Choirs 2015


Choir UELS - pictureThe Choir of the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wroclaw (Poland) has worked in the current artistic formation since November 2009. The members of the choir are mostly students of the University of Environmental and Life Sciences, but some of them are students of other Universities in Wroclaw. The choir has successfully developed and executed a number of interesting art projects that enjoyed the appreciation of the audience. Since 2010, the choir regularly participates in New Year gala concerts with the participation of the biggest stars of Polish music, held at the University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The choir is actively involved in the musical life of Wroclaw, performing great oratorio pieces together with other academic choirs. The choir’s repertoire includes a cappella works, especially those written by Polish composers, as well as vocal-instrumental forms such as W. A. Mozart’s Requiem, A. Bruckner’s Te Deum, and the famous Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramirez. The choir has won a number of international choral competitions: in 2011, it received the second prize at the International Choir Competition in Ohrid (Macedonia). In 2012, it won the First Prize at the International Choral Competition in Lloret de Mar (Spain). At the beginning of 2013 singers participated in a few weeks tour through the U.S.A. and Canada accompanying the famous Polish artist Piotr Rubik. In 2014 , it received the second prize at the International Choral Competition in Freamunde (Portugal).The artistic director is the conductor prof. Alan Urbanek; the Manager is Agnieszka Turek. – CATEGORIES B – D

Gaudium

The Gaudium Choir of the University of Wroclaw has been active since 1983. The Choir’s founder and its first conductor was Mieczysław Matuszczak, and since 1993 the Choir’s artistic manager is prof. Alan Urbanek. It  also cooperates with choirs of Jagiellonian University and the University of Warsaw. It has performed in Austria, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Russia and the USA. In 2002 the Choir sang in a series of concerts dedicated to the memory of victims of the World Trade Centre attack. The Choir has won many prestigious awards: Wrocław Music Award, the first place at the International Choir Festival in Moscow, a silver medal at the International Choral Competition in Athens, bronze diploma at the International Choral Competition in Budapest, a special award at the International Festival of Orthodox Church Music in Hajnowka, and a silver diploma at the International Choral Competition in Ohrid (Macedonia). Gaudium Choir has produced many CDs, recordings of a concert conducted by J. Kasprzyk in  Wroclaw during the Wratislavia Cantans International Festival and of a concerto in Kraków conducted by S. Gałoński.  The book ‘With Joy Through Twenty Years’ is devoted to the Choir’s history, published by the Silesia publisher on the occasion of the Choir’s twentieth anniversary. The President of the choir is  Karolina Moc. – CATEGORIES B – D

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The Cathedral Boys’ Choir Pueri Cantores Tarnovienses was founded by Prof. Andrzej Zając in 1981. The main task of the choir is to sing during the Divine Services in the Cathedral Church in Tarnów. Its repertoire comprises, first of all, compositions of sacred music by Polish and foreign composers, past and present. The activity of the choir is not limited to liturgical functions; it also gives concerts and takes part in many music festivals in Poland and abroad. The choir has visited many European countries: Austria – 1987, 1991, 1996, Belgium – 1993, 1994, 1996, Czech Republic – 1995, 2002, Denmark – 1992, France – 1990, 1994, 2012, Germany – 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, Great Britain – 1994, Greece – 2000, 2005, Holland – 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, Hungary – 2004, Italy – 1987, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2014, Latvia – 2009, Lithuania – 2009, Malta – 2003, Slovakia – 1993, 2000, 2008, Slovenia – 2007, 2010, 2012, Spain – 1997, 2012, Sweden – 1993, 2009, Switzerland – 1997. Among its recorded performances are the choir’s radio and TV appearances. It has recorded the following CDs: Christe Adoramus Te (1993), Cantate Domino (1997), Lulajże Jezuniu – Christmas Carols (1997), O Gloriosa Domina (2001), Completoriu (2009), Magnificat (2013) and audiocassettes: Veni Emmanuel (1992) and Polish Christmas Carols (1993). Grzegorz Piekarz is the director and the conductor of the choir.- CATEGORIES C – E

Wheatland_Choral_picture

Under the direction of Artistic Director Eric R. Riley since 2012, the Wheatland Chorale is widely regarded as one of the premiere choral ensembles in Pennsylvania.  The singers, all volunteers, are selected through audition, and travel from throughout Lancaster and Berks counties and beyond for rehearsals in Lancaster.  The popularity of the Wheatland Chorale has grown steadily.  The regular season includes a two concert subscription series, performed in three different locations in December and April. The Chorale has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for artistic excellence with annual grants to support the choir’s mission – “to promote and perpetuate choral music through excellence in performance.”  The ensemble has performed throughout Central Pennsylvania, as well as at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the National Cathedral and the White House in Washington, DC, and on tours in Austria, Germany and England. – CATEGORIES B – E

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The Antonín Tučapský Choir (formerly VSPS Choir) was founded in 1984, in the year which UNESCO declared the Year of Czech music. Choral singing in Vyškov has a rich history, influenced by celebrities Prof. Jan Šoupal, Dr. Antonín Tučapský and by the Free Choral Society. The choir performs many individual songs as well as several masses (Duruflé, Vivaldi, Hradil, Jelinek, Macek, Fish, Tučapský, Pavlica, Hnilička). An integral part of our repertoire includes songs by Czech and international artists, both contemporary and classic, opera choruses, folk songs, spirituals. The Choir has established close cooperation with Dr. Antonín Tučapský, who is a native and honorary citizen of Vyškov city. He made a gift of some of his works to our choir. Above all, he also gave his name to a competitive choral festival, which has been held in Vyskov every two years since 2005. The choir has performed in various events in the Slovak Republic, Poland, Germany, Italy, Austria, Croatia, France and Spain. The choir won “Gold Zone” at the second and fifth Antonín Tučapský festival, Gold Band at the International Choir Festival in Tuscany, Italy in 2013. It also brought home a silver belt from the prestigious Festival of Songs in Olomouc, a special prize for interpretation of contemporary songs in Vlachovo Březí and the Fifth International Festival of Mixed Choirs in Malgrat de Mar in Spain. Last year (2014) the choir celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. In autumn 2014 Dr. Tučapský sadly passed away. His family gave their kind permission to use his name and our choir was renamed “Antonín Tučapský Choir” in 2015. CATEGORY B

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ATVARS Sigulda Mixed Choir was founded in 1993. The Choir numbers altogether 45 members, both present students and graduates. Since its inception the Choir has participated in all the Latvian Song Festivals as well as school youth song and dance festivals, becoming winners of song festival choir competitions. The ATVARS Mixed Choir regularly performs concerts in Sigulda town, Sigulda district and all around the Latvian Republic. The Choir participated in a competition in Hungary and has repeatedly participated in the international youth choir competition in Valmiera (1st place in 2007, 3rd place in 2008, 2nd place in 2009 and 3rd place in 2010, 1st place in 2012). ATVARS also participated in the Gdansk International Choir Festival in 2012 (mixed choir- 3rd place and Golden Diploma, chamber choirs- Silver Diploma). ATVARS has a beautiful tradition of Christmas concerts and anniversary concerts, which are always treated as important musical events. In December 2013 ATVARS Choir will celebrate its twentieth birthday with a concert. In July 2014 ATVARS Choir participated in the Eighth World Choir Games in Riga – the city which is not only the 2014 European Capital of Culture, but also the World Capital of Choral Music. The World Choir Games, also known as The Olympics for Choirs (category The Champions Competition- Sacred Music with accompaniment – Silver Medal and category The Champions Competition-Mixed Choirs – Gold Medal). In January 2015 ATVARS participated in the Eleventh Silver Bells International Sacred Music Festival (Daugavpils, Latvia), where it won the GRAND PRIX prize. The Choir has been devoted to performing masterpieces of Latvian a cappella choir songs, traditional folk music and its arrangements, masterpieces of foreign composers’ choral songs and vocal and instrumental pieces. Jānis Baltiņš is the Choir’s artistic director and conductor.- CATEGORIES B – E

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Calicantus Choir is the concert ensemble of the Calicantus Choral School, founded in Locarno in 1993 by Mario Fontana. The school is attended by 150 pupils aged 4 to 18 years, organized into six levels of study, and it forms children and young people for singing and performance practices at every age. The choir performs works ranging from the Renaissance and Baroque ages to contemporary compositions and songs from international folklore, performed mostly in the original language. Calicantus is regularly invited to perform world premieres and it works with teachers and choirs of international renown. Calicantus represented Switzerland in Canada at the ‘World of Children’s Choirs’ Festival in 2001 and in a hundred tours across Europe. The choir has received several awards, including the first prize in the Swiss Competition in 2005 and 2007. In 2008 Calicantus  was invited to represent Switzerland at the eighth ‘World Symposium on Choral Music’ in Copenhagen organized by IFCM, where it was called ‘The greatest joy in Copenhagen’. In 2010 the choir won four first prizes at the prestigious International Competition in Montreux together with the congratulations of the jury. In 2013 Calicantus  won the first prize at at the Freiburg Competition. The choir regularly collaborates with the Swiss composer Ivo Antognini, with Swiss Radio and with the Orchestra of Italian Switzerland. With the Orchestra of Italian Switzerland, Calicantus  has recorded the  Oratorio de Noël by C.Saint- Saëns and Magnificat by J.Rutter, under the direction of Diego Fasolis in 2011 and among others, part of the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi under the direction of Marc Kissoczy in 2014. The mission that moves the Calicantus Choir is the artistic and cultural development of young people, and also, since its earliest years, support for numerous charitable initiatives for children, in collaboration with several associations, including Terre des Hommes, UNICEF, and Doctors without Borders.- CATEGORIES A – C – D

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The Stars Children’s Choir (Serbian: Zvezdice) was formed in 2002. Despite all social and economic circumstances, the choir, which has for years operated in the far south of Serbia, represents a qualitative benchmark for children’s choir singing in Serbia. The choir brings together 50 children and young people aged 7-17, affirming the tradition of choral singing. The Stars Children’s Choir has performed in front of audiences both at home and abroad, in such countries as Macedonia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, France, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland. The Choi’s most recent success was First Prize in the category of children’s ensembles at the Ohrid Choir Festival in Macedonia (2013). The choir has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix in FEDEHO Festival of Serbia in Belgrade in 2013, October Award of the City of Leskovac, the St. Sava charter for outstanding contribution in the field of culture, and the First Prize in the category of children’s ensembles and Special Prize for the most impressive performance at the International Festival of Children’s and Youth Choirs in Bratislava – Slovakia in 2011. Jelena Cvetković PhD is the conductor and artistic director of the choir as well as an Associate Professor of Solfeggio and Methodology of Solfeggio in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nis. – CATEGORY C

Gitasurya_pictureGitasurya Student Choir of University of Muhammadiyah Malang (GiSC UMM) is one of the student activities units in the field of sound art at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang. Early in its history, on May 5, 1992, UMM GiSC was named UK-PSM (Activity-Unit Student Choir) who serve at various events at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, whether graduation ceremonies or events in the university. The members of Gitasurya UMM are students who come from various faculties at the University. They have followed the path of audition and rigorous training. With a new spirit, currently Gitasurya Student Choir of UMM is starting to make itself felt in various competitions both on the regional level and on an international scale with many achievements. – CATEGORIES B – D 

 

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Gaismiņa Children and Youth Studio of Creative Development was founded in 1994,  Liepaja. Gaismiņa is an active participant in Latvian musical and cultural life. In 20.12.2014. it celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a concert Ceļš, which took place in the theatre of Liepaja. Gaismiņa is learning to understand the world of music and give this joy to the world. The ensemble is sure that the light, created by music, definitely enriches every one of us as a person, notwithstanding our profession, views and beliefs. Fifty-four purposeful and talented children and youngsters take part in the Gaismiņa Children and Youth Studio of Creative Development (artistic leader Dzintra Orba, vocal pedagogue Ieva Dreimane) . The motto of vocal ensemble Gaismiņa is: If you are going to do everything with love and going to invest hard work in things that you like, you will achieve every single one of your big and small dreams. The senior group is the only one in Liepaja that gives concerts both a Cappella and with instrumental accompaniment. This group gives high quality concerts, achieving the best results in the city, region and nationwide shows and contests for vocal ensembles, as well as taking part in significant national and local cultural events. Its repertoire includes Latvian folk songs, secular and sacred music. A great cooperation has been established with such composers of Liepaja as Andris Eniņš and Andris Kontauts. Both of these composers entrust the ensemble Gaismiņa to perform the premieres of their songs.- CATEGORIES C – D

Musiccompany

The MUSIC CO (South Africa) was formed as a special project choir in 2013 with the aim of embarking on projects that develop not only the group as a choir, but also ensure that the singers grow as solo performers. The choir consisted of singers between the ages of 17 and 24 years of age and represented various areas in South Africa including Tshwane, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom. This choir was formed by the Artistic Director of the South African Youth Music and Arts Development Foundation, Mrs. Lhente-Mari Pitout, to create performing entities that develop youth and create a group that showcases the diverse South African talents. The choir has evolved over the two years of its existence into an exceptional multi-racial mixed youth choir in its own right, drawing heavily on its strong choral background in UP Youth Choir that won three gold medals in Riga at Eighth WCGs and coming first in the Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna in 2014. This hand-picked group of alumni of the UP Youth Choir has a proven track record of perseverance, work ethic, determination, stage presence and sheer talent. The choir’s passion for music ensures that they can perform a wide variety of musical genres including traditional choir music, spirituals, gospel, jazz, pop and traditional African music. They annually develop a repertoire to showcase the passion and energy of Africa in their performances. The aim of participating in the Ninth Rimini International Choral Festival is to build an international performance portfolio, to benchmark itself against international choirs and to share the diversity and showmanship of their unique South African heritage with world audiences.. CATEGORIES C – D

Choir_Abkhazia_picture

Abkhazian Mixed Choir was founded in 2007 by maestro Guram Kurashvili. The choir consists of young people who left their native country after conflict in Abkhazia.  After  some hard work the choir performed before the Georgian public, with a varied repertoire. After one year from its establishment, in 2008 the choir travelled to Hungary and participated in the Bela Bartok competition. It was successful step in the choir’s short existence. Today the group’s repertoire includes both famous Georgian and European musical compositions. They have already given successful performances before Georgian and foreign audiences, and have also received invitations from many European countries. In 2010 the choir was again invited to Debrecen for an international choir forum. At the final Abkhazian choir won a special prize for performance of a contemporary choral piece. In 2012-2014 the choir made a successful concert tour in several European countries including France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland. The juniors, who are from Abkhazia but temporarily live in Tbilisi, are hopeful about the future. Their greatest dream is to return to Abkhazia and to achieve fame with their singing.. – CATEGORY B

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The Casella Polyphonic Choir Association was founded in Salerno in 1984 by a group of young people inspired by a sincere passion for singing and a desire to make music together. From its earliest years, the choir was distinguished by its careful choice of repertoire and by its exceptional skill in interpretation. The Casella Choir has participated in festivals and in national and international choral competitions, has recorded a CD, and has collaborated with orchestras, Italian and foreign choirs, cultural associations and with Salerno University, the Verdi Theatre of Salerno, the Martucci Conservatoire of Salerno, and the New Scarlatti Orchestra of Naples. Its objective, to  make polyphonic music more widely known, has seen the choir promoting and participating in workshops with Bruno Zagni, Mariano Patti, Lorenzo Donati, Marco Berrini, Xavier Busto, Stojan Kuret, Fabrizio Barchi. The choir has won many awards: Gold Medal category Mixed Choirs at the International Choral Competition Praga Cantat (Praga 2005); Second Prize at the International Choral Competition Armonie di Voci (Pienza, 2010); Third Prize at the Seventh Gastone Tosato National Choral Competition (Anguillara Sabazia, 2011) and at the Fourth Antonio Guanti International Choral Competition (Matera, 2014). Since 1994 the choir has organized, every two years, the Cantare Amantis Est International Festival of Polyphonic Choirs. The choir conductor is Caterina Squillace. – CATEGORY B

Florium_MQ

Florium Chamber Choir  was created for a choral concert at the Prokofiev Museum. The concert was a success and it was decided to continue the creative meetings and to perform at concerts, competitions and festivals. In a small group of ten people, the conductor directs and sings at the same time. Quite often, the number of divisions corresponds to the number of singers, making the choir more mobile and technically flexible. The most important thing in this group is that the choir is a group of individuals, each singer can express their opinions. During the rehearsal the choristers are encouraged to discuss nuanced performance works. Currently the group is preparing for the competition in Rimini and the concert at the Moscow Conservatory. Aliaksei Matsiukhin, founder and director of the choir, is a graduate of the Belarusian musical lyceum (2010) and currently fifth-year student at Moscow State Conservatory. Alexandra Zaypold, conductor and choir director, is a graduate of Gnessin Music College (2010) and of Moscow State Conservatory (2015).- CATEGORY B

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Carmen Manet is a female choir founded in 2011 and is made up of the best singers of all generations of the Gimnazija Kranj Girls Choir. Carmen Manet has been conducted by Primož Kerštanj since the beginning. Selected alumnae of Gimnazija Kranj — many of whom trained as solo singers — assembled for the 200th anniversary celebration of their alma mater. Thus a new young female choir was born. The name, which means “the song remains” in Latin, signifies the singers staying together even after their high school years. Despite its young age, the choir has already achieved excellent results at several international competitions, including gold diplomas at In Canto sul Garda (Italy), Lipanjski zvuci (Croatia), Xinghai Prize International Choral Competition (China). The choir’s greatest success came in April 2014 when it achieved the first place and excellent level with distinction in the category of female choirs and became a Grand Prix winner at the Fiftieth International Choral Competition in Montreux. Besides taking part in competitions the choir focuses on presenting themed concerts every year; the last one –  named Voice Dance –  featured music of the popular genre. – CATEGORIES A  – E

Los Peques

Created in the year 2000 as part of the choral project “El León de Oro”, the Los Peques del León de Oro choir aims to provide choral training for children with the goal of preparing a pool of singers for its parent group. It currently has fifty voices and performs a wide and stylistically varied repertoire. From its earliest years, the choir has been invited to take part in numerous choral festivals in the region, as well as in prestigious national competitions. They won first prize in Oviedo, Avilés, Totana and Torrevieja (2004 and 2008). The choir also finished fourth in Varna (Bulgaria) and was invited to the Tolosa Choral Competition where they won fourth prize in 2010 and second prize in 2011. The choir has worked with professional orchestras in Asturias (Oviedo Filarmonía, Orquesta de “Los Adioses”) performing works such as St Matthew Passion by J. S. Bach, or the recording of Verdi’s Othello, with the Donostiarra Choral Society. The choir has also collaborated with its parent choir “El León de Oro” in the recording of their two CDs: Lux Aurumque (2003) and Paxarines (2009). In 2012 they were selected to participate during the month of July in one of the most important competitions of contemporary music in Europe: the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition. The choir’s founding conductor, Elena Rosso Valiña, teaches piano, music and choral interpretation at the Miguel Barrosa music school and started her formal education as choral conductor in the year 2000. Since then Elena has worked with important figures in the world of choral music such Basilio Astúlez, Juan Luis Martínez, Javier Busto, Enrique Azurza and Xavier Sarasola among others. – CATEGORY C

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Tůmy, choir of the Základní umělecká škola Františka Ignáce Tůmy in Kostelec nad Orlicí, was established in August 2014. Choir members are graduates of the Kvítek children’s choir. Tůmy  Choir decided to come to Rimini to have a new experience and see and hear many great choirs. The choir currently has eighteen members (one boy and seventeen girls) aged twelve to seventeen years. Tůmy choir has in its repertoire the compositions of old masters, contemporary composers and also arrangements of folk songs. Choirmaster is Mgr. Dagmar Potštejsnká, pianist is Tetyana Peshkova.- CATEGORY C

Aurum_picture

This young women’s choir Aurum is part of El León de Oro, a choral project founded over ten years ago in Luanco (Asturias, Spain) that currently has more than 120 singers. Aurum was created in 2012 and is formed by young women aged between 15 and 25 years old. The main objective of this choir is to allow the young voices to continue singing, acting as an intermediate stage between the children’s and the adult choirs. Aurum made its international début in July 2012 at the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition, held in Debrecen (Hungary), where they reached fourth place. At the Guido d’Arezzo Choir Competition Aurum achieved the following prizes: First Prize in the category Music of the Renaissance; Second Prize in the category Folklore; Special Jury Prize to Elena Rosso for Best Conductor. In 2013 they won the First Prize in the category Female Choirs at the International Choir Competition of Cantonigrós (Spain).In 2014 they presented in the theatre of the Niemeyer Cultural Centre the show Kodama, a musical creation performance that combines different arts, including music, scenography and lighting. In 2014 the choir won the Third Prize in two categories, Polyphony and Folklore, at the Tolosa International Choral Competition. In its short life, Aurum has held various concerts around Asturias and has collaborated with renowned Asturian bands and important projects. Its founder and conductor is Elena Rosso Valiña, a graduate in Piano and Chamber Music. As a piano and choir teacher in the Candas Local Music School, she combines her teaching activities with advanced courses led by nationally and internationally renowned musicians.- CATEGORIES A – E

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Davor Croatian Choral Society (HPD Davor) was founded in 1871 with the goal of treasuring Croatian culture with musical activities and contributing to the cultural and social life of the town. The society today actively participates in the cultural life of Slavonski Brod with many performances including concerts in the Church of the Holy Trinity and City Day events, and it also hosts a choral festival. HPD Davor was awarded a bronze medal at the International Choral Competition in Bratislava (2008), two silver medals at Sounds of June choral competition in Petrinja (2009 and 2010) and a silver prize at the Twentieth International Choral Competition in Prague. In 2015, HPD Davor won the gold prize at the Aurora Cantat International Choral Competition in Karlovac.. – CATEGORIES B – D

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Ausma Female Choir was founded in 1959. Over the more than 50 years of its existence Ausma Choir has asserted its ability to maintain a high level of artistic performance and give a lasting contribution to Latvian choral art. Ausma performs music of different epochs and styles, from Latvian and foreign classics, original Latvian music and folksongs to sacred music and jazz. Every season the choir stages a new programme as well as improving and perfecting the nuances of its existing repertoire. The choir has won awards at various international choral contests and several Latvian Song Festivals. In 2014 the choir became Gold Medal winner at the Eighth World Choir Games. As of 1968 the choir’s art director and conductor is Jānis Zirnis, associate professor at the Latvian Academy of Music and chief conductor of Latvian Song Festivals. The choir consists of forty singers. Ausma in Latvian means “the dawn” – the moment when the light appears, living beings wake up, the birds start to sing and the world begins to warm up. That is the symbol of the choir. Ausma’s songs ring as a hope of a new, bright day.- CATEGORIES A – E

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Vikra is a female vocal ensemble, created in November 2014 on the initiative of the art director Petra Grassi. The members come from the area of the Vipava Valley and the Karst around Trieste, hence the decision to name it Vikra, which combines Vipava and Kras (Karst). The choir is characterized by a warm sound and special care in the interpretation of the lyrics and in conveying the phrases. The choir is composed of experienced singers, who train in vocal studies in various places. The singers have sung – or still sing – in acclaimed choir ensembles, such as Dpz Kraški slavček – Krasje, Komorni zbor Ipavska and Mepz Jacobus Gallus. The choir focuses on demanding Renaissance music, on Romantic music, and on less frequently performed works of contemporary music, which require a high technical and interpretative level of knowledge. Their desire is to explore less frequently performed scores. The girls share a sincere love of vocal music and the desire for a common expression. The choir operates under the auspices of Glasbena matica. – CATEGORY A

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The Zero8 group was formed in 2006 on the initiative of Chorus Director Doug Harrington. From the beginning the goal has been to build up a young “fresh” men’s chorus with the ability to master different musical styles at a consistently high level. Many of the chorus members are young men in their twenties who have recently completed their training (or are still studying) at one of Stockholm’s music schools. A varied repertoire includes music composed by Francis Poulenc, Huey Lewis, Rachmaninoff, Carl-Michael Bellman and Morten Lauridsen, among others. Zero8 is a member of SNOBS (Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers), which annually holds the Nordic barbershop championship. The chorus took part in the contest for the first time in the spring of 2008 and has since then won every Nordic Championship for eight consecutive years. The victories qualified Zero8 to compete in the international barbershop championship competition in the USA. Zero8 have so far been placed seventh, fourth and fifth in the prestigious competition. Zero8 has also competed twice in The European Barbershop Championships held in Veldhoven in The Netherlands, where they managed to win the title of European Champions both times.- CATEGORIES A – D -E

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The Fazekas Children’s Choir began its activity in 1963. The children of the choir can study singing and music according to the so-called “Kodály method”. The method’s remarkable results are proved by the successful work of our choir both in national and international festivals and competitions: Budapest, Debrecen, Várna, Arezzo, Tolosa, Neerpelt, Llangollen, Cantonigros, Celje, Grado, Olomouc, and in the Choir Olympic Games: Linz, Bremen (Gold Medal). The choir was invited to Hamamatsu (Japan) in 2007. We took part in the World Youth Choral Festival. The choir’s most recent conquests are: 2012: Krakow, International Choir Festival and Competition – Gold Diploma and first prize. 2013: Ohrid, International Choir Festival and Competition – Silver Diploma. The repertoire of the choir is very varied: we choose masterpieces from the Gregorian age to contemporary composers. Ildikó Molnár has been the conductor since September 2008.- CATEGORY C