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Choirs
Jerusalem Academy Chamber Choir • Israel
The Jerusalem Academy Chamber Choir, founded in 1969 by Avner Itai, is composed of some 30 singers. Most of them are students of the Academy. The choir has won recognition as one of the best choirs in Israel and regularly gives concerts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the country’s leading orchestras.
In 2008, the choir took part in the first choral competition in Israel and won first prize. In 2010, together with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, the choir gave a concert in honour of Gilad Shalit with an audience of 10,000 on the border to Gaza.
Conductor: Stanley Sperber
Stanley Sperber, born in New York, graduated from Columbia University and the Juilliard School of Music. In 1972, he immigrated to Israel. Since then he has conducted all the large orchestras in the country. Stanley Sperber has also performed as guest conductor with a large number of internationally famous orchestras. In addition to his numerous concert activities, Stanley Sperber was appointed as Lecturer for Choral Conducting and conductor of the chamber choir at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in 1998. Since 2006 he has also been a professor at the Bar Ilan University.
Cantabile Regensburg • Regensburg/Germany
The mixed choir was founded in 1992 by Christian Preißler and has been conducted by Matthias Beckert since 2002. Since this time, contemporary music has played a particularly important role in the repertoire of the approx. 40 male and female singers.
Cantabile Regensburg has already sung successfully at a number of competitions. As early as 1997, the vocal ensemble won first prize at the 5th Bavarian Choral Competition and was able to confirm this high level at the German Choral Competition in 1998. In May 2010, Cantabile Regensburg reached fifth place at the 8th German Choral Competition. The choir visited Marktoberdorf for the first time in 2001.
Conductor: Matthias Beckert
Matthias Beckert studied orchestral conducting under Prof. Yuuko Amanuma, church music under Prof. Gerhard Weinberger and school music and choral conducting at a master class under Prof. Jörg Straube. Matthias Beckert has led and conducted the Monteverdi Choir Würzburg since 1998. He has performed international concerts with the Cantabile Regensburg vocal ensemble. In 2007 he was appointed to be Choral Director of the Suhl Academy for Singing and the Suhl Boys’ Choir.
Matthias Beckert has conducted many world premieres and is particularly involved in the contemporary choral music scene.
Entrevoces • Havana/Cuba
The choir was founded in 1981 by Digna Guerra Ramírez. It has distinguished itself with outstanding interpretations from very different eras and styles. The choir sings works from the Spanish, English and Italian Renaissance as well as contemporary music, Negro spirituals and Cuban music. It has sung in the major concert halls in Cuba as well as in radio and television. It has performed at choral and jazz festivals and contributed to the expansion of choral music by appearing in schools and commercial companies. Guest concerts have taken it to many countries throughout the world, among them Spain, France, Italy, Venezuela, USA and Canada. It has also performed under such famous conductors as Helmut Rilling (Mendelssohn, Elias) or Leo Brouwer (C. Orff, Carmina burana). The choir can be heard in many concerts especially on the Latin-American continent.
Conductor: Digna Guerra Ramírez
Digna Guerra Ramírez is the founder of the Entrevoces choir and has led it to its many successes. She is Professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Cuba, President of the Cuban Choral Association and of the international festival, America Cantat. She has worked with her own ensembles since 1962; in 1965 she took over as conductor of the Radio Choir; since 1969 she has conducted the choir of the Cuban Opera with which she has performed many famous operas. Since 1975 she has also conducted the Cuban National Choir. In addition, she also gives international master classes, is a sought after jury member and also gives solo performances.
University of Louisville Cardinal Singers • USA
The University of Louisville Cardinal Singers were founded in 1970. The Cardinal Singers continue their mission locally, nationally and internationally. They perform on national and international stages, offering workshops and serving as a demonstration choir. Highlights include their performances at the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto (Japan) 2005 and the Beijing Interrnational Choral Festival (China) 2010.
Recent competition performances include, among others, the International Choir Olympics in Bremen (Germany) 2004 and the 1st Grand Prix of Choral Music in South Korea 2009.
The Cardinal Singers participated in the 9th. International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf 2005 and served as the seminar choir for the International Conducting Seminar Marktoberdorf following the competition.
Conductor: Kent Hatteberg
Dr. Kent Hatteberg studied piano and voice at the University of Dubuque. He is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Louisville, where he teaches among other things undergraduate conducting. Kent Hatteberg is active as a guest conductor, conducting teacher, adjudicator and lecturer. He was a member of the International Jury at the Certamen Coral de Tolosa in 2007.
molto cantabile • Lucerne/Switzerland
molto cantabile began in 2003 as a project choir and with its official founding in 2005 became a fixed part of the Swiss choral scene. Since then, the choir has often taken part in national and international choral competitions, among them in Tolosa in 2005 and at the Cork Choral Festival in 2008. molto cantabile has a wide repertoire, from the Renaissance to contemporary music, including several world premieres.The choir is especially interested in musical exchanges and meeting choirs from other countries. This led during the 6th European Festival for Youth Choirs in Basel to a cooperation with an Armenian girls’ choir.
Conductor: Andreas Felber
Born and raised in Lucerne, he was for many years a member of the Lucerne Boys‘ Choir, where he received his first lessons in singing. He studied Conducting and singing at the University for Music in Lucerne and finished his studies of both subjects with excellent grades.There followed master classes and workshops with, among others, Ton Koopman and Johannes Prinz. Andreas Felber has also appeared as a guest singer and conductor at the Lucerne Theatre. In 2010 he was the Musical Director of the musical „Die Schwarzen Brüder“ on the lake stage in Walenstadt. In addition to «molto cantabile», he also conducts the Lucerne Chamber Choir and is the conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir for 2011.
University of the East Chorale • Manila/Philippines
The University of the East Chorale was founded in June 1992 as the University of the East Glee Club. Since 1999 the young singers have been conducted by Anna Tabita Abeleda Piquero. Under her leadership, the choir has constantly expanded its repertoire and taken part successfully in numerous international competitions, among them the Busan Choral Festival & Competition 2007 in South Korea. Concert tours through Europe lasting several months have taken the choir to Italy, France, Austria and Germany.
Conducor: Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero
Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero has many years experience as a singer and choral conductor. Since 1999 she has conducted the University of the East Chorale, with which she has won many prizes at international competitions. Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero is a founder member of the Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDA). She regularly gives workshops in her home country.
Kammerchor der Hochschule für Musik • Detmold/Germany
The Chamber Choir of the University for Music in Detmold is a selected group of 36 singers which performs concerts of demanding choral music from the Renaissance to the contemporary. The choir concentrates on a cappella music from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Kurt Thomas, one of the founders of the Detmold University, also founded the choir. Under
Fritz ter Wey, the choir specialized particularly in the performance of contemporary music. Cooperative ventures with such famous conductors as Eric Ericson and Paul van Nevel demonstrate clearly the quality of the choir.
On an international level, the choir has already won prizes at international choral competitions in Athens in 2005 and in Trnava, Slovakia in 2007.
Conductor: Anne Kohler
Anne Kohler studied school music Hamburg as well as conducting and singing in Karlsruhe. She is active throughout Germany leading courses and workshops in conducting, vocal training and conducting jazz choirs. From 1996 to 2009, Anne Kohler was Lecturer for Choral Conducting and Singing at the University for Music in Hanover. Since 2003, she has conducted the Hanover chamber choir, „Capella St. Crucis“. Since 2009, Anne Kohler has been Professor for Choral Conducting at the University for Music in Detmold and conductor of the University Chamber Choir.
S:t Jacobs Ungdomskör • Stockholm/Sweden
S:t Jacobs Ungdomskör was founded in autumn 2007 as a mixed youth choir within the framework of the "Storstadsprojektet" in the parish of Stockholm Cathedral. The singers in the choir are aged between 19 and 25. The choir gives most of its concerts in S:t Jacob Church in the heart of Stockholm. The leader of the choir has been Mikael Wedar from the beginning.
Conductor: Mikael Wedar
Mikael Wedar studied choral conducting, voice and piano at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. He works as a choir director at Stockholm's Music High School. With his choirs, Wedar has already celebrated several successes at competitions and festivals in Europe.
VokalArs • Madrid/Spain
VokalArs began rehearsing in October 2004. The aim of the group was to present, as an ensemble, vocal music at a high level. Consisting of singers with a solid musical training, the group quickly made a name for itself in the Spanish choral world.
Since its creation, VokalArs has presented various programmes of appealing musical interest and has produced some fascinating presentations in an attempt to go beyond the strict musical expression. The eagerness to develop its activities in cooperation with other forms of artistic expression has lead them to incessantly search for scenarios in which to combine arts based on different dimensions, to make them meet through time, space and matter.
VokalArs is not foreign to the world it lives in. Its concern about the various social realities around has led them to develop activities in aid of women and the education of children, these two social aspects actually becoming the main goal of many of their projects.
Conductor: Nuria Fernández Herranz
Nuria Fernández Herranz was born in Madrid. She studied music at the Royal High Conservatory in Madrid. After this, she studied choral conducting under Adrienne Vinczeffy and István Párkai in Hungary. Nuria Fernández Herranz teaches at the Aragón High Conservatory of Music and offers workshops and master classes throughout Spain.
Female Choir of Kiev Glier Institute of Music • Ukraine
The Female Choir of the Kiev Glier Institute of Music is made up of students from the Institute’s Department of Choral Conducting. In many projects, the choir works together with contemporary Ukrainian composers whose works they perform as world premieres. Concert tours have taken the singers to Poland, Hungary, France, Spain, Iceland and the Netherlands.
Conductor: Galyna Gorbatenko
Galyna Gorbatenko finished her studies in choral conducting in 1971 at the National Music Academy in Kiev. Since 1976 she has taught at the Glier Institute of Music. In 1985, she founded the Female Choir of the Kiev Glier Institute of Music, which she has conducted since the beginning. Galyna Gorbatenko has won a number of prizes.
Kamerkoor Cantate Venlo • Netherlands
Founded originally as a mixed choir in 1970 the Cantate Chamber Choir quickly became one of the best female choirs in the Netherlands. In its 40 year history, the choir has been able to celebrate a large number of successes. In 2005, Cantate was awarded the title of “Dutch Choir of the year”. In order to develop further, the choir regularly works with guest conductors, among them in recent years with Brady R. Allred and Volker Hempfling. Composers such as Henk Badings, Vic Nees and Rejo Kekkonen have written works especially for Cantate.
Conductor: Dion Ritten
Dion Ritten studied music and choral conducting at the Maastricht Conservatory and the Rhineland State University for Music, Grenzland – Institut in Aachen. Dion Ritten has conducted a large number of choirs and orchestras. He regularly appears as a jury member at choir competitions.
Female Choir of Estonian Choral Conductors • Tallinn/Estonia
The Female Choir of Estonian Choral Conductors, founded in 1988, is made up of choral conductors and music teachers from all over Estonia. The choir meets together 6 to 8 times a year for rehearsals and concerts. The aim of the choir is to perform Estonian choral music at a high level and make it known to a wider public, also beyond the borders of the Baltic States. The choir works regularly together with guest conductors from Estonia, the USA, Finland and Germany. Concert tours have taken the choir to Russia, Hungary, Finland, Norway, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland.
Conductor: Andrus Siimon
Andrus Siimon studied at the Tallin Pedagogical Institute and the Estonian Music Academy. He teaches choral conducting at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School. Since 2007 he has been the chief conductor of the Female Choir of Estonia Choral Conductors. In addition, Andrus Siimon is also conductor, among other things, of the Female Choir of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and the Virumsa Youth Male Choir.