35th International Choral Festival of Preveza

Dr. Justin Smith is Assistant Professor of Music, Director of the Music Program and Director of Choral Activities at Queens University of Charlotte, where he conducts three choirs, leads the music program and teaches courses in music history, conducting and film music. For six years he was the Director of Choral Activities and holder of the Joseph Naumes Endowed Chair in Music at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Smith is the founder and director of the Portland Phoenix Chamber Choir, winning awards at the Cork Festival (2016), the European Choir Games (2017) and the Leonardo Da Vinci International Choral Festival (2018), and appearing by invitation at the Northwest Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Spokane, WA. In 2020, he founded the Royal Voices of Charlotte, which performed at the NCACDA state conference, in collaboration with Bach Akademie Charlotte, and at Carnegie Hall in the 2021-22 season. He holds the DMA in Choral Conducting from the Moores School of Music, University of Houston, and is a scholar of American choral music, having been published twice in Choral Journal on neglected choral works of Marc Blitzstein and Vincent Persichetti. He holds additional degrees in music from Wesleyan University and the University of Oregon. Dr. Smith is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization and the North Carolina Music Educators Association.

Theodora Pavlovitch is a Professor in choral conducting and Head of Conducting Department of the Bulgarian National Academy of Music. As a conductor she has worked with the Bulgarian National TV-choir (1986-1991) and “Vassil Arnaudov” Sofia Chamber Choir (from 1991 and recently). Since 2005 she has been directing the Classic FM Radio Choir performing concerts with Classic FM Radio Orchestra and world-famous soloists such as Andrea Bocelli, Anna Tomowa-Sintow and others. In 2007/2008 she conducted the World Youth Choir, honored by UNESCO with the title Artist for Peace. She is frequently invited as a member of Jury-panels at a number of international choral competitions, as a conductor and lecturer at prestigious international events all around the world. In 2005 she led a Master class for choral conductors in the program of the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan. She has been representative of Bulgaria in the World Choral Council since 2012, Vice-President of the International Federation for Choral Music (2008-2014), Chair of the Artistic Committee of the World Youth Choir (2010-2014), Chair of the Music Commission of the European Choral Association Europa Cantat (2003-2006). For her artistic achievements, she has been awarded The Golden Century National Award bestowed by the Minister of Culture of Bulgaria (2016), The Golden Lyre by the Union of Bulgarian Musicians (2010), several Special Prizes by the Bulgarian Choir’s Union, Classic FM Radio, Sofia Municipality and other institutions.

Ragnar Rasmussen is conductor, university professor and composer, situated at NTNU - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway). He was born and raised in the north-east region of Norway, surrounded with many cultural traditions of indigenous people and other peoples of the Arctic. This fact has heavily influenced his music-making, both as performer and composer. He is on regular basis visiting academies, choirs and orchestras all over the world as guest conductor, such as BBC Singers, The Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra and choir, Turkish State Choir and many others. Rasmussen is currently artistic leader of Nidaros Vokalensemble, and the international Utopia & Reality Chamber Choir (which he shares with Urša Lah).

A sought after conductor and clinician all across the United States and internationally, Dr. Pearl Shangkuan is a professor of Music at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she directs choirs and teaches choral conducting and choral literature. She is also the chorus master (endowed Covenant Chair) of the Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony. Her performances and preparation of choruses consistently receive outstanding reviews for their combination of precision, artistry and passion. In addition to her Mosaic: the Pearl Shangkuan choral series for earthsongs, she serves as the music editor of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship choral series, published by GIA. Her choirs have performed at national, division and state conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and other professional music conferences in the United States. Recent conducting engagements took her to Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, and all across the United States. She has conducted honor choirs for several ACDA divisions and has been a headliner for various ACDA state conferences. She has led performances and given workshops all across the US and in Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the Philippines), as well as in Austria, Australia, and Canada. She has served on the National Board of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) as the president of the Central Division (2007-09), and as Michigan ACDA state president (2003-05). Prior to her appointment at Calvin University, Dr. Shangkuan taught at Rutgers University and at the Westminster Conservatory of Music of Rider University in New Jersey.

Ambrož Čopi (born 1973) studied composition under the tutelage of Dane Škerl and Uroš Rojko, and piano, at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He is recognized as a composer, conductor, lecturer, and the artistic director of the International Youth Choirs Choral Festival Aegis Carminis in Koper. Presently, he is a leader of choral activities at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana (KGBL) and teaches at the Artistic High School in Koper. From the inception of his teaching career, he has fostered his students' creativity in choral music, emerging as a mentor to Slovenia's youngest generation of composers. Through his leadership, new compositions have been inspired and performed worldwide. His original compositions, recorded on five CDs, regularly grace stages worldwide. His works are published predominantly by Astrum Music Publisher, with select works featured by Sulasol, TICF and Hinshaw Music. Čopi has guided numerous Slovenian choirs to remarkable achievements in both national (15 gold plaques) and international competitions (29 first places). He has been awarded many times for outstanding performances and as best conductor. Presently, he conducts the KGBL Chamber Choir and the University of Primorska Academic Choir, both esteemed among Slovenia's premier choral ensembles. In 2014, he was honored with the Gallus Plaque, Slovenia's highest recognition in the realm of musical endeavor, alongside the prestigious national award, the Prešeren Fund Prize, Marjan Kozina Prize and Republic of Slovenia Prize for Education. He is regularly invited to act as a jury member at choral competitions worldwide; he also actively engages in choral music seminars and masterclasses for conductors and composers alike, offering his expertise as a lecturer.

Urša Lah studied Choral Conducting in Slovenia and in Norway. With Slovene choirs she led: MeMPZ Veter, APZ Tone Tomšič UL and the National Radio Chamber Choir, she has been involved in many première performances, and won many first prizes, golden plaques, special prizes and conducting awards at national and international choral competitions, including the final for Grand Prix of Europe (Debrecen, 2008). She received the highest award of the Municipality of Ljubljana for cultural achievement and the award of Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Cultural Activities. Since autumn 2009 Urša lives in Norway. She taught conducting at the universities in Tromsø and Trondheim (Associate professor), she was the artistic leader/conductor of Finnmark Operakor and University Choir Mimas, she worked as a choir master for Arctic Philharmonic and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.

Currently she conducts Trondheim Symphonic Opera Choir and is employed as a choir master for Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. She gives seminars for choral conductors, is a frequent member of adjudicating panels at international choral and conducting competitions, a guest conductor of professional choirs/ensembles and one of two artistic leaders of the international Utopia&Reality Chamber Choir.