39th International Choral Festival of Preveza

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.

He is Director of Choral Activities at the University of British Columbia School of Music. A passionate and dynamic conductor, Dr. Langager is sought-after as a clinician, adjudicator, educator and guest conductor. He has performed throughout Europe and across North America, appearing in such venues as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Stefansdom in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, St. Nicholas in Prague, St. Stephen’s in Budapest, as well as in cathedrals and concert halls in Italy, Spain, and France. His choirs have also performed at numerous choral conferences, including: NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization), ACDA-AR (American Choral Directors Association Conference, Arkansas), IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators), MENC/NAfME (National Association for Music Education), and the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. Dr. Langager was born in Lethbridge, Alberta into a musical family, and has sung and played musical instruments since childhood. He has taught for more than 20 years in universities and colleges across the United States and Canada, including the University of Arkansas and Cuesta College in California. He is also active as a composer and arranger, and has been commissioned on a number of occasions. Langager received the doctoral degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Master of Music degree from California State University, Long Beach.

The German conductor, Klaus-Jürgen Etzold, studied school music, English studies and musicology in Hannover. From 1978 to 1986 Klaus-Jürgen Etzold was artistic assistant of Professor Heinz Hennig in the Knabenchor Hannover. In 1980 he was co-founder and from 1985 also singer in the Orlando di Lasso-Ensemble Hannover. He has participated in conducting courses with Helmuth Rilling, László Heltay, Marinus Voorberg, Heinz Hennig, Eric Ericson, Gary Bertini and Andrew Parrott. Klaus-Jürgen Etzold is the founder and director of the Junges Vokalensemble Hannover. He is director of studies at the Matthias-Claudius-Gymnasium in Gehrden and at the same time since 1991 specialised leader for music at the Studio Seminar Hannover II for the teaching profession at High Schools. Beyond that he is active as an honorary professor for music teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. Klaus-Jürgen Etzold received the "Conductor Prize for outstanding artistic achievements" in 1994 in Riva del Garda, Italy. He has given courses for early music and for conducting in his homeland and abroad, recently conducting seminars for the Deutscher Musikrat in Zagreb/Croatia.

Marco Antonio García de Paz graduated with the best grades in choir direction at the Superior Music Centre of the Basque Country (Musikene). Founder and leader of the choir El León de Oro, in the choir's twenty-two years of existence García de Paz has developed an extensive international career with his group, carried out in a large number of concerts in the USA, Africa and several European countries, important prizes and recordings with prominent record companies. Currently, García de Paz also takes part as a judge in the most important choir singing contests in Spain and Europe. In addition, he gives masterclasses and workshops about choir direction and “open singing” both at national and international level, in many European countries. In 2015 he was invited to conduct the Choir of Radio Televisión Española (OCRTVE) in a concert at the Monumental Theater of Madrid, which was broadcast live by Radio Clásica of Radio Nacional de España. Throughout this year he has worked with other professional choirs of his country, such as the Community of Madrid Choir (ORCAM) and the National Choir of Spain (CNE). He is a principal guest conductor of the Young Choir of Andalusia (JCA). His immediate projects include commitments in Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria and Greece.

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.

Kostis Konstantaras was born in Athens in 1954. He has studied Biology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Music, at first in Athens and then in Austria and in Germany, specializing in Choir and Orchestra Direction. Either as a Soloist (Baritone) or as a Conductor, he has collaborated with all the famous Greek symphony orchestras and choirs, as well as with renowned foreign ones, the National Opera of Greece and the National Radio and Television, participating in operas and oratorios, concerts and recitals, but also in International Festivals all over Greece and abroad. He has cooperated with great directors and conductors (such as Gavras, Kakogiannis, Koundouros, Jourdan, Hampe, etc). He has worked as a conductor or/and artistic director of: FONS MUSICALIS(1993 – today), Mixed Professional Choir of National Radio and Television (2003-2005), Strings Orchestra and Mixed Choir of DEI (2005- today), Municipal Conservatory of Mykonos (1989 – 2012), Municipal Conservatory of Ellinikon /Argiroupoli (1990 – 2012), Orchestra and Choir of Conservatory of “Filippos Nakas” (2013 – 2015). Moreover, for the last 30 years he has been working as a music teacher, teaching monody and Choir Direction at conservatories and seminars. Finally, a landmark in his career has been the honor to be the exclusive and official conductor of the opening and closing ceremonies in the Paralympics “Athens 2004”, directing 750 choristers.

Katerina Vassilikou has graduated from the Faculty of Kindergarten Teachers in Athens. Also she is a certified pianist and she has had studies in classical singing. She has attended several choral conducting seminars, such as Carl Orff and music movement education, music pedagogical system Kodály, etc. Since 1992 she has been working as a music teacher at the Lycée Léonin (School) of Nea Smyrni. She has been directing the choir "Ambitus" since its establishment in 2002 as well as the youth choir of Lycée Léonin (School) of Nea Smyrni since 1992, with which she has won numerous prizes in national and international competitions. Moreover, she has been the conductor of the Women's Choir of the Theoharakis Foundation, the Women's Choir "Niriides" as well as the children's - youth choir of the Municipality of Palaio Faliro. In 2016 she was responsible for the preparation of the 1st Children's Olympic Choir of Greece for its participation in the Official Ceremony of the Delivery of the Olympic Flame at the Summer Olympics in Rio. She has cooperated with several orchestras and choirs (such as the State Orchestra of Athens, the Symphonic Orchestra and the Choir of the National TV and Radio, the National Opera and the National Theatre, etc.) as well as with renowned conductors, such as Loukas Karytinos, Miltos Logiadis, Andreas Pylarinos and others.

John Fitzpatrick is a conductor, examiner, and regular adjudicator in national and international choral festivals. Festival Director of the prestigious Cork International Choral Festival (1993 – present); Director of the County Cork School of Music (1974 – 2009); a founder Board Member of both AOIC (The Association of Irish Choirs) and The Music Network; a Board Member of the Choral Festival Network, a Music Consultant to the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat and the Singing Network. Honoured by the City of Cork as Cork Person of the Year (2007) and by University College Cork with an honorary Master of Arts degree (2011), in recognition of his services to choral music, music education, and to the musical and cultural life of Cork.