting” discipline in Turkey. From 2015 until 2022 he was the conductor of the National Philharmonic Choir at the Sofia Philharmony, where he founded the Children’s Philharmonic Choir. He is the conductor of the symphonic and choir ensembles at “Lyubomir Pipkov” National School of Music and of St. Sofia Church Choir in Sofia.
He has composed instrumental, choir and opera music, as well as cantatas and oratories. He is the General Director of “The Children’s Choir of Bulgaria”. He is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Composer. From 2018 he is the Chairman of the Bulgarian Choir Union.
Darina Krosneva is a graduate of the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”, Sofia, majoring in Choir Conducting. She has been the conductor of Varna Boys and Youth Choir at Choir school “Prof. Marin Chonev” – Varna for over 44 years. Under her leadership the choir takes part in numerous concerts and receives awards from national and international choir festivals and competitions in Bulgaria and Europe. The choir has performed with great success in Europe and the USA. It has won first place and special award in Montreux, Switzerland. It has recordings with the choir at the Belgium National Radio, Radio “Chablais”, Switzerland, the Bulgarian National Radio and Radio Varna. Between 1981 and 1985 she was the chief conductor of the Women’s choir of medical workers in Varna.
She has received the “Silver Lyre”, “Golden Lyre” and “Crystal necklace” awards from the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers for her high creative achievements and longtime work in the sphere. She has also been awarded the “Golden Century” from the Ministry of Culture and honorary diploma for her contribution to the growth of choir arts and Bulgarian culture.
She is a regular jury at many international competitions and a longtime member of the organizational committee at the International Choir Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov”. She is also the chairperson of the Conductors Collegium in Varna for the Bulgarian Choir Union.