PARTICIPANTS 2024

Academic choir Tone Tomšič from the University of Ljubljana

Since 1926, the Academic Choir Tone Tomšič of the University of Ljubljana has been a key promoter of Slovenian choral singing. The ensemble’s greatest international successes are the first prizes it won at the European Grand Prix in Arezzo in 2002 under the direction of Stojan Kuret and in Debrecen in 2008 under the direction of Urša Lah. The choir has also competed successfully in recent years, winning prizes in Rimini, Vic, Gorizia, Maribor, and Spittal. From October 2021, the choir is led by Rahela Durič Barić, with whom the choir has already won a gold plaque at the Slovenian National Choral Competition in 2022. In 2023, the choir performed Carl Orff’s Carmina burana in an arrangement by Reinhard Summerer and successfully took part in the International Competition of Choral Singing in Spittal an der Drau, Austria. The choir won first prize in the folk song category, second prize in the art song category, and a special prize for its performance of a contemporary composition.

Rahela Durič Barić originates from Maribor (Slovenia). After graduating in violin, she decided to study choir and orchestra conducting with Prof. Johannes Prinz and Prof. Wolfgang Dörner at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz (Austria). She finished her masters with honors in 2013. In 2015 as part of the International Competition for young Conductors in Turin, she received the Noel Minet prize and funding for ‘A promising young conductor’. Since 2016 she has been working as an assistant professor for choral conducting at the University for Music and Performing Arts Graz. In 2019 She received the first prize, the audience prize and the prize for the best conductor according to the choir at the international competition for choral conductors in Koper, Slovenia. Since October 2021 she took over the renowned choir Akademski pevski zbor Tone Tomšič in Ljubljana with which she won the first prize, second prize and a special prize for the best performance of a contemporary piece at the international competition in Spittal (Austria) in 2023. She is also leading and running several courses, singing weeks and seminars in choir schools in Austria, Slovenia and Italy.

IMUSICAPELLA

Formed in 2002, Imusicapella is a church choir based at the Our Lady of the Pillar Parish and St. Peregrine Chapel in Imus City, Cavite. Its founder and conductor is Tristan Caliston Ignacio. They have become steadfast in their goal of attaining choral distinction and recognition as one of the Philippines’ finest vocal ensembles.

In a span of 22 years, Imusicapella has embarked in 12 international tours in Europe, Asia and North America. They have participated in and won in international choral competitions in Varna, Bulgaria; Tours, France; Debrecen, Hungary; Arezzo and Gorizia, Italy; Montreux and Neuchatel, Switzerland; Marktoberdorf, Lindenholzhausen and Mainhausen, Germany; Spittal and Baden, Austria; Sopot, Poland; Torrevieja, Spain; Busan, South Korea; Takarazuka, Japan; and San Luis Obispo, California, USA.

They were a 6-time recipient of the Ani ng Dangal Award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Tristan Ignacio is the founder and conductor of Imusicapella. He graduated with a Bachelor  degree of Science in Tourism at the University of Santo Tomas. He was a recipient of the Gawad Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo by the Province of Cavite as well as the Col. Jose S. Tagle Award by the city of Imus for his achievements in choral music. He was also given the 2012 and 2019 Ani ng Dangal Awards by the National commission for Culture and the Arts.

He is also the winner of:
– Andrea Georgi Prize, the best conductor prize in Gorizia, Italy (2018)
– Giuseppe Radole Prize, a conductor’s prize for the best interpretation of a sacred polyphonic piece in Gorizia, Italy (2018)
– Special Prize for an Excellent Conducting Performance in Debrecen, Hungary (2018)
– Günther Mittergradneger Prize, a conductor’s prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary choral work in Spittal, Austria (2015)
– Best Conductor Prize for his Outstanding Artistic Performance in Lindenholzhausen, Germany (2011)
– Viva Maria Strecker Daelen Prize, the best conductor prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary choral work in Marktoberdorf, Germany (2007)

Academic Choir “Angel Manolov”

The Academic Choir was founded in 1933 by Maestro Angel Manolov and has since then carried the name of its founder. From 1998 the choir’s conductor is Darena Popova. The choir is a laureate of a number of first prizes and golden medals, diplomas and honours from choir festivals and competitions in Llangollen (England), Cantonigro and Torevieja (Spain), Coimbra and Freamunde (Portugal), Aalborg (Denmark), Bruck an der Mur (Austria), Neuchatel and Montreux (Switzerland), Trnava (Slovakia), Helsingborg (Sweden), Gorizia and Arezzo (Italy), Veldhoven (The Netherlands), Maasmechelen (Belgium), Provence, Nice, Lyon (France), Poznan, Bialystok and Wroclaw (Poland), Miltenberg, Berlin (Germany), Antalya, Istanbul (Turkey), Quito, Guayaquil (Ecuador), Durres and Tirana (Albania), Negotin, Kragujevac, Belgrade (Serbia), Tbilisi (Georgia), Yerevan (Armenia), Castlebar (Ireland), Budapest (Hungary), Moscow (Russia) and Bulgaria.

Academic Choir “Angel Manolov” has received every high honor for musical arts like the “Golden lyre” and “Crystal necklace” awards from the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers; Plaque from the Ministry of Culture; Plaque from the Bulgarian Choir Union; Plaque from the Union of Bulgarian Composers and Plaque “Saint Cyril and Methodius” from the President of Bulgaria.

Darena Popova graduated from the State Academy of Music, Sofia, Bulgaria in 1984, with a major in choir conducting in the class of Prof. Vassil Arnaudov. From 1983 she was the choir and choir conductor of the Operetta in Lom, from 1986 – the conductor of Mixed choir “Struma” in Pernik, from 1988 – conductor of Chamber choir “Kolegium Kantikum” in Pernik. Between 1996 and 1998 she is the conductor of the Children’s Choir at the National Palace of Children in Sofia. Since 1998 Darena Popova is a conductor of Academic Choir “Angel Manolov”, Sofia, since 2005 − of the folklore formation “Chemerika” and since 2017 – of the folklore formation “Dilmana” in Sofia.

Darena Popova is a member of Europa Cantat. She has won: multiple “Best conductor” awards, two “Best Conductor Prize José Hódar” in Torrevieja, Spain, from 2005 and 2009; Gold plaque “Mati Bulgaria” in 2008; the “Best Conductor an Award for Maestro” prize in 2015 at the Balkan Championship of Folklore “Live Water” in Hisarya, Bulgaria; National Prize The Bringers of Enlightenment” in 2018, “Person of the Year” in the category “Guardian of Tradition” in 2019, “Golden Age Badge” in 2023 awarded by the Ministry of Culture, “Badge of Honor” awarded by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria and “Maestro” Award in 2024 from Veliko Tarnovo.

New Dublin Voices

New Dublin Voices is a leading Irish chamber choir founded by its international award-winning conductor Bernie Sherlock. Renowned for programming that is innovative and exciting, the choir takes special pleasure in exploring the music of living composers and has given more than 80 world premieres. New Dublin Voices leads the way in commissioning, premiering, performing and disseminating choral music by Irish composers, both in Ireland and abroad, and in introducing music from outside Ireland to audiences at home.

The choir has won multiple prizes at competitions in France, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Finland, Belgium, Spain, England, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Latvia and Wales. In 2023 in Arezzo, Italy, the choir won the Mixed Choir Competition and the Special Prize for the programming and performance of contemporary music. Prizes include first in the Derry International Choir Festival in 2019; first prize for mixed choirs at the 2018 Béla Bartók International Choral Competition in Hungary; the Grand Prix at the International Baltic Sea Choral Competition in Latvia in 2017; First Prize in Cork 2015, and the Grand Prix in Arezzo 2013, Maasmechelen, Belgium 2011, and the Budapest International Choir Competition in 2009.

Bernie Sherlock is a leading choral conductor. She is founder-conductor of the chamber choir New Dublin Voices and artistic director of the Irish Youth Choirs. She is a guest conductor with Chamber Choir Ireland and former co-conductor of EuroChoir. She has won prizes for her conducting at competitions in Finland, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Wales and Ireland. Bernie has given workshops and adjudicated conducting and choral competitions around Europe and in the US, Canada and China. Her work in oratorio spans over 25 years, notably with the Choral Society in Trinity College, Dublin and the Culwick Choral Society.

Bernie is a founding board-member of the World Choral Conductors Network and a representative for Ireland on the World Choir Council. She teaches at the TU Dublin Conservatoire where she is director of the masters programme in choral conducting and conducts the TU Chamber Choir. After her music degree in Trinity College Dublin she studied conducting for two years in Hungary, followed by Masters and Doctorate degrees in Dublin. For 12 years she was artistic director of the International Choral Conducting Summer School run by Sing Ireland at the University of Limerick.

Parahyangan Catholic University Choir (UNPAR)

The choir was formed in 1962 under the leadership of Mr. Avip Priatna Sugiharto, and is now known as UNPAR CHOIR. It has received various awards, both nationally and internationally.

Today, UNPAR CHOIR has evolved into a group whose quality has become a pioneer in the development of choirs in Indonesia. Under the direction of Ivan Yohan, UNPAR CHOIR has played a pivotal role in enhancing appreciation for choral music in Indonesia by achieving notable success through participation in international choir competitions and the organization of concerts in Indonesia. Some of our achievements include: Second place and the Best Conductor award for Ivan Yohan at the 3rd International Baltic Sea Choir Competition in Jūrmala, Latvia; Second place in the Polyphony category, third place in the Habaneras category and Award for “Best Interpretation for Habaneras Song – Premio Fransisco Vallejos”  at the 62nd International Choral Contest Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja, Spain; First place in the Mixed category and Award for “Best Interpretation Song” for the song “Gloria Patri” at the 51st International Chorwettbewerb Castle of Porcia in Spittal An Der Drau, Carinthia, Austria; Second place in the Historical Period category at the 61st “Guido d’Arezzo” International Polyphonic Competition; Third place in the Free Expression category at the Florilège Vocal de Tours competition in Tours, France; First place in the Folklore category and Second place in the Mixed Choir category at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, England; Second place in the Folklore category and Third place in the Musica Sacra category at the International Competition of Choral Singing in Spittal, Austria

Ega O. Azarya began delving into music by studying classical piano. Later, while still a student of Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University, he also studied classical vocal under Ivan Yohan, Dody Soetanto, and Mrs. Dorcas Soenaryo.

As a member of the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir, Ega has participated in various festivals and competitions across various European countries under the direction of Avip Priatna, Paulus H. Yoedianto, and Ivan Yohan. As a baritone-bass soloist, Ega has performed with the Concordia Orchestra and the Jakarta City Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2013, he has been teaching classical vocal at Musicasa Sanggar and Studio in Jakarta.

In 2016, Ega participated in the International Choir Conducting Masterclass in Debrecen, Hungary, under the guidance of Peter Broadbent (England) and Mate Szabo Sipos (Hungary). He also studied choir and orchestra conducting under Budi Utomo Prabowo and Stojan Kuret (Slovenia). Additionally, he has participated in intensive workshops led by Mark Anthony Carpio (Philippines), Jonathan Velasco (Philippines), and Bengt Ollen (Sweden).

Until 2019, Ega remained actively involved in coaching and conducting the Unpar Student Choir. With the Tarumanagara University Choir, he won a Gold Medal at the Bali International Choir Festival 2013. As the conductor and music director of The Archipelago Singers, he has won First Place in Spain (Cantonigros and Torrevieja, 2014), the Philippines (2015), Bulgaria (2016). In 2019, the choir won the Grand Prix and Ega the Conductor Prize at the Busan Choral Festival and Competition in Busan, South Korea. In August 2023, he led The Archipelago Singers to win the 3rd Prize in two categories at an international competition in Arezzo, Italy.

“Лудите певци”

Established in 2021, The Mad Singers is a youth chamber choir from Hong Kong, committed to nurturing young choral enthusiasts by expanding their horizons through participation in top-notch international choral events and exchange activities.

Since its inception, The Mad Singers has actively taken part in numerous global choral events across Finland, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, and Taiwan. Recently, they were awarded the title of Grand Prix Champion in the 2023 Taipei International Choral Competition. Their dedication to musical excellence has also earned them invitations to esteemed international competitions such as the 2024 World Choral Championships in Rimini, Italy and the Tolosa Choral Contest, an esteemed choral competition associated with the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing.

Chi Hin Danny Wu is a young choral musician and conductor based in Hong Kong who has made extensive performance appearances both locally and overseas in countries across America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. He started his choral training with the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and received vocal training under Caleb Woo. At the age of 17, he was awarded the Ms Barbara Fei Vocal Solo Prize (Open) for Male Voice. In 2018, he was selected as the chairperson of the internationally acclaimed Diocesan Boys’ School Choir, which captured multiple championships at the World Choir Games 2018 in Tshwane, South Africa. Under the mentorship of Felix Shuen, Wu began leading choral and instrumental ensembles.

Wu is a co-founder and conductor of The Mad Singers. Under his direction, The Mad Singers captured numerous awards in international competitions including the Taipei International Choral Competition, the Penabur International Choir Festival, the World Choir Festival, the Leonardo Da Vinci International Choral Festival, and the JSFest Competition.

Christien WONG is a passionate, budding young conductor in Hong Kong. As a Co-Founder of The Mad Singers, he led and conducted the choir to participate in the Taipei International Choral Competition 2023. He was awarded the Best Conductor Award, and the Choir has been awarded 4 Gold Awards and the Grand Prix Champion. The Choir was then qualified to join the World Choral Championship in Rimini, Italy. As the Best Conductor, Christien was also invited to participate in the 4th International Competition for Choral Conductor Romano Gandolfi, to be held in 2025. Christien has also led the Choir to receive Gold Awards in the World Choir Festival, 2022 Penabur International Choir Festival, JSFest Competition.

As an experienced vocalist he has received the title “Best Male Soloist” at the Leonardo Da Vinci International Choir Festival 2021. He has also performed St. John’s Passion produced by SingFest HK under New Vision Arts Festival, and was selected as a Cast – Gavroche in the Hong Kong Youth Choir’s production of the musical Les Misérables.

Youth Choir Kamēr…

Kamēr… is a Latvian mixed youth choir based in Riga. Founded in 1990 by Māris Sirmais, since June 2022 it is led by artistic director Jurģis Cābulis and second conductor Patriks Kārlis Stepe. A winner of multiple national and international prizes and awards, Kamēr… became the first and currently the only choir in the world to have won the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing three times (2004, 2013, and 2019). The choir performs worldwide and collaborates with renowned composers, musicians and orchestras. Over the years, Kamēr… has produced numerous programs specially commissioned for the choir, and has developed and taken part not only in concert programs, but also various art projects, including, but not limited to, choir festivals, concert exhibitions, musicals, documentary films, audiovisual performances and theater plays. The choir’s signature performance style entails both full emotional surrender as well as the strictest criteria for vocal quality.

Jurģis Cābulis (1992) is the artistic director and chief conductor of the youth choir Kamēr…, the artistic director of the Riga Cathedral Choir School Mixed Choir, as well as head of the conducting department, and the conductor of the Riga Chamber Choir Ave Sol. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in choral conducting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Andris Veismanis and Kaspars Ādamsons. Jurģis has been recipient of high-standing awards in the 5th Jāzeps Vītols international Choral Conductors Competition (2014); Juozas Naujalis International Competition for Choral Conductors (2017) and was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Eric Ericsson Award (2021). In 2019, he recorded the choral music album AETERNUM by J. Jančevskis with the Riga Cathedral Choir School Mixed Choir, under the distinguished British classical music record label Hyperion Records. In 2021, Jurģis Cābulis won the Latvian Grand Music Award for the best concert of the year, AMAO OMI.

Emil Komel Youth Mixed Choir

The Emil Komel Mixed Youth Choir represents the most mature choral group in the study plan of the Emil Komel Slovenian music education center in Gorizia (Italy). Since 2013, it has been directed by David Bandelj, with whom he has obtained several prizes in various national and international competitions. Of note is the victory at the National Polyphonic Competition in Arezzo in 2018, the excellent result at the following International Polyphonic Competition also in Arezzo in 2019, the first prize in the national competition Canto oltre la paura in 2020, the gold medal, a third prize ex aequo, and two special prizes at the Slovenian national competition Naša pesem in Maribor in 2022. The choir has held concerts in several concert seasons, many times with the orchestra, also performed classical repertoire such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, and Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass. It has also recorded two CDs and has participated in master classes with eminent experts (Stephen Connolly, Stojan Kuret, Petra Grassi, etc.), collaborated with exceptional soloists, and has been part of numerous first performances of contemporary composers (Tadeja Vulc, Patrick Quaggiato, Hilarij Lavrenčič, Roberto Brisotto, Andrej Makor).

David Bandelj studied piano and viola at the Emil Komel Slovenian music education center in Gorizia, graduated and obtained a PhD in comparative literature at the University of Ljubljana, studied choral conducting with Hilarij Lavrenčič and Walter Lo Nigro, and specialized with illustrious teachers (Werner Pfaff, Stojan Kuret, Marcus Detterbeck, Ambrož Čopi, Alessandro Kirschner, Nina Kompare, Voces8). Having approached the study of the organ as a self-taught person, he perfected his knowledge with the maestro Marco Colella and is the titular organist in the church of S. John the Baptiste in Gorizia. Since 2013, he has been the conductor of the Emil Komel youth choir of Gorizia, with which he has achieved important national and international recognition. Several times he has been a member of juries in choral competitions, has held workshops for youth choirs, and has collaborated as a conductor with the ArsAtelier orchestra and the Nova string orchestra. He has published several collections of poetry and literary essays and is a literature teacher at the Trubar – Gregorčič high school with Slovenian as teaching language in Gorizia.