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Mixed choirs
For 30 years now, the Oberwallis Vocal Ensemble (OVE) founded by Hansruedi Kämpfen has been one of the most famous choirs of its type in Switzerland. The ensemble is not a project choir but rather a choral community of amateurs, supported by a few music students and professional singers who take over the vocal leads and also the vocal training. Since 1989 the OVE has regularly won prizes at national and international choral competitions. They won the 1st prize at the Swiss Choral Competition in 2005 in Glarus in the category for elite choirs and once again, the OVE won the category for elite choirs in 2013 at the Swiss Choral Competition in Aarau.
In addition to many radio and television performances it has sung regularly at a series of famous concerts and festivals at home and abroad, including the Schubertiade Suisse Romande, the Bach Festival in Mulhouse (F), the Jihlava Choir Festival (CZ), the Vorarlberg Festival of Voices (A), the Europa Cantat festival in Barcelona (E), and the Alpine Choir Festival in Brig. In April 2003 on the occasion of the Lucerne Festival it sang together with the Hilliard-Ensemble the St. John’s Passion by Arvo Pärt in the Lucerne Hofkirche. In 2001, the Oberwallis Vocal Ensemble was honoured to receive the Cultural Prize of the Canton Wallis. The OVE has recorded several CDs, including two CDs with the internationally successful Soprano Rachel Harnisch, who was at one time herself a member of the choir.
Conductor: Hansruedi Kämpfen
After graduating as a teacher for solo singing (Jakob Stämpfli) and choral conducting (Martin Flämig) at the Conservatoire in Bern, Hansruedi Kämpfen studied musicology and pedagogy at the Bern University and graduated as a Middle School teacher from the Music Academy in Lucerne.
At the International Choir Competitions in Gorizia in 1989 and 1994 he was awarded the special conducting prizes for his conducting of works from the "Renaissance" and "Romantic" periods. As Artistic Director of the Swiss Youth Choir he won the first prize at the Valiant Competition for young choirs and orchestras in 2002 and in 2008 the first choral Grand Prix of the foundation. Since 1992 he has been Musical Director of the town of Brig, teaches choral conducting and solo singing at the Oberwallis Music School and heads the Oberwallis Singing School which he founded in 1994. Hansruedi Kämpfen is a much sought after guest conductor and lecturer at courses for choral conductors and singing weeks at home and abroad. He has been a member of the jury at international choir competitions as well as President of the Jury at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf in 2005. As President of the Music Commission of the Swiss Choral Associations and as President of the EC Swiss Federation he has dedicated himself to the aims of choral music at a national and international level.
The Schola Cantorum Coralina was founded in 1933 by the conductor Alina Orraca with the help of the Pablo Milanés Foundation. The choir belongs on the list of the most excellent choirs of the National Centre for Cuban Concert Music and aims to make Cuban, Latin America and world choral music more accessible for the general public. The choir, which is made up for the most part of music students and lecturers, is characterized by its versatility and authenticity in its interpretation of a wide variety of styles. Its repertoire is extremely broad. In addition to purely choral performances Coralina often works across the disciplines, including with dance and drama projects. The choir has also already won awards for its video clips such as "Afrorritmos".
Coralina has won numerous prizes at national and international competitions including in Tolosa, Torrevieja and Arezzo. Numerous concert tours have taken it to Europe, South America and the USA.
Of special importance to the choir was the performance during the mass in honour of the visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II in Havana and further concerts and performances within the framework of pontifical masses in the Vatican and in Cuba.
Conductor: Alina Orraca
Alina Orraca is one of the most important lectuters and conductors in the field of Cuban choral music. She ended her study of choral conducting in 1975 at the National School of the Arts in Havana under Prof. Agnes Kralovszky and in 1981 she graduated from the University for the Cuban Arts under Digna Guerra. For more than 22 years she has led the department for choral training at the National School of the Arts in Havana. In addition to Carolina, she conducts the John Paul II. choir.
Alina Orraca has won several awards for her musical activities. She works regularly at an international level as the head of workshops and as a lecturer.
The ensemble, which was founded in 2008 by its conductor Uwe Heller, consists exclusively of highly experienced singers who interpret multiple-part settings of often unknown a cappella works, to a very high standard.
Their repertoire ranges from works by Tallis, Byrd to contemporary compositions, which can include commissions. The ensemble is also known for the wide stylistic and thematic diversity of their programmes.
The singers, whose sound is characterised by its elegance and purity of tone, are matched according to the requirements of each work, with solo parts sung by members of the ensemble.
The name, ‘ClaritasVocalis’, or 'vocal brightness', is epitomized by the ensemble’s combination of clarity and perfect balance achieved by only a few voices.
CV has already gained success in competitions. 2014 First Prize in the most important Choir Competition of Germany.
Conductor: Uwe Heller
Uwe Heller initially studied Music Education and German in Frankfurt where he also received his first conducting lessons. Subsequently he successfully completed his conducting studies as part of his artistic concert diploma.
As a singer in numerous renowned choirs, Uwe Heller has worked with many prominent musicians, (involving such choirs as Stuttgart Chamber Choir). Concert tours have taken him to a number of European countries, Africa, Amerika and Asia.
He also gained valuable experience by participating in int. master-classes for choral conducting.
During his studies in 2008, Uwe Heller founded the Frankfurt Chamber Choir ClaritasVocalis, which has already achieved success in national and int. competitions; First Prize and special award from the Hessen Government at the 2011 Hessen Choir Festival, First Prize overall, plus special prize for the 'Best Hessen Choir' in the Int. Choir Comp. of the 2012 German Choral Festival, First Prize in 2013 Hessen Choir Comp. and First Prize 2014 in German Choir Comp.
Uwe Heller directs and works with other choirs of different types, in Frankfurt and beyond, both as guest and rehearsal conductor. He is also a teacher for choral workshops.
Depending on the project, the chamber choir I Vocalisti consists of 20 to 60 vocally and musically trained singers from Northern Germany, who come together to perform challenging sacred and secular choral music at a professional level. In addition to performing works by old masters such as Bach, Brahms and Mendelssohn, the choir's repertoire focuses on contemporary pieces. On these occasions, the singers also have the opportunity to work closely with composers. Among others, Vic Nees (Belgium) and Aleksandar S. Vujic (Yugoslaiva) have written pieces for the choir. I Vocalisti is also distinguished by its work with various composers and conductors such as Ugis Praulins, Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo and Christoph Eschenbach.
Furthermore, the choir regularly expands its musical spectrum by working in crossover projects with such groups as the Klazz Brothers and the Danish world music band Afenginn. Since its founding in 1991, the ensemble has performed in numerous concert series and has received prizes at national and international choral competitions, including 1st Prize at the 6th German Choir Competition in 2002 and 1st Prizes at the international choral contests in Tolosa, Spain in 2004 and in Cork, Ireland in 2009.
In addition, I Vocalisti has recorded works for radio (NDR) and television (ARD) as well as for the labels Carus, Rondeau and Sony. The ensemble performs at major festivals, including the "Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival" and the "Festival des Choeurs lauréats". As a guest choir for master classes, I Vocalisti has worked with the directors such as Volker Hempfling, Frieder Bernius and Malcolm Goldring.
Conductor: Hans-Joachim Lustig
Hans-Joachim Lustig, a resident of Lübeck, Germany, is the founder and director of I Vocalisti. After completing his degree in Music Education from the Lübeck University of Music, he has spent his career working as a freelance director and conductor. In 1994/95 he was the recipient of a fellowship awarded by the Deutsche Musikrat (German Music Council). He conducts seminars for choirs and choral directors both nationally and internationally. Lustig is also artistic director of the successful German boys' choir, the Chorknaben Uetersen, whose male voices won 1st Prize at the 6th German Choir Competition in 2002. In addition, he is a sought-aftr adjudicator at choral competitions and frequently serves as a guest conductor for various choirs.
Batavia Madrigal Singers is one of the outstanding vocal ensembles in Indonesia. Its success have been proven by its achievements in prestigious national and international choir competitions, performing a wide range of music compositions. Founded in 1996, the BMS consist of Jakarta’s skilled amateur singers who were selected through competitive audition. With strong commitment in performing choral music at the highest standard, the BMS have contributed to highlighting Indonesia's position internationally.
In 2011, the BMS made history at Torrevieja, Spain when it won five awards at the 57th International Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony. It was the best performance ever achieved by a choir in the competition, which has been held since 1954. In the following year, the BMS became the Grand Champion of the 2012 International May Choir Competition ‘Prof. Georgi Dimitrov’ in Varna, Bulgaria. In this competition Avip Priatna also received the Special Conductor’s Award. As the winner of Grand Prix Varna 2012, BMS then competed in the 2013 European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP) against other grand prix winners of the 2012 EGP competitions. This achievement is outstandingly notable since BMS is the first Indonesian choir ever accomplishing the triumph.
Recently, on May 2014, the BMS competed again at the Florilège Vocal de Tours, France, and achieved the 2nd prize on the Renaissance category, the 3rd prize on the Mixed Choir category, and the best interpretation of the modern composition, which was Salve Regina, composed by Ralph Hoffmann.
Conductor: Avip Priatna
Avip Priatna founded Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) and successfully led them in winning many awards and prizes at European international choral competitions. He also received conductor’s awards on some of those competitions, such as conductor’s award at the 57th Certamen Internacional de Habaneras Y Polifonia in Torrevieja, Spain; and at the 34th International May Choir Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov“ in Varna, Bulgaria.
His musical and artistic qualities has been proven by the fact that the BMS received several best interpretation awards.
After finishing his study in Architectural Engineering at Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Bandung, Avip studied music at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, Austria, supported by the Austrian government and the Rotary Club. He studied choir conducting with Prof. Gunther Theuring and orchestral conducting with Leopold Hager. He was a member of the Wiener Hochschule Singverein Kammerchor, and was appointed as assistant conductor of the Wiener Jeunesse Chor. He undertook Magister Artium funded by Universitas Katolik Parahyangan and graduated in 1998 with high-distinction.
In addition to directing choirs, Avip also directs orchestras. He founded The Jakarta Concert Orchestra (JCO) in 2002 and has been continuously promoting symphonic music in Indonesia ever since.
Festino chamber choir, founded in 2006 by Alexandra Makarova, is a young ensemble from Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
The name of the choir in Italian means "Little holiday". It is the first word of the Italian madrigal comedy by A. Banchieri that was the first piece that the choir performed.
Festino Chamber Choir unites 18 young choral conductors from Saint-Petersburg, graduated or present students of the Saint-Petersburg Music College named after N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov and the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory, choir conducting faculty. The choir is trying to make choral music popular among young people and is investigating some branches of choral music that are still not popular in Russia - Renaissance and Baroque music and modern music of the twentieth and twenty first century. The Festino chamber choir is working with some baroque music ensembles in Saint-Petersburg and Moscow, such as "Prattica Terza" and "New Holland". During its artistic life the choir has taken part in several important projects, such as the first authentic performance of the Johannes Passion by J.S.Bach in Russia. in cooperation with baroque ensembles from Germany, Latvia, Estonia , Finland and Russia in 2009.
One of the parts of the choir`s repertoire is music from young composers in Saint-Petersburg.
Conductor: Alexandra Makarova
Makarova Alexandra was born in Leningrad in 1986. In 2005 she graduated from the Saint-Petersburg Music College named after N.A.RImsky-Korsakov choir conducting faculty. In 2010 she graduated from the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory(Academy) choir conducting faculty (Prof. B.Abalyan).
Alexandra is a laureate of the First All Russian and at other international choir conducting competitions. Among other things, she won a 3rd prize in the First All Russian Choir Conducting Competition (Moscow, Russia) in 2011 and a 1st prize at the International Competition of Choir Conductors named after Prof. Boris Tevlin (Moscow, Russia) in 2014. In 2005-2010 Alexandra was a conductor of the Youth Choir of the Lyceum of Arts Saint-Petersburg.
In 2011-2013 she was the conductor of the students’ choir of the Gracias Music Preparatory school in Daejeon, South Korea. In 2013 Alexandra founded the chamber choir of the Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University.
The Gracias Choir was founded in South Korea by people of various musical backgrounds who wanted to thank and praise God through music for the love they had received. Established in 2000, the award-winning Gracias Choir continues to challenge the landscape of choral music, as well as advance among its ranks at an unprecedented speed. Gracias Choir's music is always inspired by the love and thankfulness each member holdsdearly to their hearts and their calling to praise God. Gracias Choir has the unique ability to touch the hearts of its audiences and turn sadness into joy.
One bold musical colour created through self-sacrifice; harmonious sounds birthed from the essence of the soul; and lives changed through the transformative power of music.
Conductor: Boris Abalyan
Maestro Boris Abalyan was born in Bobruisk, Russia in 1947. He received his Master and Doctorate degrees from Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg Conservatory in Choral Conducting. He is known for cultivating perfect blends of harmony and igniting his groups with vibrant energy on stage.
Boris Abalyan is an Honored Artist of Russia, a professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory and Gracias Music at Mahanaim, and chief conductor of the Gracias Choir. His major awards include Grand Prizes at the 1999 International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf and the 2010 Busan Choral Festival and Competition.
The choir Oreya was founded by Alexander Vatsek in 1986 as a Municipal Choir and within four years began to represent not only the Zhytomyr region, but also all Ukraine at international competitions of choral singing.
Oreya can look back on a proud total of awards at the most renowned European Choral Competitions. Since 1990 Oreya has won several Grand Prix, first places and special prizes at international choir competitions and festivals in different countries.
Oreya tours regularly in the Ukraine and abroad. The choir was named as a cultural Ambassador for the Ukraine.
In May 2010 Oreya participated at Musica Sacra International Marktoberdorf presenting music from the Orthodox tradition.
Today Oreya is one of the most original choral ensembles in the world, which, over the past 17 years, has consistently had a high international rating!
Conductor: Alexander Vatsek
Alexander Vatsek, born in 1955, conductor and Merited Artist of the Ukraine, studied at the State Conservatoire in Odessa where he graduated in 1982. In addition to Oreya, he also founded the choir Gaudeamus from the University of Brno in 1996. He has won numerous prizes with both choirs at international competitions.
Alexander Vatsek is in regular demand to head workshops and as a jury member at choral competitions.
Ghostlight Chorus is a chamber choir based in New York City. The ensemble maintains a rigorous performance calendar, which showcases its varied repertoire of a cppella choral music from the 15th century through today. Founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Evelyn Troester, the choir is comprised of experienced singers who collectively strive for superior musicality, intonation, and choral blend.
Acclaimed as "beautiful" by Vogue and "first-class" by Time Out New York, Ghostlight pursues both high-quality musicianship and a comprehensive repertoire, with a commitment to original concert programming and frequent world premieres. Recent performance highlights include the Genius Festival at the 92nd Street Y concert hall, the PS1 Benefit at New York's Museum of Modern Art, sold-out concerts in prolific venues in Germany, joint concerts with choirs world-wide including the Madrigalchor of Munich, concert tours of the United States' east and west coasts, and live performances with the Rolling Stones in New York and New Jersey.
Conductor: Evelyn Troester DeGraf
Choral conductor, vocalist, pianist, and music educator Evelyn Troester is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Ghostlight Chorus, the choral director and cantor for Sacred Hearts & Saint Stephen Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and a doctoral candidate in education at Columbia University's Teachers College.
Evelyn holds graduate degrees in music education from the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music and Performing Arts) and in jazz voice from the Richard-Strauss-Conservatory, both located in Munich, Germany, as well as an Ed.M. from Teachers College in New York, where she is currently writing a dissertation on the performance preparation of choral conductors.
Besides choral music and the pedagogy the4reof, her academic interests include the topics of creativity, leadership, and vocal improvisation on which she was invited to present at the Economist Human Potential, NYSSMA, and Transformative Learning conferences. A certified yoga instructor, Evelyn continues to pioneer the synergy of advancing vocal performance through yoga and meditation practices.
The Chamber Choir is the most select ensemble in the University of Oregon’s seven-choir program. Comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, the Chamber Choir specializes in a cappella music from the 16th through 21st centuries. The UO Chamber Choir participated in two recent international festivals, winning First Prize in the 2013 Fleischmann International Trophy Competition at the Cork International Choral Festival in Cork, Ireland and taking top honors in two categories (Renaissance/Baroque and Chamber Choir) at the 2011 Tallinn International Choral Festival in Tallinn, Estonia. In addition, they have performed through juried audition at state and division conferences for the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. In the summer of 2014 the Chamber Choir became a resident ensemble at the Oregon Bach Festival, performing under Artistic Director Emeritus Helmuth Rilling and new Artistic Director Matthew Halls.
Conductor: Sharon J. Paul
Sharon J. Paul is Professor of Music, Chair of Vocal & Choral Studies, and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Oregon, where she teaches graduate courses in choral conducting, repertoire, and pedagogy, and conducts the Chamber Choir and University Singers. Dr. Paul appears frequently as adjudicator, clinician, and honor choir director throughout the United States. She is the recipient of a 2014-15 University of Oregon Faculty Excellence Award.
Prior to her tenure at the University of Oregon, Dr. Paul served as Artistic Director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus. In 2000 the SFGC was awarded an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, and the Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence, a national honor presented by Chorus America.
Female Choirs
4x4, the female choir of the Teacher Training College in Heidelberg, was founded in 2004 by its musical director Heike Kiefner-Jesatko. The young ensemble is made up of 16 students of teaching from a variety of subject areas and concentrates mainly on choral music for female choirs from the 19th and 20th centuries.
The ensemble won gold medals (category winners) at the International Choir Competition in Riva del Garda in 2006 and at the International Choir Competition in Budapest in 2007, in 2011 they also won gold (category winners and best results in the whole competition) at the International Choir Competition in Venice. In 2010, the female choir won gold at the International Robert-Schumann Choir Competition in Zwickau, received a special prize for the best interpretation of a choral work by Schumann and a prize for the whole competition (Robert-Schumann Choral Prize 2010, Zwickau).
Conductor: Heike Kiefner-Jesatko
Heike Kiefner-Jesatko studied school music and history at Mainz University. After graduating in school music, she began studying conducting with the emphasis on choral conducting at the University for Music in Frankfurt (Prof. Wolfgang Schäfer). She added to her education with private piano lessons from Prof. Irina Edelstein as well as various master classes (for example with Helmut Rilling, Eric Ericson among others). From 1998-2001 she was Choral Director at the municipal theatre in the town of Heidelberg. Since the witner term 2001/2002 she has been Senior Academic Councillor at the Teacher Training College in Heidelberg where she teaches music theory, aural training and choral conducting and conducts the choir, the orchestra and the female choir 4x4.
Heike Kiefner-Jesatko holds a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Foundation. Since June 2006 she has been the Musical Director of the Konkordien-Kantorei in Mannheim. In the same year she was awarded the State Teaching Prize from the State of Baden-Württemberg.
In spite of its ever-changing membership, the University of Tartu Academic Women’s Choir has won renown not only in musically-blessed Estonia but also beyond. During its 70 years of existence, the choir has been a part of Estonia’s continuing song festivals. Its achievements at home have been crowned by many national prizes as well as nominations in international competitions. In 1990, on the eve of Estonia’s second period of independence, at the crest of its “Singing Revolution”, the choir won first place and the Grand Prix in Italy at the first International Choir Competition in Riva del Garda. The most recent achievements in international competitions include third prize in both sacred and secular music and being selected as one of the top five choirs vying for the Grand Prix at the 2009 Grieg Festival competition in Bergen, Norway and first prize in the annual international competition “Tallinn 2011” held in Tallinn, Estonia.
Founded by the composer Richard Ritsing, its long-time primary conductor was Vaike Uibopuu. The current conductor, Triin Koch, who has been repeatedly acknowledged as one of Estonia’s most talented choral conductors, took over the baton in 2005.
Conductor: Triin Koch
Triin Koch, born in 1975 is the chief conductor of the Academic Women’s Choir of the University of Tartu (in Estonian TÜAN). She studied conducting under Vaike Uibopuu at Heino Eller Tartu Music School and graduated in 1997. From 1997 to 2001 she continued her studies under Prof. Kuno Areng at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. In 2001, she continued with her Master studies. Triin Koch received several prizes, among them the Conductor's Prize at the international choir festivals Tallinn 2007 and Tallinn 2009. In 2003 and 2009, the Estonian Choral Association named her the Conductor of the Year. At the choir festival Tallinn 2011, she received a special prize for conducting the Estonian choir with the highest points. Triin Koch has been declared the "Cultural Pearl" laureate for Tartu County (2011).
In addition to being the chief conductor of TÜAN, she also conducts the Tartu University Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Alumni Choir of the TÜAN.
The Mecsek Female Choir was founded in 2001 by female singers from the Mecsek Chamber Choir in Pecs, Hungary. The founder and conductor of the choir since then is Attila Kertész.
The principle aim of the choir is the interpretation of Hungarian and international choral literature. In addition to a capella literature, the repertoire also includes oratorios.
The choir, which consists mainly of young female singers, has already taken part many times successfully in national and international choir competitions. Musical projects together with ensembles from other countries have proved tob e a most fruitful aspect of their choral work.
The next highlight after taking part in the Marktoberdorf competition will be the participation in and working at the 19th. Festival Europa Cantat in Pécs, the home town of the choir, in July 2015.
Conductor: Attila Kertész
Attila Kertész, born in 1942 in Gyula, studied music and conducting at the Music Conservatoire and the Janus Pannonius University in Pécs as well as at the Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest. Among his teachers were Zoltán Pongrácz and István Párkai. He taught at a number of grammar schools in Pécs. Since 2001he has conducted the Mecsek Choir and the Mecsek Female Chor, winning several awards.
Attila Kertész is a member of the board of the Hungarian Kodály Society and the Association of Hungarian Choirs and Orchestras. For his artistic work, he was awarded among other things the Liszt-Ferenc-Preis in 2005. He appears regularly as a lecturer and jury member at choir competitions in Hungary and Germany.
Der Frauenchor Balta, Preisträger bei mehreren internationalen Wettbewerben, wurde im Jahr 1999 gegründet. Gürnderin, künstlerische Leiterin und Dirigentin ist Mara Marnauza, Chorleiter Andris Pundurs. Der Chor hat seine vokalen und künstlerischen Fähigkeiten bei Meisterkursen mehrerer berühmter Dirigenten weiterentwickelt, etwa bei Bob Chillcott, Alexander Vacek, Arthur Maud, Prof. Christoph Schönherr und Prof. Ragnar Rasmussen.
Balta blickt auf erfolgreiche Konzerttourneen zurück und erwarb sich Anerkennung sowohl unter Musikern und Kritikern als auch auf Seiten des Publikums in Lettland und im Ausland (Deutschland, Österreich, Norwegen, Litauen, Tschechien, Polen, Spanien, Slowakei, Italien etc.). Im Repertoire von Balta finden sich Originalstücke klassischer und zeitgenössischer Komponisten Lettlands, lettische Volksmusik und Musik weltbekannter Komponisten unterschiedlicher Stilrichtungen und Epochen. Für die Zukunft freut sich Balta auf neue Programme, die inhaltich höchstprofessionelles Singen, Choreographie und Dirigieren kombinieren.
Dir.: Mara Marnauza
Mara Marnauza schloss 1987 ihr Studium an der Fakultät für Chordirigieren am Staatlichen Jäzeps Vltols Konservatorium Lettlands in der Dirigierklasse von Prof. Mendlis Bass mit der Auszeichnung summa cum laude ab und promovierte im Bereich Musikpädagogik an der Universität von Lettland (2000). Mara Marnauza ist Gründerin, Dirigentin und künstlerische Leiterin von Preisträgern bei internationalen Chorwettbewerben - dem Kammerchor FORTIUS (1985) und dem Frauenchor BALTA (1999). Sie bekam den Preis als beste Dirigentin beim Emilis Melngailis Wettbewerb für Volksmusik (1999) und den Sonderpreis der internationalen Jury als beste Dirigentin beim XIX Internationalen Wettbewerb für Sakrale Chormusik in Namestovo (2009). Sie wirkt regelmäßig als Jurymitglied bei nationalen und internationalen Chorwettbewerben mit.
The Female Academic Choir was established in 1975 by a college culture teacher Svetlana Grigorievna Fominyh, who has led the choir for 35 years. This choir remains a pearl of Ukrainian Choral Art and also stands out as one of the leading ensembles of the Ukraine. The uniqueness of the team has been repeatedly noticed and admired by renowned artists of the Ukraine and foreign masters as well. The choir has taken part many times in presidential concerts in Kiev.
The Female Choir consists of 40 participants from various professions. Among them are teachers, students, cultural organizing staff.
The repertoire of the choir is uniquely various. A special place in the choir’s repertoire belongs to works composed by Ukrainian contemporary composers and popularization of Ukrainian Choral Music outside of the Ukraine. The choir was awarded several prizes in national and international choir competitions.
Conductor: Tatiana Ostrovska
Tatiana Ostrovska graduated from the Mykolayiv State High School of Culture in 1999. Tatiana Ostrovska is a young and creative leader of the choir. Her conducting skills are very high, also she has her own vision and interpretation of choral repertoire and her inspiration brings freshness to the choral team work. In 2010, headed by Tatiana Ostrovska as a conductor, the Choir of Svetlana Fominyh won the "Grand Prix" at the International Choral Competition "Yalta Victoria" (Yalta). Tatiana Ostrovska was awarded the prize as the "Best Conductor".