Vytautas Miškinis (1954) is the Artistic Director of the Azuoliukas Boys’ and Men’s Choir, as well as the Professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He is also the President of the Lithuanian Choral Union past 20 years. He graduated as Choral Conductor from the Lithuanian Academy of Music in 1976. He began his career in Azuoliukas at the age of seven as a vocalist, and continued as Artistic Director from the age of 25.

Vytautas Miskinis conducted the Kaunas State Choir and Vocal Ensemble of the Museum Musicum. Prof. Miskinis is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the all Lithuanian Choir Festival. He has led the choral performances of this choir in some 25 different countries. He has conducted a great number of compositions for choir with symphonic orchestras. He also lectured and held seminars on the subject of ‘musical education and conducting’ in numerous countries all over the world. He has participated in numerous national and international choral events as composer and advisor. He also has conducted workshops in several Europa Cantat Festivals, World Choral Symposiums, World Choir Games. He is a member of World Choir Council.

Prof. Miskinis worked as a member of numerous adjudicating panels in international Choir and Choral Composition competitions all over the world ( over 200 events ), amongst which one must mention the World Choir Games 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 1012, 1014, 2016. He has led workshops in China, Singapore, Philippines, Italy, Spain, Russia, South Africa, USA, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Taiwan, Kazachstan, Jakutsk, Japan, Czech, Netherlands, Poland, UK, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, France, Costa Rica etc.
Prof. Miskinis has composed approximately 400 religious motets a cappella, 18 Masses, Magnificat, St. John Passion, 4 Cantatas, 2 Musicals with orchestras and about 400 secular songs, which are performed and recorded by choirs throughout Lithuania and the rest of the World. A great number of his compositions have been published not only in Lithuania but also in France, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, Japan, Singapore, Latvia, Russia and USA. He is awarded by many Governmental and National prizes.

Composer and conductor born and raised in Tokyo, 1962. Matsushita is currently the conductor and artistic director of 13 choirs, which are often invited to perform in Japan, Europe, America, Canada, and Asia. They have also achieved excellent showings in the choral circuit and won awards in international competitions. A prolific composer and arranger, Matsushita’s works are performed around the world. His compositions vary widely, ranging from works based on traditional Japanese music, Masses, motets, to etudes for choirs.

His works are published in Japan by Edition KAWAI, Pana Musica, Ongaku no tomo sha Corp., Edition ICOT, and overseas by Carus-Verlag Stuttgart (Germany), SULASOL Helsinki (Finland), among others. Besides conducting and composing, he is also an active workshop clinician and lecturer both within and outside Japan. Especially, he has been adjudicating at many international choral competitions and composition competitions around the world. In 2005, he was awarded the“Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music” in recognition of his outstanding achievements worldwide in conducting, composing, performance, and education within the field of choral music. His choir The Metropolitan Chorus of Tokyo and he was invited to the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA as a guest choir and a panelist for Composer’s speak out, moreover as a lecturer for a reading session in February 2015. Also, he was invited to Bach Academy Stuttgart as a lecturer for the workshop about his works in March 2016, at the same time his new work “De profundis clamavi” was performed by KammerChor Saarbrückn as a world premiere in Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart. He was a member of the artistic committee of the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona 2017, and his work “Salva me” was performed by KammerChor Saarbrückn as a world premiere in there. In Taipei, Taiwan his work “Te Deum” for 4 groups male voices, Organ, String quartet, and percussions were performed as a world premiere by International professional groups in 2017. In 2019, he gave a keynote speech at the International Kodály Symposium (Kuching, Malaysia).

He is currently the CEO of the International Choral Organization of Tokyo, the Artistic Director of the Karuizawa International Choral Festival and the Tokyo International Choir Competition, a member of the Founding Directors of the Asian Choral Association, an honorary member of Associazione Nazionale Direttori di Coro Italiani, a member of the Interkurtur World Choir Council, the Vice President of the Tokyo Choral Association, a member of Japan Choral Association Youth Chorus Committee, Furthermore, he is a member of Japan Composers & Arrangers Association, Special Guest Professor at Kobe College.

Angeliki Ploka commenced her education in Piano, Singing, and Music Theory in Greece. Subsequently, she acquired her degree in Musicology and Music Education from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (GR). Her research in systematic musicology, titled 'The choral music of Eric Whitacre: Analysis of three representative works', was based on Schenkerian and reductive analysis. As a result, she was awarded a first-class distinction.

With the support of the Sarolta Kodály Scholarship and the A. Onassis Fund, Angeliki Ploka pursued further education at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Hungary. She successfully completed her Master's studies in Choral Conducting and Music Education, focusing her research on 'Two-voice singing exercises, based on Greek folk songs'. In this study, she delved into the realm of Greek folk music and created her own arrangements for two voices based on Z. Kodály's educational compositions.

Angeliki Ploka has been implementing Z. Kodály's philosophy in pre-school music education, as well as in music theory, solfege, and piano lessons since 2009. As a result, she is frequently invited to conduct seminars and workshops for music teachers in the Music Village/International Music Community in Greece. Additionally, she imparts her knowledge by teaching music theory, ear training and analysis, ensemble direction, and choir at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the National Choirs - Vocaal Talent Netherlands.

Dr Maria Emma Meligopoulou, LB, MusM, PhD, PostDoc Shi is Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting in Macedonia University of Thessaloniki School of Music Science & Art (Greece), where she teaches choral conducting techniques and directs the University choirs. She also teaches in the master’s programs of Macedonia and Ionian Universities and is visiting Professor at Aegean University.

She holds a Master Degree in Choral Conducting from Boston University CFA and a PhD and Post-Doctoral in Choral Conducting and Choral Pedagogy from Ionian University SFA. She also holds a Bachelor in Law, from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 1992 she founded and directs the SS. Cyril & Methodios Choir of Thessaloniki, which today has over 250 singers at the ages of 6 – 25 years and is regarded to be the largest choral association of Northern Creece for Children and Youth.

She has performed numerous concerts in Greece, Europe, Asia, Africa and America (USA, Canada) and is recipient of many international distinctions as choral conductor.
Dr. Meligopoulou is International lecturer on demand, adjudicator and guest conductor in Greek and International festivals (China, USA, Canada, Italy, Germany, Turkey, South Africa e.tc). She is also author of the textbooks Introduction to the Art of Choral Praxis (2011 & 2013 3rd edition), and “Choral Method for Young Singers” and has also published the score editions 42 Choral Works by Greek Composers for Equal Voices (2014), both available by Nakas- Papagregoriou Editions, Athens.