37th International Choral Festival of Preveza

“Cantanti” Children’s Choir was founded in February 2014 in Timisoara, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, which is why it is called “Little Vienna”. Its members are aged from 7 to 14 years old. The choir has participated in the International Project “Cantus Mundi”, funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration, and it has also performed in choral events and festivals both in their country and abroad (Austria 2016, Croatia 2017). In July 2015, they won the 3rd Prize at the “Gavriil Musicescu” International Choral Festival in Iasi, while in August 2018 they won the 2nd prize at the Ohrid International Choral Competition. The choir is directed by Mrs Maria Gyuris.

“Trakiiska Lira” Choir was founded in 2003 as a part of the Singing Society “Lira” in Pazardjik, Bulgaria. The choir develops simultaneously concert and educational activity. In 2007 and 2008, it was twice awarded with a Special Prize for being among the best army choirs in Bulgaria. It has successfully participated at international choir festivals and other events both in Bulgaria and abroad (the Netherlands, Turkey, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Serbia, etc.). Its repertoire includes works from all styles and periods, but a special priority is given to works by Bulgarian composers. The choir is directed by the conductor and composer, Mr. Angel Tsenov.

The Academic Choir of the Rzeszówski University of Technology started its activity in April 2017. It works under the premises of the University of Technology as well as the support of the local authorities of Rzeszów. It has participated in many academic events, while it was awarded at the National Polish Choral Festival “Saint Cross” in Kielce, in July 2018. Also, they have recorded a CD. The choir is directed by prof. Lidia Chalińska.

The Chamber Choir of the Course of Church Music and Chanting at the Academy of Music, University of East Sarajevo was founded in 2001. It has taken part in divine services in numerous churches and monasteries at home and abroad, and also performed at music festivals and concerts in Italy, Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, etc. The ensemble was the laureate at numerous international choir competitions, such as Helsingborg, Sweden (2004), Rome, Italy (2005), Moscow, Russia (2006), Nis, Serbia (2004, 2010, 2016 and 2018), etc. Their latest success, though, was the Grand prix in the International Choral Festival of Niš, Serbia, in 2018. The ensemble has recorded 5 CDs and it has been recorded for documentaries, concerts and shows on the radio and television. Its repertoire is diverse and consists of Orthodox spiritual music and secular choral music, mostly works of Serbian composers, including the premiere performances of compositions, among which some have been dedicated to this ensemble and its director. Since its establishment, the choir has been directed by prof. Rade Radović.

The KGBL Chamber Choir was established in 2014 following a decision to rearrange the former choir at Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet into two separate groups. The Chamber Choir, consisting of about forty singers, gives its members the opportunity to improve their vocal technique, sing challenging and demanding choral repertoire, and perform to high standards. It regularly collaborates with vocal educators Edita Garčević Koželj and Tatjana Vasle, and has been assisted by conductors Petra Jerič, Tine Bec and Evgen Bibianko. It embraces a wide range of musical styles and genres, from the Renaissance to contemporary music. Over the past few years, the choir has commissioned new compositions from several prominent composers such as Lojze Lebič, Tadeja Vulc, Damijan Močnik, Črt Sojar-Voglar, Peter Šavli, Andrej Makor, Tine Bec and Matej Kastelic, performing their music at concerts both in Slovenia and further afield. Recent successes include second and third place at the 2015 International Choral Competition in Tallinn, Estonia; the Grand Prix in Moscow in 2016; first place at the National Choral Competition “Naša pesem” (“Our Song”) in Maribor, Slovenia, in 2016; and first place in the polyphonic category at the 2017 International Choral Competition in Tolosa, Spain. International engagements have included performances in Stockholm, Basel, Taipei and Beijing. Their latest success was the 1st place and a special award for Ambrož Čopi for the best performance of an imaginative and artistic programme at Fleischmann International Trophy Competition of the 65th Cork International Choral Festival, Ireland (2019). The choir is directed by the conductor and composer, Mr. Ambrož Čopi.

The choir was established in 1996 by Beata Szymańska, who is also its director. The group consists of students and graduates of the Educational-Artistic Department in Kalisz - of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. It performs in Poland and abroad (Germany, Italy, Sweden, North Macedonia and Spain). During its activity, it has participated in many international and local artistic events. They have also taken part in various symphonic projects. Its repertoire includes both a cappella pieces from various periods as well as vocal - instrumental music. In 2012 the choir recorded an album along with the bassoonist, Nikodem Antosik - AGNUS DEI - concert for the bassoon and choir (opus 167) – by Egil Hovland (Polish first performance). The choir is directed by Beata Szymańska.

The Chamber Vocal Ensemble “Solartissimo” of the Modern Conservatory of Larissa was established in September 2013, and it is one of the choral ensembles of the Conservatory. Its repertoire consists of sacred and secular works ranging from medieval to modern music. It has successfully performed in choral festivals and concerts in Greece and abroad and it has collaborated with Greek and foreign orchestras. It is directed by Mr. Nikos Stef. Efthimiadis.

The Choir named after Vadim Serebrovsky in Ural Federal University was founded in 2001. There are more than 40 people in the choir, who are students of the above University. Its repertoire contains more than 200 works of Russian and foreign choral classics as well as works by contemporary authors. Over the years it has been awarded numerous prizes in different competitions and festivals. In 2017, they won silver and golden awards in the International Choral Festival “Preobrajenie” in Saint Petersburg, Russia, while in 2018 they won a golden medal in the International Choral Festival of Academic Choirs IFAS in Pardubice, Czech Republic. The choir is directed by Mrs. Julia Polyanovskaya.

Pueri et Puellae Cantores Plocenses is a continuation of Pueri Cantores Plocenses boys’ choir founded in 1998 by Anna and Wiktor Bramscy for Płock’s cathedral basilica. Together with a girls’ ensemble established in 2006, it consists of over a hundred members aged between 7 and 25, and is a cultural institution of the city of Płock. The Choir’s extensive repertoire is full of the finest pieces of music, ranging from medieval Gregorian chants to contemporary compositions. It has been honored with more than 60 awards and accolades in countless competitions and festivals, with the most recent ones in Singapore and Bali in 2018. The choir is directed by Mrs. Anna Bramska.

The choir Chorus Iglovia from Spišská Nová Ves (Slovakia) has been on the choral scene for 31 years. Its repertoire is truly rich and wide, and the choir is dedicated to polyphonic music, folk songs and dance-like compositions. They have successfully performed in competitions both in Slovakia and abroad. Their latest success was the silver medal and an award for the best artistic presentation of their programme at the 3rd national choral competition “Viva il Canto” in 2017 in Spišská Nová Ves. It has participated in choral festivals and events in 11 European countries (Poland, Latvia, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, etc) as well as at home. One of the highlights of its activity is “Christmas Silent Night”, a choral event they have been organizing for the last 30 years. Since 2012, the choir’s conductor has been Mrs. Marta Nováková.

The Female vocal ensemble Vox Angelica comes from a small Slovenian region, called Slovenske Gorice. This is a part of Slovenian Styria which is known as wine land. The group was established in 2016 and it consists of young girls aged 15 to 30. They all enjoy singing together and the friendship which is very special. They have organized a lot of cultural events and different concerts in the local area with great success. The choir is directed by Mrs. Anita Pavkovic who owns a master's degree in music art and works as a piano and organ teacher in a music school in Ptuj.

Greek Catholic Church choir bl. P. P. Gojdič was founded in 1990. It is based at the church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vranov - Čemerné. It brings together a community of Christian believers of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic rites. The choir has a wide repertoire of Church-Slavonic chants consisting of liturgical and religious songs, while on a regular basis they sing Slovak and Church-Slavonic saint liturgy. They have released 3 tape recordings while in 2013 they released the CD "V načale bie Slovo" with Old Slavonic chorals with the aim of spreading the cultural beauty heritage of their ancestors. They have performed in Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine, France, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria, as well as on the radio and television. The choir has participated in many choral competitions, winning a lot of awards, the most recent of which were: 3rd place at the International Choral Festival of Sacred Music "Psalite Deo" (2013) in Poland and a gold medal at the Choral Festival in Banská Bystrica (2014) in Slovakia. The choir is directed by Mrs. Mária Šandorová.

The choir has been operating for 27 years under the direction of Mrs. Hadar Zlatin. It consists of 25 amateur adult singers. It represents the inland city of Rehovot, which is well known as a leading academic and research center - home to the famous Weizmann Institute of Science and the Agriculture Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The city of Rehovot is surrounded by lush groves of the "Jaffa Oranges" exported to countries all over the world. They have honorably represented the city of Rehovot at festivals and concerts in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Latvia and England. The Choir has also performed successfully in numerous domestic concerts and choir conferences around Israel. Its repertoire is based on folklore style, Israeli original folklore and translated folk songs from around the world. The choir is directed by Mrs. Hadar Zlatin.

The Male choir NAPEV from Batuje, SLOVENIA, was founded in 1996. Its repertoire consists of Slovenian folk songs, spiritual, Dalmatian, romantic and contemporary songs. They perform regularly at the national Choir festivals PRIMORSKA POJE and NAŠI ZBORI POJO as well as in some non-competitive festivals abroad, such as in Dubrovnik and Prague. Their biggest achievement, however, was winning the Golden medal at the Malta International Choir Festival in 2011 and obtaining the 1st place in their category. In spite of the hard training, its members sing and participate with great enthusiasm, while the activities of the choir have formed the basis of a very close and sincere friendship among them. The choir is directed by Mr. Luka Vetrih.

Mixed Choir “Crescendo” was founded at the beginning of 2015. The choir boasts over 40 young singers from Škofja Loka and beyond, and is led by Žiga Kert, who is also the choir's “founding father”. They are all brought together by their love for quality choral music. The choir’s repertoire consists of choral music by Slovene and foreign composers, as well as popular songs adapted for choirs. They have performed at concerts all over Slovenia and its neighbouring countries. They also enjoy the challenge of participating in choral competitions at home and abroad, which brought them to participate in the Grand prix at the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition in Latvia in 2017. One of their first important projects and a great honour for the choir was performing their conductor’s MA concert in May 2016. Mixed Choir “Crescendo”, together with the “Crescendo” Symphony Orchestra, forms the “Crescendo” Musical Society, which organised an open-air gala concert at the Škofja Loka castle in June 2017. This has now become their yearly tradition, organising the third consecutive one in June 2019. The choir is directed by Mr. Žiga Kert.

It was founded in 2003. Its repertoire includes works of Modern Greek composers and European ones of the classic and pre-classic period, also arrangements of folk songs, Byzantine hymns and spirituals. Its main task is the promotion of all choral work of the world – renowned composer Nikos Astrinidis. The choir has cooperated with several symphonic orchestras (New Symphonic Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the Symphonic Orchestra of Sofia’s broadcasting, etc). Also, it has participated in numerous concerts in Greece and abroad presenting great works, such as ‘’Stabat Mater’’ by Pergolesi in 2003, ‘’Requiem’’ by W.A. Mozart, Oratorio ‘’Alexander the Great’ s Youth’’ by Nikos Astrinidis in 2009, etc. It was awarded a bronze medal in the category of chamber choirs in the 18th ICCSM in Preveza, 2012, while it got the 3rd place in the International Choral Festival ‘’Music and Sea’’ in Paralia Katerinis in 2018. The choir is directed by Mrs. Vassiliki Katsouka – Samara.

Mixed choir SPD “JEDINSTVO” Banja Luka is one of the oldest choirs in Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded in 1893 and throughout its history it has carried out more than a thousand performances in many concerts and other cultural events. It has confirmed its high artistic domains participating in contests in former Yugoslavia as well as abroad, winning numerous awards and prizes, such as: The first prizes at the Yugoslav Choral Competition in Nis in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2010 and in 2012. Golden medal at the 4th Choir Olympics in Xiamen, China, 2006. Golden diploma at the “Musica Sacra” Competition in Valletta, Malta, 2009. Two 1st prizes at International Choral Competition “Venezia In Musica” in Venice, Italy, 2014. The first prize by the audience in the “Zlatna vila” Competition in Prijedor, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2017, etc. The choir has performed in several festivals and it has also realized great tours in different parts of the world (Switzerland, the USA and Australia). Its repertoire is very broad and it includes spiritual and secular works of the native and other composers from the medieval to the contemporary period. It has recorded many radio and television broadcasts and four CDs till now. The choir is directed by Nemanja Savić.

The Polyphonic Choir of Patras Youth Choir was founded in September 2010, as a result of the Organization’s need to meet the quest of young choristers after the children’s choir. It consists of members aged 18-26 years old, with special experience and vocal skills. Since its establishment, the choir has had a really rich activity, giving concerts in great venues (Megaron in Athens, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, etc), participating in festivals and choral events all around Greece (Corfu, Thessaloniki, Zakynthos, Athens, Tripoli) and in Cyprus (Limassol) and collaborating with famous Greek composers (Mimis Plessas, Stefanos Korkolis, Dionyssis Savvopoulos) as well as the Plucked String Orchestra of the Municipality of Patras. In October 2015, they won a Gold medal in the 1st International Choral Competition in Kalamata, Greece. The choir is directed by Mrs Dimitra Pitsou - Diamantopoulou. On the piano: Mrs Marina Mylona.

The Charité Chor Berlin (CCB) consists of approx. 35 musically enthusiastic singers and was founded in 2013 by conductor Adrian Emans. The choir was originally intended for the students of the medical school “Charité” in Berlin, but in the following years, students and young professionals from many other disciplines joined the group. Since its establishment it has been an important part of the Berlin choir scene. Its repertoire spans the choral literature from the 16th to 20th century, with pieces from the Renaissance to modern compositions. The highlights of the choir’s calendar are its own concerts, which are organized at least two times a year. Past major achievements have included a concert in the Berliner Philharmonie and numerous awards in several choir competitions. It is directed by Mr. Adrian Emans.

In 1979 Ms. Lucy Lin and Ms. Ling Tang founded Tung-Hsin Choral Society in Washington, D.C., the first full-fledged Chinese-American chorus in the region. Literally, “Tung-Hsin” means young at heart, and connotes more closely to purity and vitality. Over the forty years, the group has performed on 136 occasions at such venues as the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center, and the National Theater, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, the local museums, churches and high school auditoriums. In addition to the 2016 concert tour in Ireland during the 62nd Cork International Choral Festival, the group has performed in Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Ottawa, Taiwan, Quemoy, Hong Kong. Special topical concerts include: A Concert Celebration of Ancient Chinese Poetry, A Concert of Healing (at Johns Hopkins University Hospital,) and A Concert Celebration of the Theme Songs of films and musicals. Tung-Hsin’s repertoire encompasses a well-rounded domain - from the composers of the 16th century to the contemporaries, from the Western music to the Chinese – including sacred pieces, art songs, choral works from opera, theme songs from films, and the Broadway musical hits. The incumbent president is Dr. Keh-Ming Lu. The current conductor is the choir’s founder, Lucy Lee Lin.

Yamuger Music School Children Choir (YMSCC) was established in September 2017. It consists of Indonesian children and adolescents, ranging from elementary to high school and attending the Yamuger Music School. The choir’s aim is to raise the artistic values of their nation as well as of the whole world through music and the beauty and harmony of singing. The choir has performed with the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra at the Jakarta Symphony Hall in the frames of the celebration for the 50 years of Yamuger Music School. In November 2018 the choir won a silver medal in folklore and a bronze medal in the Children choirs’ category, at the International “Prague Cantat” Festival, in the Czech Republic. The choir is directed by Mrs. Delima Simamora.

Polyphonic Choir’s Children Choir, was founded in 1983, as the second department of the Organization. The choir has performed in more than 200 concerts in Greece and abroad, participating in international festivals and choir meetings winning a number of gold, silver and bronze medals, first and second prizes and special rewards. Amidst the choir’s most memorable performances, were singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and also singing at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus with the Greek famous composer, Dionissis Savvopoulos in 2012. Moreover, it has collaborated with famous composers such as Thanos Mikroutsikos, Thanassis Nikolopoulos and Stephanos Korkolis, and well-known soloists as Zahos Terzakis and Sonia Theodoridou. Finally, it has also collaborated with the orchestra of Patras as well as the Summer Academy of the Music Studies Department of the Ionian University of Corfu. The choir is directed by Mrs. Aretousa Nikolopoulou. Marina Mylona is the pianist of the choir.