Our 2024 competitors
Congratulations to our five grand finalists who are competing to win the London International Choral Conducting Competition 2024:
- Heeseong Lee
- Agnes Schnabl
- Olivia Shotton
- Tobias Stückelberger
- Yuto Yamaguchi
Heeseong Lee (South Korea)
Heeseong Lee, a native of South Korea, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Choral Music, with minors in Instrumental Conducting and Organ. She holds multiple conducting positions, serving as the director of the Los Angeles Full Gospel Church Choir, guest conductor of the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra, and assistant conductor for both the Korean Community Christian Singers and the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale.
Actively involved in international conducting events, Lee has participated in numerous prestigious masterclasses and competitions, achieving notable success. She received the grand prize at both the 4th National Chorus Choral Conductor Competition (2015) and the Jubilate Music Alliance Choral Conductor Competition (2016) in Korea. Additionally, she was awarded the 2nd prize at the World Choral Conducting Competition in Hong Kong hosted by WYCCAA (2019), and the 2nd prize at the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choral Conductors organized by the European Choral Association (2022). Moreover, she secured 2nd place in the National Orchestra Championship in New York at Lincoln Center with the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra (2024). Lee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in 2013 and her Master’s degree in the same field from the same university in 2016.
Actively involved in international conducting events, Lee has participated in numerous prestigious masterclasses and competitions, achieving notable success. She received the grand prize at both the 4th National Chorus Choral Conductor Competition (2015) and the Jubilate Music Alliance Choral Conductor Competition (2016) in Korea. Additionally, she was awarded the 2nd prize at the World Choral Conducting Competition in Hong Kong hosted by WYCCAA (2019), and the 2nd prize at the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choral Conductors organized by the European Choral Association (2022). Moreover, she secured 2nd place in the National Orchestra Championship in New York at Lincoln Center with the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra (2024). Lee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in 2013 and her Master’s degree in the same field from the same university in 2016.
Agnes Schnabl (Austria)
Agnes Schnabl from Austria completed her studies of conducting and choral conducting pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. There, she studied under Johannes Prinz. Prior to that, she received conducting lessons at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Alois Glaßner as part of her study of music pedagogy. She completed a postgraduate study in choral conducting at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Jörn Hinnerk Andresen. Additionally, she has received conducting lessons from Justin Doyle.
Since 2021, Agnes is teaching conducting and choir at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She is working as a Jurymember at choral competitions and as instructor at various choral and conducting courses all around Austria. She is the conductor of the Austrian Youth Choir, the Tyrolean Youth Choir, coro siamo (Vienna), ensemble kanti (Graz) and has repeatedly worked with the Wiener Singverein.
From 2021 to 2023 Agnes has been a scholarship holder of the Dirigentenforum/German Music Council. As part of this program, she has worked with Florian Helgath, Yuval Weinberg, Bernhard Schmidt and conducted the MDR Radio Choir, the SWR Vokalensemble, the Philharmonic Choir Berlin and Canta Nova Saar. In 2022, she assisted Justin Doyle at the project Klangkomsos Schütz 22, which was a cooperation of four German youth choirs and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. In 2018, she was a guest conductor for vocalconsort initium in Tokyo.
As part of her university education, she has worked with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Saxon State Opera Chorus Dresden, the Stadttheaterchor Klagenfurt, the Orchestra for New Music and the Filmmusic Orchestra of the Music University Graz, the University Orchestra of the Mozarteum Salzburg and has conducted in opera productions. Agnes was an assistant teacher for the conducting classes at the Music Pedagogy department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
Agnes took part in master classes with Florian Helgath, Zürcher Singakademie, Vokalensemble consonus, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Steven Sametz, Johann Van der Sandt, Vokalforum Graz, Robert Sund, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Josep Vila i Casanas, Maria Goundorina, Erwin Ortner and Thomas Caplin.
As a singer, she was a member of the two vocal trios Lerchenschnabl and 3 Schnablinge. They were performing in Austria as well as neighboring countries and have won prizes at the Alpine Folkmusic Competition in Innsbruck, Prima la Musica, and at the Austrian Landes- and Bundesjugendsingen. Several albums were released throughout 2011 to 2018.
Besides classical music, Agnes is very passionate about folk music. Due to her ancestry, she feels particularly connected to Carinthian-Slovene folk songs.
Since 2021, Agnes is teaching conducting and choir at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She is working as a Jurymember at choral competitions and as instructor at various choral and conducting courses all around Austria. She is the conductor of the Austrian Youth Choir, the Tyrolean Youth Choir, coro siamo (Vienna), ensemble kanti (Graz) and has repeatedly worked with the Wiener Singverein.
From 2021 to 2023 Agnes has been a scholarship holder of the Dirigentenforum/German Music Council. As part of this program, she has worked with Florian Helgath, Yuval Weinberg, Bernhard Schmidt and conducted the MDR Radio Choir, the SWR Vokalensemble, the Philharmonic Choir Berlin and Canta Nova Saar. In 2022, she assisted Justin Doyle at the project Klangkomsos Schütz 22, which was a cooperation of four German youth choirs and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. In 2018, she was a guest conductor for vocalconsort initium in Tokyo.
As part of her university education, she has worked with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Saxon State Opera Chorus Dresden, the Stadttheaterchor Klagenfurt, the Orchestra for New Music and the Filmmusic Orchestra of the Music University Graz, the University Orchestra of the Mozarteum Salzburg and has conducted in opera productions. Agnes was an assistant teacher for the conducting classes at the Music Pedagogy department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
Agnes took part in master classes with Florian Helgath, Zürcher Singakademie, Vokalensemble consonus, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Steven Sametz, Johann Van der Sandt, Vokalforum Graz, Robert Sund, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Josep Vila i Casanas, Maria Goundorina, Erwin Ortner and Thomas Caplin.
As a singer, she was a member of the two vocal trios Lerchenschnabl and 3 Schnablinge. They were performing in Austria as well as neighboring countries and have won prizes at the Alpine Folkmusic Competition in Innsbruck, Prima la Musica, and at the Austrian Landes- and Bundesjugendsingen. Several albums were released throughout 2011 to 2018.
Besides classical music, Agnes is very passionate about folk music. Due to her ancestry, she feels particularly connected to Carinthian-Slovene folk songs.
Olivia Shotton (UK)
Olivia graduated with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music. She received a DipRam award for outstanding performance in her final recital and the Sir Thomas Armstrong Choral Leadership Prize.
Olivia is committed to championing the music of women. Following the completion of her postgraduate degree, Olivia was appointed as the Meaker Fellow at the Academy in 2021, where she conducted a series of concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music by women from the Italian convents. She founded the ensemble The CONVENTional Project to showcase this music. The group has since developed into a professional ensemble, and most recently performed at Wimbledon international Music Festival (2023), and were extremely well received. The ensemble intends to tour and record Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ in the coming years.
Alongside her professional ensemble, Olivia is the Conductor of the University of London Chamber Choir, the University of Greenwich Choir, London Youth Choir West, and Assistant Conductor of Ealing Symphony Orchestra. Over the summer, Olivia will be the Assistant Conductor for La Bohème at Longborough Festival Opera (August 2024), Assistant Conductor for the National Youth Choir 15-18 years (August 2024), and conduct Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ with the Thomas Tallis Society (September 2024).
Her previous engagements include her role as Assistant Chorus Master to Simon Halsey in preparing the Academy Chorus for a performance of Mahler ‘Symphony no. 3’ under Semyon Bychkov (2022), Assistant Musical Director for the British Youth Opera production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ (2021), and semi-finalist in the DIMA International Choral Conducting Competition (2021). Olivia is in high demand as a workshop leader, and has led workshops on behalf of The Sixteen, VOCES8 Foundation, The Bach Choir and London Youth Choirs. She has appeared as a guest conductor with choirs including Junior Trinity, The Fourth Choir and Imperial College Chamber Choir.
Since studying at the Academy, Olivia has continued to develop her conducting as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar (2022-23), at Dartington International Summer School Advanced Conductor programme (2022), and as a Fellow of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (2022).
Olivia began conducting as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, and was awarded the Jessop Voices Conducting Award. During this time, Olivia sang firstly as an alto Choral Scholar, then as the first female Lay Clerk at Sheffield Cathedral. Whilst living in Sheffield, Olivia was the Musical Director of Belper Singers (Derby), Lyrical Songbirds (Nottingham), YorChoir (York), Dronfield Parish Young Voices, and she was Assistant Conductor with Neighbourhood Voices (Sheffield). From 2017-2018, she held a Young Conducting Scholarship with Sing for Pleasure, with whom she conducted in the premiere of Thomas Hewitt Jones’ ‘Greater Love’ for choir and orchestra.
As a singer, Olivia performs with several professional choirs. Some of her favourite performances include providing backing vocals for live performances with The Rolling Stones and Ellie Goulding. Further to her conducting and singing ventures, Olivia enjoys composing and arranging for her choirs, and has previously had several works performed in concert.
Olivia is committed to championing the music of women. Following the completion of her postgraduate degree, Olivia was appointed as the Meaker Fellow at the Academy in 2021, where she conducted a series of concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music by women from the Italian convents. She founded the ensemble The CONVENTional Project to showcase this music. The group has since developed into a professional ensemble, and most recently performed at Wimbledon international Music Festival (2023), and were extremely well received. The ensemble intends to tour and record Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ in the coming years.
Alongside her professional ensemble, Olivia is the Conductor of the University of London Chamber Choir, the University of Greenwich Choir, London Youth Choir West, and Assistant Conductor of Ealing Symphony Orchestra. Over the summer, Olivia will be the Assistant Conductor for La Bohème at Longborough Festival Opera (August 2024), Assistant Conductor for the National Youth Choir 15-18 years (August 2024), and conduct Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ with the Thomas Tallis Society (September 2024).
Her previous engagements include her role as Assistant Chorus Master to Simon Halsey in preparing the Academy Chorus for a performance of Mahler ‘Symphony no. 3’ under Semyon Bychkov (2022), Assistant Musical Director for the British Youth Opera production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ (2021), and semi-finalist in the DIMA International Choral Conducting Competition (2021). Olivia is in high demand as a workshop leader, and has led workshops on behalf of The Sixteen, VOCES8 Foundation, The Bach Choir and London Youth Choirs. She has appeared as a guest conductor with choirs including Junior Trinity, The Fourth Choir and Imperial College Chamber Choir.
Since studying at the Academy, Olivia has continued to develop her conducting as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar (2022-23), at Dartington International Summer School Advanced Conductor programme (2022), and as a Fellow of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (2022).
Olivia began conducting as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, and was awarded the Jessop Voices Conducting Award. During this time, Olivia sang firstly as an alto Choral Scholar, then as the first female Lay Clerk at Sheffield Cathedral. Whilst living in Sheffield, Olivia was the Musical Director of Belper Singers (Derby), Lyrical Songbirds (Nottingham), YorChoir (York), Dronfield Parish Young Voices, and she was Assistant Conductor with Neighbourhood Voices (Sheffield). From 2017-2018, she held a Young Conducting Scholarship with Sing for Pleasure, with whom she conducted in the premiere of Thomas Hewitt Jones’ ‘Greater Love’ for choir and orchestra.
As a singer, Olivia performs with several professional choirs. Some of her favourite performances include providing backing vocals for live performances with The Rolling Stones and Ellie Goulding. Further to her conducting and singing ventures, Olivia enjoys composing and arranging for her choirs, and has previously had several works performed in concert.
Tobias Stückelberger (SWITZERLAND)
Tobias Stückelberger is the musical director of the Boys' Choir of St. Ursen Cathedral in Solothurn and the Basel Young Chamber Choir. With the choirboys (aged 10-25) he works on sacred and secular a cappella literature, folk music and choral symphonic repertoire, while with the professional singers in the Basel Young Chamber Choir he mainly performs challenging 20th century and contemporary vocal music ranging from Schnittkes "Choir Concerto" or Schönbergs "Friede auf Erden" to remixing a Schubert Mass with electronic music artist Gabriel Prokoviev.
He also founded and conducts"vokal:orgel", a project promoting music for voices and symphonic organ at the Basel concert hall. Hewas a singer in the Basel Boys' Choir for many years and then studied choral conducting and schoolmusic in Basel. He continued his education with a master's degree in conducting with Grete Pedersen atthe Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. During this time he also worked as an assistant with DetNorske Solistkor, Norway's leading professional vocal ensemble. He then gained experience with theDrakensberg Boys Choir in South Africa, which he conducted from 2018-2020 and with which hetoured the African continent and Europe in addition to weekly concerts atthe boarding school.
He wasa guest conductor with Voces Suaves, PourChoeur and Det Norske Solistkor, director of the intercantonal women's choir, assistant conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir and singer in the ChamberChoir of Scandinavia and the World Youth Choir.
He also founded and conducts"vokal:orgel", a project promoting music for voices and symphonic organ at the Basel concert hall. Hewas a singer in the Basel Boys' Choir for many years and then studied choral conducting and schoolmusic in Basel. He continued his education with a master's degree in conducting with Grete Pedersen atthe Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. During this time he also worked as an assistant with DetNorske Solistkor, Norway's leading professional vocal ensemble. He then gained experience with theDrakensberg Boys Choir in South Africa, which he conducted from 2018-2020 and with which hetoured the African continent and Europe in addition to weekly concerts atthe boarding school.
He wasa guest conductor with Voces Suaves, PourChoeur and Det Norske Solistkor, director of the intercantonal women's choir, assistant conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir and singer in the ChamberChoir of Scandinavia and the World Youth Choir.
Yuto Yamaguchi (Japan / Hungary)
Yuto Yamaguchi, a Japanese musician, has dedicated the past 6 years of his life to the pursuit of choral conducting and music education at the Kodály Institute within the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Hungary. Under the mentorship of distinguished instructors such as Péter Erdei and László Norbert Nemes, he excelled in his conducting studies and graduated from the master’s program in music pedagogy with the highest honors across all subjects.
Presently, Yuto is deeply immersed in advancing his research in choral conducting and music education within the academy. He not only contributes to this academic pursuit but also extends his expertise beyond the institution by conducting workshops and sharing his knowledge while teaching choral conducting and solfege in the academy's specialized class.
From 2021 to 2022, Yuto held the prestigious role of conductor for the Chamber Choir of the Kodály Institute. Starting in 2022, he assumed the role of conductor for the Kecskeméti Cantus Nobilis Kórus, an ensemble with a remarkable history spanning over 60 years in Hungary.
In addition to his duties as a choral conductor, Yuto frequently leads Japanese choirs during the summer months and conducts chorus workshops across various regions in Japan. In the year 2023 alone, he conducted 15 workshops in 13 different prefectures, imparting lessons in "Solfege for Choral Singers based on Hungarian music education" and "Choral Conducting based on Kodály Concept." Notably, he organized a concert featuring three amateur choirs and used this event as a platform to teach aspiring singers how to enhance their choral skills, thus expanding his influence as both a conductor and an educator.
Yuto's journey in the world of choral music began as an amateur choral conductor in Japan, where he achieved remarkable success, earning second place in the Japanese national choral competition at an exceptionally young age—an accomplishment that earned him special recognition as a budding conductor.
Further establishing his reputation, Yuto joined the Japan Youth Choir in 2017 and subsequently became a member of the World Youth Choir in 2017 and 2018. His dedication and expertise also led to his appointment as an assistant conductor for the Japan Youth Choir in 2022, cementing his role as a rising star in the realm of choral music.
Presently, Yuto is deeply immersed in advancing his research in choral conducting and music education within the academy. He not only contributes to this academic pursuit but also extends his expertise beyond the institution by conducting workshops and sharing his knowledge while teaching choral conducting and solfege in the academy's specialized class.
From 2021 to 2022, Yuto held the prestigious role of conductor for the Chamber Choir of the Kodály Institute. Starting in 2022, he assumed the role of conductor for the Kecskeméti Cantus Nobilis Kórus, an ensemble with a remarkable history spanning over 60 years in Hungary.
In addition to his duties as a choral conductor, Yuto frequently leads Japanese choirs during the summer months and conducts chorus workshops across various regions in Japan. In the year 2023 alone, he conducted 15 workshops in 13 different prefectures, imparting lessons in "Solfege for Choral Singers based on Hungarian music education" and "Choral Conducting based on Kodály Concept." Notably, he organized a concert featuring three amateur choirs and used this event as a platform to teach aspiring singers how to enhance their choral skills, thus expanding his influence as both a conductor and an educator.
Yuto's journey in the world of choral music began as an amateur choral conductor in Japan, where he achieved remarkable success, earning second place in the Japanese national choral competition at an exceptionally young age—an accomplishment that earned him special recognition as a budding conductor.
Further establishing his reputation, Yuto joined the Japan Youth Choir in 2017 and subsequently became a member of the World Youth Choir in 2017 and 2018. His dedication and expertise also led to his appointment as an assistant conductor for the Japan Youth Choir in 2022, cementing his role as a rising star in the realm of choral music.
Meet the 2024 shortlist
Meet the shortlisted competitors who have secured a place in the 2024 London International Choral Conducting Competition.
João Barros (Portugal)
|
Jēkabs Bernāts (Latvia)
|
Hyejin Jung
(South Korea / USA) |
Benedikt Kantert (Germany)
|
Heeseong Lee
(South Korea) |
Gustaf Martinson (Sweden / Norway)
Olivia Shotton
(UK) |
Heide Müller (Germany)
Narine Voskanyan (Armenia)
|
Cyrille Nanchen (Switzerland)
Annabelle Weinhart (Germany)
|
Florence Price
(UK) 
Yuto Yamaguchi
(Japan / Hungary) |
Agnes Schnabl (Austria)
Klaudia Zając
(Poland / Belgium) |
Read more about the competitors
João Barros (Portugal)
João Barros holds a master's degree in Choral Conducting and a bachelor's degree in Music Education and Choral Conducting from Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. His musical education began at Conservatório D. Dinis, where he studied piano with Elsa Cabral. In 2012, João began studying Singing at Escola de Música do Conservatório Nacional with Nuno Villalonga. As an Erasmus student in 2013, he attended the Liszt Academy Kodály Intezet in Kecskemét, Hungary, where he studied Choral Conducting with László Nemes and singing with Renáta Darázs. Furthermore, he has worked with Kaspars Putniņš, Neil Ferris, Georg Grün, Andre van der Merwe and studies with Daniel Reuss.
João has recently performed as a singer with various choirs, including Tenso Europe Chamber Choir, Officium Ensemble, Coro Gulbenkian, Ensemble Cupertinos and Meestes&Gazellen.
In September 2017, João was invited by "World Masters in China" to lead Choral Conducting masterclasses and teach Zoltan Kodály's methodology to over 4000 music teachers and choral conductors. He worked with choirs of diverse age groups and skill levels, conducting more than 50 choirs throughout China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Jinan, and other cities.
Since 2018, João has been the leading teacher of the Música nas Escolas program at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which brings the performances of Gulbenkian's orchestra to middle school classrooms in Lisbon.
During the same year, João founded the Nova Era Vocal Ensemble. Since its establishment, the choir has received prizes such as a gold medal at the Festival Coral de Verão and the "Choir of the Choirs" award, along with first place at the Vocal Art Choir Competition. Nowadays, Nova Era Vocal Ensemble is recognized as one of the most prestigious choirs in Lisbon, regularly performing at Portugal's most important venues and collaborating with baroque orchestras like Divino Sospiro, Orquestra 1775 and Americantiga Ensemble. The choir performed as the official choir of OperaFest Lisboa in 2020 and 2021 editions and is currently the resident choir of the famous Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
In 2018, João was awarded a scholarship by Interkultur for outstanding conducting achievements, providing him the opportunity to work with Andre Van der Mewer and the Rundfunk-Jugenchor Wernigerode. In 2023 was part of the board of Jurys at Interkultur’s choir competition Lisbon Sings.
Since 2018 João became the artistic director for Coro ISCTE, the choir of the University Institute of Lisbon. Furthermore, João Barros is the founder and the artistic director of the Lisbon Choral Conducting Masterclass.
João has recently performed as a singer with various choirs, including Tenso Europe Chamber Choir, Officium Ensemble, Coro Gulbenkian, Ensemble Cupertinos and Meestes&Gazellen.
In September 2017, João was invited by "World Masters in China" to lead Choral Conducting masterclasses and teach Zoltan Kodály's methodology to over 4000 music teachers and choral conductors. He worked with choirs of diverse age groups and skill levels, conducting more than 50 choirs throughout China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lanzhou, Jinan, and other cities.
Since 2018, João has been the leading teacher of the Música nas Escolas program at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which brings the performances of Gulbenkian's orchestra to middle school classrooms in Lisbon.
During the same year, João founded the Nova Era Vocal Ensemble. Since its establishment, the choir has received prizes such as a gold medal at the Festival Coral de Verão and the "Choir of the Choirs" award, along with first place at the Vocal Art Choir Competition. Nowadays, Nova Era Vocal Ensemble is recognized as one of the most prestigious choirs in Lisbon, regularly performing at Portugal's most important venues and collaborating with baroque orchestras like Divino Sospiro, Orquestra 1775 and Americantiga Ensemble. The choir performed as the official choir of OperaFest Lisboa in 2020 and 2021 editions and is currently the resident choir of the famous Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
In 2018, João was awarded a scholarship by Interkultur for outstanding conducting achievements, providing him the opportunity to work with Andre Van der Mewer and the Rundfunk-Jugenchor Wernigerode. In 2023 was part of the board of Jurys at Interkultur’s choir competition Lisbon Sings.
Since 2018 João became the artistic director for Coro ISCTE, the choir of the University Institute of Lisbon. Furthermore, João Barros is the founder and the artistic director of the Lisbon Choral Conducting Masterclass.
Jēkabs Bernāts (Latvia)
Jēkabs Bernāts, born in 2001, is a conductor, composer, and singer from Riga, Latvia. He trained at Pāvuls Jurjāns Music School (2006-2021) and has studied conducting under Professor Andris Veismanis at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music since 2021.
In 2022, he became the second conductor of the Carnikava Mixed Choir "Vēja balss", leading notable performances of Latvian sacred music. Bernāts has also conducted performances of Philip Glass's "Einstein on the Beach" in Riga, in 2022. 2024 has brought two premieres, which Bernāts conducted – "In Acqua" with the Mixed Choir of the Latvian Academy of Music by the Norwegian composer Aurora Maria Pambianchi Øvrelid, as well as Bernāts's own first cantata "Manā pusē" with the Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol", broadcasted live by the Latvian Television.
He also sings with the Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol" and freelances with the Latvian Radio Choir and State Choir "Latvija", and, additionally, writes award-winning choral music, which has been premiered by the State Choir "Latvija", Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol" and others.
In 2022, he became the second conductor of the Carnikava Mixed Choir "Vēja balss", leading notable performances of Latvian sacred music. Bernāts has also conducted performances of Philip Glass's "Einstein on the Beach" in Riga, in 2022. 2024 has brought two premieres, which Bernāts conducted – "In Acqua" with the Mixed Choir of the Latvian Academy of Music by the Norwegian composer Aurora Maria Pambianchi Øvrelid, as well as Bernāts's own first cantata "Manā pusē" with the Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol", broadcasted live by the Latvian Television.
He also sings with the Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol" and freelances with the Latvian Radio Choir and State Choir "Latvija", and, additionally, writes award-winning choral music, which has been premiered by the State Choir "Latvija", Riga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol" and others.
Hyejin Jung (South Korea / USA)
Hyejin Jung is a choral conductor renowned for her musical, effortless, and energetic conducting style. Jung has notable achievements, including serving as an assistant conductor for the Korean Church Union's 50th Handel's Messiah Grand Concert, where she rehearsed a choir of over 300 voices, and securing third place in The National Chorus of Korea Choral Conducting Competition in 2017. More recently, she has been a part of the teaching team for the USC Thornton Oriana Choir and served as an assistant conductor for the Concert Choir. Jung is the choir conductor for the Miracle LA Church in Los Angeles and an assistant conductor for the Korean Community Christian Singers Los Angeles. In the realms of both instrumental and choral conducting, she was an assistant conductor for Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte in 2016 and a fellow conductor at the 2023 Chorus America Choral-Orchestra Academy and the 2019 Seoul Oratorio Festival.
As a choral conductor and scholar, Jung is passionately dedicated to enhancing the appreciation of works by Asian composers, focusing on deepening, broadening, and sometimes correcting the legacy of Orientalism. During her doctoral studies, she introduced a broad spectrum of Korean choral works to the United States, ranging from accessible and enjoyable compositions to those addressing themes of historical trauma, tragedy, protest, and solace. She earned her MM degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. She recently passed her qualifying exam for her DMA degree in choral music at the University of Southern California and is currently writing her dissertation, an analysis of contemporary choral work written in post-tonal theory, titled "From Sigh to Cries: Analysis on Vide Domine, Vide Afflictionem Nostram by Pagh-Paan Younghi."
As a choral conductor and scholar, Jung is passionately dedicated to enhancing the appreciation of works by Asian composers, focusing on deepening, broadening, and sometimes correcting the legacy of Orientalism. During her doctoral studies, she introduced a broad spectrum of Korean choral works to the United States, ranging from accessible and enjoyable compositions to those addressing themes of historical trauma, tragedy, protest, and solace. She earned her MM degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. She recently passed her qualifying exam for her DMA degree in choral music at the University of Southern California and is currently writing her dissertation, an analysis of contemporary choral work written in post-tonal theory, titled "From Sigh to Cries: Analysis on Vide Domine, Vide Afflictionem Nostram by Pagh-Paan Younghi."
Benedikt Kantert (Germany)
The aspiring German conductor Benedikt Kantert grew up in Frankenberg (Eder). His musical education began with piano and music theory lessons from his grandfather Oskar Goldmann and continued as a trombonist and pianist in the youth symphony orchestra of the Edertalschule Frankenberg. He has been taking lessons in organ and choir conducting since the age of 15 and completed his church music training with a C-level examination.
Benedikt has been studying choral conducting with Tobias Löbner, Ludwig Böhme and Prof. Roland Börger at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre since 2015. In the 2019/2020 winter semester, he also began his orchestral conducting studies with Prof. Ekkehard Klemm at the Dresden University of Music. He is currently continuing his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in orchestral conducting with Henrik Schaefer and choral conducting with Mats Nilsson and Fredrik Malmberg.
His training is rounded off by rehearsals and performances with choirs and orchestras in Saxony such as the Gewandhauschor Leipzig, the Leipzig St Thomas Choir, the Leipzig Opera Choir, the Dresden Singakademie, the Elblandphilharmonie, the Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue, the Robert-Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz, the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra and his own ensemble, the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Sachsen.
He has been able to organise exciting projects with the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Sachsen in the past. The ensemble has already performed operas and choral symphonic works such as Johannes Brahms' German Requiem, Mendelssohn Bartholdy's symphonic cantata Lobgesang and Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony in venues such as the Gewandhaus Leipzig and the Philharmonie Berlin.
In October 2022, he attracted attention as a finalist for the 5th German Choral Conducting Prize in Berlin with the RIAS Kammerchor. With the young Schwerin male chamber choir ffortissibros, he recently won two first prizes at the 10th Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, as well as the "Ellen Winser Trophy" for the best conductor at the festival. In 2023, he also won first prize in the male choir category with the ensemble at the 11th German Choir Competition. Benedikt is a scholarship holder of the "Forum Dirigieren."
Benedikt has been studying choral conducting with Tobias Löbner, Ludwig Böhme and Prof. Roland Börger at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre since 2015. In the 2019/2020 winter semester, he also began his orchestral conducting studies with Prof. Ekkehard Klemm at the Dresden University of Music. He is currently continuing his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in orchestral conducting with Henrik Schaefer and choral conducting with Mats Nilsson and Fredrik Malmberg.
His training is rounded off by rehearsals and performances with choirs and orchestras in Saxony such as the Gewandhauschor Leipzig, the Leipzig St Thomas Choir, the Leipzig Opera Choir, the Dresden Singakademie, the Elblandphilharmonie, the Erzgebirgische Philharmonie Aue, the Robert-Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz, the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra and his own ensemble, the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Sachsen.
He has been able to organise exciting projects with the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Sachsen in the past. The ensemble has already performed operas and choral symphonic works such as Johannes Brahms' German Requiem, Mendelssohn Bartholdy's symphonic cantata Lobgesang and Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony in venues such as the Gewandhaus Leipzig and the Philharmonie Berlin.
In October 2022, he attracted attention as a finalist for the 5th German Choral Conducting Prize in Berlin with the RIAS Kammerchor. With the young Schwerin male chamber choir ffortissibros, he recently won two first prizes at the 10th Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, as well as the "Ellen Winser Trophy" for the best conductor at the festival. In 2023, he also won first prize in the male choir category with the ensemble at the 11th German Choir Competition. Benedikt is a scholarship holder of the "Forum Dirigieren."
Heeseong Lee (South Korea)
Heeseong Lee, a native of South Korea, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Choral Music, with minors in Instrumental Conducting and Organ. She holds multiple conducting positions, serving as the director of the Los Angeles Full Gospel Church Choir, guest conductor of the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra, and assistant conductor for both the Korean Community Christian Singers and the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale.
Actively involved in international conducting events, Lee has participated in numerous prestigious masterclasses and competitions, achieving notable success. She received the grand prize at both the 4th National Chorus Choral Conductor Competition (2015) and the Jubilate Music Alliance Choral Conductor Competition (2016) in Korea. Additionally, she was awarded the 2nd prize at the World Choral Conducting Competition in Hong Kong hosted by WYCCAA (2019), and the 2nd prize at the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choral Conductors organized by the European Choral Association (2022). Moreover, she secured 2nd place in the National Orchestra Championship in New York at Lincoln Center with the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra (2024). Lee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in 2013 and her Master’s degree in the same field from the same university in 2016.
Actively involved in international conducting events, Lee has participated in numerous prestigious masterclasses and competitions, achieving notable success. She received the grand prize at both the 4th National Chorus Choral Conductor Competition (2015) and the Jubilate Music Alliance Choral Conductor Competition (2016) in Korea. Additionally, she was awarded the 2nd prize at the World Choral Conducting Competition in Hong Kong hosted by WYCCAA (2019), and the 2nd prize at the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choral Conductors organized by the European Choral Association (2022). Moreover, she secured 2nd place in the National Orchestra Championship in New York at Lincoln Center with the Diamond Bar High School Orchestra (2024). Lee earned her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in 2013 and her Master’s degree in the same field from the same university in 2016.
Gustaf Martinson (Sweden / Norway)
Gustaf Martinson (b.1995) is a Swedish conductor and singer based out of Oslo since 2017. In 2021, he completed his Bachelor of Music in choral conducting and classical singing at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and in 2023 he also completed Educational Theory and Practice, and Church Music II at the same school.
Martinson is now working freelance and currently conducts and performs with several ensembles in the Oslo region. He is the conductor of the chamber choir Norske Kammersangere and a singer in both The Norwegian Soloists Choir Academy (Solistkoret UNG) 2022-2024 and Margaretakyrkans vokalensemble (a professional vocal ensemble which is part of the Swedish congregation in Oslo). In addition to freelance work, Martinson is also working part-time as an organist in The Church of Norway in Nittedal and Hakadal outside of Oslo (Den norske kirke).
In 2024 he also started his own vocal ensemble called Ensemble MINT, which had its first concert June 2 in Ris Kirke in Oslo. This ensemble consists of 20 experienced singers in Oslo and plans to have 3-4 projects per year. The goal of the ensemble is to perform Nordic contemporary music, and they have recently performed music by Anna Cederberg and Torbjørn Dyrud.
At the Norwegian Academy of Music, Martinson studied conducting with Vivianne Sydnes, classical singing with Svein Bjørkøy and organ playing with Inger Lise Ulsrud and Anders Eidsten Dahl. He has also participated in various seminars and masterclasses with conductors such as Nigel Short, Kaspars Putnins, Mathieu Romano, Florian Helgath, Nils Schweckendiek, Yuval Weinberg, Kjetil Allmenning and Gunnar Eriksson. He has also taken private conducting lessons with Nina T. Karlsen and Solvieg Ågren.
In 2023 Martinson got accepted to Dirigentforum Choir (Dirigentløftet), a master class program for young talented choir conductors. In this program the talents get the opportunity to work with international conductors and ensembles. Some of the ensembles they have worked with are The Swedish Radio Choir, The Norwegian Soloist Choir and Oslo Cathedral Choir. Whilst attending secondary school at Risbergska skolan in Sweden, Martinson's interest in choral music began to grow. There he became a chorister in Risbergska Skolan's Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Björn Johansson, who was also Martinson's first teacher in conducting.
During this time period he had the electric guitar as his main instrument, but as his interest in choral singing grew, he made the active decision to tailor his studies more in the direction of choral conducting during his later studies at Södra Vätterbygdens folkhögskola and Kävesta folkhögskola. Shortly after this Martinson accepted a place to study at The Norwegian Academy of Music. Despite changing his main instrument, Martinson has retained a broad interest in music and works professionally both in classical music, contemporary music, church music and popular music, as a singer, conductor, organist and guitarist.
Martinson is now working freelance and currently conducts and performs with several ensembles in the Oslo region. He is the conductor of the chamber choir Norske Kammersangere and a singer in both The Norwegian Soloists Choir Academy (Solistkoret UNG) 2022-2024 and Margaretakyrkans vokalensemble (a professional vocal ensemble which is part of the Swedish congregation in Oslo). In addition to freelance work, Martinson is also working part-time as an organist in The Church of Norway in Nittedal and Hakadal outside of Oslo (Den norske kirke).
In 2024 he also started his own vocal ensemble called Ensemble MINT, which had its first concert June 2 in Ris Kirke in Oslo. This ensemble consists of 20 experienced singers in Oslo and plans to have 3-4 projects per year. The goal of the ensemble is to perform Nordic contemporary music, and they have recently performed music by Anna Cederberg and Torbjørn Dyrud.
At the Norwegian Academy of Music, Martinson studied conducting with Vivianne Sydnes, classical singing with Svein Bjørkøy and organ playing with Inger Lise Ulsrud and Anders Eidsten Dahl. He has also participated in various seminars and masterclasses with conductors such as Nigel Short, Kaspars Putnins, Mathieu Romano, Florian Helgath, Nils Schweckendiek, Yuval Weinberg, Kjetil Allmenning and Gunnar Eriksson. He has also taken private conducting lessons with Nina T. Karlsen and Solvieg Ågren.
In 2023 Martinson got accepted to Dirigentforum Choir (Dirigentløftet), a master class program for young talented choir conductors. In this program the talents get the opportunity to work with international conductors and ensembles. Some of the ensembles they have worked with are The Swedish Radio Choir, The Norwegian Soloist Choir and Oslo Cathedral Choir. Whilst attending secondary school at Risbergska skolan in Sweden, Martinson's interest in choral music began to grow. There he became a chorister in Risbergska Skolan's Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Björn Johansson, who was also Martinson's first teacher in conducting.
During this time period he had the electric guitar as his main instrument, but as his interest in choral singing grew, he made the active decision to tailor his studies more in the direction of choral conducting during his later studies at Södra Vätterbygdens folkhögskola and Kävesta folkhögskola. Shortly after this Martinson accepted a place to study at The Norwegian Academy of Music. Despite changing his main instrument, Martinson has retained a broad interest in music and works professionally both in classical music, contemporary music, church music and popular music, as a singer, conductor, organist and guitarist.
Heide Müller (Germany)
Heide Müller is a German conductor based in Oslo, at the beginning of her international career. In 2023, she worked as a chorus master for Cappella Amsterdam and made her debut with them the same year, performing an a cappella concert at the Dutch festival "Wonderfeel."
In September 2024, she is invited again as a guest conductor and will perform an exclusively contemporary program in Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Zwolle, and Nijmegen. As chorus master for Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's The Creation, and Gluck's opera Iphigénie en Tauride, she will lead the Balthasar Neumann Choir at the Herbstfestspiele in Baden-Baden in November 2024.
For the final concert of her master's degree at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Heide Müller made her debut in May 2024 with one of Europe's leading ensembles, the Norwegian Soloists' Choir, focusing primarily on a cappella music from the 20th and 21st centuries. She maintains a close collaboration with the ensemble and has been decisively influenced by its chief conductor, Grete Pedersen, under whom she has worked as the artistic assistant since 2022.
During the 2024/25 season, she will work as the assistant conductor of the Oslo Cathedral Choir and will become the artistic leader of the Schleswig-Holstein Youth Choir in 2025. Heide Müller received the Young Artists Award from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in 2022 and was admitted to the Conducting Forum by the German Music Council in the same year.
As part of the Norwegian Conductors Forum, she has the opportunity to collaborate with internationally renowned mentors and ensembles. She has participated in masterclasses with Martina Batič, Kaspars Putniņš, Nigel Short, Yuval Weinberg, Florian Helgath, and others, and has conducted ensembles such as the Swedish Radio Choir, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, NDR Vokalensemble, Berlin Radio Choir, Chorwerk Ruhr, Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, and the Oslo Opera Choir.
As the founder and chief conductor of the cara tonale vokalensemble, which has been dedicated to new concert formats and contemporary music since 2019, she has a particular interest in historically informed performance practice.
In September 2024, she is invited again as a guest conductor and will perform an exclusively contemporary program in Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Zwolle, and Nijmegen. As chorus master for Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's The Creation, and Gluck's opera Iphigénie en Tauride, she will lead the Balthasar Neumann Choir at the Herbstfestspiele in Baden-Baden in November 2024.
For the final concert of her master's degree at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Heide Müller made her debut in May 2024 with one of Europe's leading ensembles, the Norwegian Soloists' Choir, focusing primarily on a cappella music from the 20th and 21st centuries. She maintains a close collaboration with the ensemble and has been decisively influenced by its chief conductor, Grete Pedersen, under whom she has worked as the artistic assistant since 2022.
During the 2024/25 season, she will work as the assistant conductor of the Oslo Cathedral Choir and will become the artistic leader of the Schleswig-Holstein Youth Choir in 2025. Heide Müller received the Young Artists Award from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in 2022 and was admitted to the Conducting Forum by the German Music Council in the same year.
As part of the Norwegian Conductors Forum, she has the opportunity to collaborate with internationally renowned mentors and ensembles. She has participated in masterclasses with Martina Batič, Kaspars Putniņš, Nigel Short, Yuval Weinberg, Florian Helgath, and others, and has conducted ensembles such as the Swedish Radio Choir, SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, NDR Vokalensemble, Berlin Radio Choir, Chorwerk Ruhr, Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, and the Oslo Opera Choir.
As the founder and chief conductor of the cara tonale vokalensemble, which has been dedicated to new concert formats and contemporary music since 2019, she has a particular interest in historically informed performance practice.
Cyrille Nanchen (Switzerland)
Cyrille Nanchen is studying choral conducting at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Daniel Reuss, Benjamin Goodson and Maria van Nieukerken. He graduated first in choral conducting and church music at the Zurich University of the Arts with Markus Utz and at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm with Fredrik Malmberg.
In Switzerland he works with several ensembles, both professional and amateur, which have also taken him to various festival stages such as Verbier, Zermatt, Davos and the GAIA Festival. At the Verbier Festival, he worked with Gianandrea Noseda for Verdi's Ballo in Maschera and with Lahav Shani for Berg's Wozzeck.
Since 2023, he is a fellow of the German conducting Forum, where he works with the Kammerchor Saarbrücken, the Aalto Theatre Chor Essen and the Kammerchor Stuttgart. He received the scholarship Fondation Madeleine Dubuis (CH) and was selected as a fellow of the Académie itinérante in France, where he works with the Jeune Choeur de Paris, Musicatreize and Les Eléments. He also took part in masterclasses with i.a. Anders Eby, Benjamin Goodson, Nils Schweckendiek, Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, David Hill, Wiecher Mandemaker, Léo Warynski and Patrick Russill, Klaas-Jan the Groot, Patrick Jaskolka.
In 2024, Cyrille is conducting the Cappella Amsterdam for the “Vrijheidsmaaltijd” concert. He will also prepare the choir for Mahler's 3rd Symphony with Simon Rattle at the Verbier Festival. Next autumn, he will work as Choir Master Assistant and Substitute at the Aatlo Theater Essen with Klaas-Jan de Groot and furthering his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
In Switzerland he works with several ensembles, both professional and amateur, which have also taken him to various festival stages such as Verbier, Zermatt, Davos and the GAIA Festival. At the Verbier Festival, he worked with Gianandrea Noseda for Verdi's Ballo in Maschera and with Lahav Shani for Berg's Wozzeck.
Since 2023, he is a fellow of the German conducting Forum, where he works with the Kammerchor Saarbrücken, the Aalto Theatre Chor Essen and the Kammerchor Stuttgart. He received the scholarship Fondation Madeleine Dubuis (CH) and was selected as a fellow of the Académie itinérante in France, where he works with the Jeune Choeur de Paris, Musicatreize and Les Eléments. He also took part in masterclasses with i.a. Anders Eby, Benjamin Goodson, Nils Schweckendiek, Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, David Hill, Wiecher Mandemaker, Léo Warynski and Patrick Russill, Klaas-Jan the Groot, Patrick Jaskolka.
In 2024, Cyrille is conducting the Cappella Amsterdam for the “Vrijheidsmaaltijd” concert. He will also prepare the choir for Mahler's 3rd Symphony with Simon Rattle at the Verbier Festival. Next autumn, he will work as Choir Master Assistant and Substitute at the Aatlo Theater Essen with Klaas-Jan de Groot and furthering his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
Florence Price (UK)
Florence Price is a conductor and singer and is currently studying for an MA in Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music with Patrick Russill, having recently graduated from the University of Manchester, where she was selected for the student conductor programme to conduct the University’s orchestras and choirs.
She is currently the Associate Conductor of the Covent Garden Chorus and the Conductor of the Staffordshire Chamber Orchestra. Recently, she was a guest conductor with the Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Tallis Chamber Orchestra, and is currently the Musical Director of Opera Prelude’s production of a new children’s opera, ‘The King’s Pants’.
Florence works regularly as a Section Coach with the National Youth Choir having been on their Fellowship programme in 2022, and often works with London Youth Choirs. She sings with Kantos Chamber Choir and was previously a HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholar in association with St Martin in the Fields, and a Lay Clerk at the Manchester Oratory. From September she will be a participant on the Crouch End Festival Chorus’s Young Conductors Mentoring Scheme.
She is currently the Associate Conductor of the Covent Garden Chorus and the Conductor of the Staffordshire Chamber Orchestra. Recently, she was a guest conductor with the Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and the Tallis Chamber Orchestra, and is currently the Musical Director of Opera Prelude’s production of a new children’s opera, ‘The King’s Pants’.
Florence works regularly as a Section Coach with the National Youth Choir having been on their Fellowship programme in 2022, and often works with London Youth Choirs. She sings with Kantos Chamber Choir and was previously a HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholar in association with St Martin in the Fields, and a Lay Clerk at the Manchester Oratory. From September she will be a participant on the Crouch End Festival Chorus’s Young Conductors Mentoring Scheme.
Agnes Schnabl (Austria)
Agnes Schnabl from Austria completed her studies of conducting and choral conducting pedagogy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. There, she studied under Johannes Prinz. Prior to that, she received conducting lessons at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Alois Glaßner as part of her study of music pedagogy. She completed a postgraduate study in choral conducting at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Jörn Hinnerk Andresen. Additionally, she has received conducting lessons from Justin Doyle.
Since 2021, Agnes is teaching conducting and choir at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She is working as a Jurymember at choral competitions and as instructor at various choral and conducting courses all around Austria. She is the conductor of the Austrian Youth Choir, the Tyrolean Youth Choir, coro siamo (Vienna), ensemble kanti (Graz) and has repeatedly worked with the Wiener Singverein.
From 2021 to 2023 Agnes has been a scholarship holder of the Dirigentenforum/German Music Council. As part of this program, she has worked with Florian Helgath, Yuval Weinberg, Bernhard Schmidt and conducted the MDR Radio Choir, the SWR Vokalensemble, the Philharmonic Choir Berlin and Canta Nova Saar. In 2022, she assisted Justin Doyle at the project Klangkomsos Schütz 22, which was a cooperation of four German youth choirs and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. In 2018, she was a guest conductor for vocalconsort initium in Tokyo.
As part of her university education, she has worked with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Saxon State Opera Chorus Dresden, the Stadttheaterchor Klagenfurt, the Orchestra for New Music and the Filmmusic Orchestra of the Music University Graz, the University Orchestra of the Mozarteum Salzburg and has conducted in opera productions. Agnes was an assistant teacher for the conducting classes at the Music Pedagogy department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
Agnes took part in master classes with Florian Helgath, Zürcher Singakademie, Vokalensemble consonus, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Steven Sametz, Johann Van der Sandt, Vokalforum Graz, Robert Sund, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Josep Vila i Casanas, Maria Goundorina, Erwin Ortner and Thomas Caplin.
As a singer, she was a member of the two vocal trios Lerchenschnabl and 3 Schnablinge. They were performing in Austria as well as neighboring countries and have won prizes at the Alpine Folkmusic Competition in Innsbruck, Prima la Musica, and at the Austrian Landes- and Bundesjugendsingen. Several albums were released throughout 2011 to 2018.
Besides classical music, Agnes is very passionate about folk music. Due to her ancestry, she feels particularly connected to Carinthian-Slovene folk songs.
Since 2021, Agnes is teaching conducting and choir at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She is working as a Jurymember at choral competitions and as instructor at various choral and conducting courses all around Austria. She is the conductor of the Austrian Youth Choir, the Tyrolean Youth Choir, coro siamo (Vienna), ensemble kanti (Graz) and has repeatedly worked with the Wiener Singverein.
From 2021 to 2023 Agnes has been a scholarship holder of the Dirigentenforum/German Music Council. As part of this program, she has worked with Florian Helgath, Yuval Weinberg, Bernhard Schmidt and conducted the MDR Radio Choir, the SWR Vokalensemble, the Philharmonic Choir Berlin and Canta Nova Saar. In 2022, she assisted Justin Doyle at the project Klangkomsos Schütz 22, which was a cooperation of four German youth choirs and the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin. In 2018, she was a guest conductor for vocalconsort initium in Tokyo.
As part of her university education, she has worked with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Saxon State Opera Chorus Dresden, the Stadttheaterchor Klagenfurt, the Orchestra for New Music and the Filmmusic Orchestra of the Music University Graz, the University Orchestra of the Mozarteum Salzburg and has conducted in opera productions. Agnes was an assistant teacher for the conducting classes at the Music Pedagogy department at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
Agnes took part in master classes with Florian Helgath, Zürcher Singakademie, Vokalensemble consonus, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Steven Sametz, Johann Van der Sandt, Vokalforum Graz, Robert Sund, Morten Schuldt-Jensen, Josep Vila i Casanas, Maria Goundorina, Erwin Ortner and Thomas Caplin.
As a singer, she was a member of the two vocal trios Lerchenschnabl and 3 Schnablinge. They were performing in Austria as well as neighboring countries and have won prizes at the Alpine Folkmusic Competition in Innsbruck, Prima la Musica, and at the Austrian Landes- and Bundesjugendsingen. Several albums were released throughout 2011 to 2018.
Besides classical music, Agnes is very passionate about folk music. Due to her ancestry, she feels particularly connected to Carinthian-Slovene folk songs.
Olivia Shotton (UK)
Olivia graduated with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music. She received a DipRam award for outstanding performance in her final recital and the Sir Thomas Armstrong Choral Leadership Prize.
Olivia is committed to championing the music of women. Following the completion of her postgraduate degree, Olivia was appointed as the Meaker Fellow at the Academy in 2021, where she conducted a series of concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music by women from the Italian convents. She founded the ensemble The CONVENTional Project to showcase this music. The group has since developed into a professional ensemble, and most recently performed at Wimbledon international Music Festival (2023), and were extremely well received. The ensemble intends to tour and record Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ in the coming years.
Alongside her professional ensemble, Olivia is the Conductor of the University of London Chamber Choir, the University of Greenwich Choir, London Youth Choir West, and Assistant Conductor of Ealing Symphony Orchestra. Over the summer, Olivia will be the Assistant Conductor for La Bohème at Longborough Festival Opera (August 2024), Assistant Conductor for the National Youth Choir 15-18 years (August 2024), and conduct Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ with the Thomas Tallis Society (September 2024).
Her previous engagements include her role as Assistant Chorus Master to Simon Halsey in preparing the Academy Chorus for a performance of Mahler ‘Symphony no. 3’ under Semyon Bychkov (2022), Assistant Musical Director for the British Youth Opera production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ (2021), and semi-finalist in the DIMA International Choral Conducting Competition (2021). Olivia is in high demand as a workshop leader, and has led workshops on behalf of The Sixteen, VOCES8 Foundation, The Bach Choir and London Youth Choirs. She has appeared as a guest conductor with choirs including Junior Trinity, The Fourth Choir and Imperial College Chamber Choir.
Since studying at the Academy, Olivia has continued to develop her conducting as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar (2022-23), at Dartington International Summer School Advanced Conductor programme (2022), and as a Fellow of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (2022).
Olivia began conducting as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, and was awarded the Jessop Voices Conducting Award. During this time, Olivia sang firstly as an alto Choral Scholar, then as the first female Lay Clerk at Sheffield Cathedral. Whilst living in Sheffield, Olivia was the Musical Director of Belper Singers (Derby), Lyrical Songbirds (Nottingham), YorChoir (York), Dronfield Parish Young Voices, and she was Assistant Conductor with Neighbourhood Voices (Sheffield). From 2017-2018, she held a Young Conducting Scholarship with Sing for Pleasure, with whom she conducted in the premiere of Thomas Hewitt Jones’ ‘Greater Love’ for choir and orchestra.
As a singer, Olivia performs with several professional choirs. Some of her favourite performances include providing backing vocals for live performances with The Rolling Stones and Ellie Goulding. Further to her conducting and singing ventures, Olivia enjoys composing and arranging for her choirs, and has previously had several works performed in concert.
Olivia is committed to championing the music of women. Following the completion of her postgraduate degree, Olivia was appointed as the Meaker Fellow at the Academy in 2021, where she conducted a series of concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music by women from the Italian convents. She founded the ensemble The CONVENTional Project to showcase this music. The group has since developed into a professional ensemble, and most recently performed at Wimbledon international Music Festival (2023), and were extremely well received. The ensemble intends to tour and record Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ in the coming years.
Alongside her professional ensemble, Olivia is the Conductor of the University of London Chamber Choir, the University of Greenwich Choir, London Youth Choir West, and Assistant Conductor of Ealing Symphony Orchestra. Over the summer, Olivia will be the Assistant Conductor for La Bohème at Longborough Festival Opera (August 2024), Assistant Conductor for the National Youth Choir 15-18 years (August 2024), and conduct Cozzolani’s ‘Vespers of 1650’ with the Thomas Tallis Society (September 2024).
Her previous engagements include her role as Assistant Chorus Master to Simon Halsey in preparing the Academy Chorus for a performance of Mahler ‘Symphony no. 3’ under Semyon Bychkov (2022), Assistant Musical Director for the British Youth Opera production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ (2021), and semi-finalist in the DIMA International Choral Conducting Competition (2021). Olivia is in high demand as a workshop leader, and has led workshops on behalf of The Sixteen, VOCES8 Foundation, The Bach Choir and London Youth Choirs. She has appeared as a guest conductor with choirs including Junior Trinity, The Fourth Choir and Imperial College Chamber Choir.
Since studying at the Academy, Olivia has continued to develop her conducting as the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar (2022-23), at Dartington International Summer School Advanced Conductor programme (2022), and as a Fellow of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (2022).
Olivia began conducting as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, and was awarded the Jessop Voices Conducting Award. During this time, Olivia sang firstly as an alto Choral Scholar, then as the first female Lay Clerk at Sheffield Cathedral. Whilst living in Sheffield, Olivia was the Musical Director of Belper Singers (Derby), Lyrical Songbirds (Nottingham), YorChoir (York), Dronfield Parish Young Voices, and she was Assistant Conductor with Neighbourhood Voices (Sheffield). From 2017-2018, she held a Young Conducting Scholarship with Sing for Pleasure, with whom she conducted in the premiere of Thomas Hewitt Jones’ ‘Greater Love’ for choir and orchestra.
As a singer, Olivia performs with several professional choirs. Some of her favourite performances include providing backing vocals for live performances with The Rolling Stones and Ellie Goulding. Further to her conducting and singing ventures, Olivia enjoys composing and arranging for her choirs, and has previously had several works performed in concert.
Narine Voskanyan (Armenia)
A renowned Armenian choir conductor Narine Voskanyan was born in Yerevan. She began her career as a violinist, in 2005 successfully accomplishing violin studies at Yerevan Tchaikovsky Specialized Secondary Music School. The same year she entered the violin class of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory.
From 2007 to 2011, she was simultaneously studying in the Choir Conducting Department under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Sona Hovhannisyan receiving a Master's Degree in Conducting in 2012.
During her student years, she established and conducted the Cantus Vocal Ensemble as well as collaborated with the Alan Hovhannes Chamber Orchestra as a violinist.
From 2007 to 2024 Narine was a member of the Hover State Chamber Choir also assisting the choir conductor while pursuing her own endeavors. From 2008 to 2011, she worked as a conductor of a children's choir at the Avet Terteryan Art School.
Between 2016 and 2019, she contributed to the National Center for Child and Adolescent Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia by holding a position of a Conductor of the Boys' Choir.
In 2017, she conducted Le, the female choir, formed by the female singers of the Hover State Chamber Choir under the leadership of S. Hovhannisyan. Their notable performance was at the Moscow "Easter Festival" of Maestro Valery Gergiev.
In 2018, while Sona Hovhannisyan remained the principal conductor (being appointed the rector of the Yerevan Conservatory), Narine Voskanyan assumed the role of the artistic director of the Hover State Chamber Choir and conducted concerts of the choir both within Armenia and internationally.
Notable performances where Narine participated as a conductor include the concert in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2022 celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Armenian-Georgian diplomatic relations. In addition, the concert in Munich, Germany, dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Republic of Germany was held the same year. In November 2023, the concert in Poland took place, when the choir performed in the Eufonie Eastern European Music festival in Warsaw. Further, Narine conducted the Hover choir in Paris, France, at the UNESCO headquarters, concluding the series of events commemorated to 850th anniversary of Saint Nerses Shnorhali’s passing organized with participation of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia.
Since 2016, Narine Voskanyan has been working as an assistant to Sona Hovhannisyan in the Choir Conducting Department of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. She has been employed as a lecturer at the same department since 2018.
In 2023, Narine Voskanyan has been invited to the position of a Principal Guest Conductor at the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia.
From 2007 to 2011, she was simultaneously studying in the Choir Conducting Department under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Sona Hovhannisyan receiving a Master's Degree in Conducting in 2012.
During her student years, she established and conducted the Cantus Vocal Ensemble as well as collaborated with the Alan Hovhannes Chamber Orchestra as a violinist.
From 2007 to 2024 Narine was a member of the Hover State Chamber Choir also assisting the choir conductor while pursuing her own endeavors. From 2008 to 2011, she worked as a conductor of a children's choir at the Avet Terteryan Art School.
Between 2016 and 2019, she contributed to the National Center for Child and Adolescent Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia by holding a position of a Conductor of the Boys' Choir.
In 2017, she conducted Le, the female choir, formed by the female singers of the Hover State Chamber Choir under the leadership of S. Hovhannisyan. Their notable performance was at the Moscow "Easter Festival" of Maestro Valery Gergiev.
In 2018, while Sona Hovhannisyan remained the principal conductor (being appointed the rector of the Yerevan Conservatory), Narine Voskanyan assumed the role of the artistic director of the Hover State Chamber Choir and conducted concerts of the choir both within Armenia and internationally.
Notable performances where Narine participated as a conductor include the concert in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2022 celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Armenian-Georgian diplomatic relations. In addition, the concert in Munich, Germany, dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Federal Republic of Germany was held the same year. In November 2023, the concert in Poland took place, when the choir performed in the Eufonie Eastern European Music festival in Warsaw. Further, Narine conducted the Hover choir in Paris, France, at the UNESCO headquarters, concluding the series of events commemorated to 850th anniversary of Saint Nerses Shnorhali’s passing organized with participation of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia.
Since 2016, Narine Voskanyan has been working as an assistant to Sona Hovhannisyan in the Choir Conducting Department of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. She has been employed as a lecturer at the same department since 2018.
In 2023, Narine Voskanyan has been invited to the position of a Principal Guest Conductor at the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia.
Annabelle Weinhart (Germany)
The conductor Annabelle Weinhart was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1992. As a choral and orchestral conductor she is currently living in Weimar where she studied conducting with Jürgen Puschbeck and Ekhart Wycik as well as music teaching at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT.
She was an ERASMUS-Student at the Conservatorio di Musica ‘G.B.Martini’ Bologna (Italy) and worked together with L. Acocella (Orchestral Conducting) and M. Bedetti (Oboe). Furthermore, she has participated in masterclasses with Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, Yuval Weinberg and Lorenzo Donati who have been an important influence in her journey as a choral conductor.
Since 2023 Annabelle Weinhart is the conductor of the Josquin des Prés Vokalensemble Nürnberg, that specialises in contemporary acapella music combined with renaissance composers such as Josquin and Gesualdo. She was conductor of the University choir of the TU Chemnitz and is currently conductor of the Youth choir of the Landesschule Pforta, Naumburg, where she also teaches in the music department
In the upcoming November she will conduct Frank Martins Mass for Double Choir with the singers of the renowned vocal ensembles Calmus Ensemble, Sjaella and Singer Pur in Leipzig.
As a conductor she worked with international Ensembles such as the Coro della Cattedrale di Siena ‘Guido Chigi Saracini’, the Romanian National Chamber Choir ‚Madrigal – Marin Constantin‘, the Elbipolis Baroque Orchestra and the Marburger Philharmonie.
In 2020 she founded the NeVoEnsemble Weimar with whom she regulary performes the choral and orchestral works of Johann Sebastian Bach in and around Thuringia. In 2021 she was third prize- and special prize-winner at the Second International Competition for Choral Conductors „Romano Gandolfi“ in Parma and was a holder of the Charlotte Krupp-scholarship for exceptional artistic merit (The Liszt Foundation) and the Deutschlandstipendium during her studies at the University of music FRANZ LISZT Weimar.
She was an ERASMUS-Student at the Conservatorio di Musica ‘G.B.Martini’ Bologna (Italy) and worked together with L. Acocella (Orchestral Conducting) and M. Bedetti (Oboe). Furthermore, she has participated in masterclasses with Frieder Bernius, Georg Grün, Yuval Weinberg and Lorenzo Donati who have been an important influence in her journey as a choral conductor.
Since 2023 Annabelle Weinhart is the conductor of the Josquin des Prés Vokalensemble Nürnberg, that specialises in contemporary acapella music combined with renaissance composers such as Josquin and Gesualdo. She was conductor of the University choir of the TU Chemnitz and is currently conductor of the Youth choir of the Landesschule Pforta, Naumburg, where she also teaches in the music department
In the upcoming November she will conduct Frank Martins Mass for Double Choir with the singers of the renowned vocal ensembles Calmus Ensemble, Sjaella and Singer Pur in Leipzig.
As a conductor she worked with international Ensembles such as the Coro della Cattedrale di Siena ‘Guido Chigi Saracini’, the Romanian National Chamber Choir ‚Madrigal – Marin Constantin‘, the Elbipolis Baroque Orchestra and the Marburger Philharmonie.
In 2020 she founded the NeVoEnsemble Weimar with whom she regulary performes the choral and orchestral works of Johann Sebastian Bach in and around Thuringia. In 2021 she was third prize- and special prize-winner at the Second International Competition for Choral Conductors „Romano Gandolfi“ in Parma and was a holder of the Charlotte Krupp-scholarship for exceptional artistic merit (The Liszt Foundation) and the Deutschlandstipendium during her studies at the University of music FRANZ LISZT Weimar.
Yuto Yamaguchi (Japan / Hungary)
Yuto Yamaguchi, a Japanese musician, has dedicated the past 6 years of his life to the pursuit of choral conducting and music education at the Kodály Institute within the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Hungary. Under the mentorship of distinguished instructors such as Péter Erdei and László Norbert Nemes, he excelled in his conducting studies and graduated from the master’s program in music pedagogy with the highest honors across all subjects.
Presently, Yuto is deeply immersed in advancing his research in choral conducting and music education within the academy. He not only contributes to this academic pursuit but also extends his expertise beyond the institution by conducting workshops and sharing his knowledge while teaching choral conducting and solfege in the academy's specialized class.
From 2021 to 2022, Yuto held the prestigious role of conductor for the Chamber Choir of the Kodály Institute. Starting in 2022, he assumed the role of conductor for the Kecskeméti Cantus Nobilis Kórus, an ensemble with a remarkable history spanning over 60 years in Hungary.
In addition to his duties as a choral conductor, Yuto frequently leads Japanese choirs during the summer months and conducts chorus workshops across various regions in Japan. In the year 2023 alone, he conducted 15 workshops in 13 different prefectures, imparting lessons in "Solfege for Choral Singers based on Hungarian music education" and "Choral Conducting based on Kodály Concept." Notably, he organized a concert featuring three amateur choirs and used this event as a platform to teach aspiring singers how to enhance their choral skills, thus expanding his influence as both a conductor and an educator.
Yuto's journey in the world of choral music began as an amateur choral conductor in Japan, where he achieved remarkable success, earning second place in the Japanese national choral competition at an exceptionally young age—an accomplishment that earned him special recognition as a budding conductor.
Further establishing his reputation, Yuto joined the Japan Youth Choir in 2017 and subsequently became a member of the World Youth Choir in 2017 and 2018. His dedication and expertise also led to his appointment as an assistant conductor for the Japan Youth Choir in 2022, cementing his role as a rising star in the realm of choral music.
Presently, Yuto is deeply immersed in advancing his research in choral conducting and music education within the academy. He not only contributes to this academic pursuit but also extends his expertise beyond the institution by conducting workshops and sharing his knowledge while teaching choral conducting and solfege in the academy's specialized class.
From 2021 to 2022, Yuto held the prestigious role of conductor for the Chamber Choir of the Kodály Institute. Starting in 2022, he assumed the role of conductor for the Kecskeméti Cantus Nobilis Kórus, an ensemble with a remarkable history spanning over 60 years in Hungary.
In addition to his duties as a choral conductor, Yuto frequently leads Japanese choirs during the summer months and conducts chorus workshops across various regions in Japan. In the year 2023 alone, he conducted 15 workshops in 13 different prefectures, imparting lessons in "Solfege for Choral Singers based on Hungarian music education" and "Choral Conducting based on Kodály Concept." Notably, he organized a concert featuring three amateur choirs and used this event as a platform to teach aspiring singers how to enhance their choral skills, thus expanding his influence as both a conductor and an educator.
Yuto's journey in the world of choral music began as an amateur choral conductor in Japan, where he achieved remarkable success, earning second place in the Japanese national choral competition at an exceptionally young age—an accomplishment that earned him special recognition as a budding conductor.
Further establishing his reputation, Yuto joined the Japan Youth Choir in 2017 and subsequently became a member of the World Youth Choir in 2017 and 2018. His dedication and expertise also led to his appointment as an assistant conductor for the Japan Youth Choir in 2022, cementing his role as a rising star in the realm of choral music.
Klaudia Zajac (Poland / Belgium)
Klaudia Zając is a Polish conductor and singer. She first studied piano and classical singing at the W. Żeleński State Music School in Kraków. She graduated with honours in conducting at the Academy of Music in Krakow and at Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover.
In 2018, Klaudia moved to Brussels, Belgium to continue her studies in choral conducting at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles. She obtained her master’s degree with great distinction in June 2020.
She is currently serving as the conductor of Sammartini Choir as well as the Vocal Ensemble Similare. She was a semi-finalist competing in the international conducting competitions DIMA (Romania) and Fosco Corti (Italy). In May 2022 she has won a place in the Young Conductors Mentoring Scheme with David Temple and Crouch End Festival Chorus based in London for the artistic season 2022/2023.
She has worked with major choirs and orchestras, including Transylvanian State Philharmonic Choir, North Czech Philharmonic, Choir of the Warsaw University of Technology, Coro da camera di Torino.
Since the year 2024 marks the centenary of the death of the opera composer Giacomo Puccini, Klaudia is currently organizing a larger project involving two big mixed choirs and the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Liège. She will conduct La Missa di Gloria alongside other works by Puccini. The concert will be organized at St Mary's Church in Brussels where the funeral ceremony of Puccini took place back in 1924.
In 2018, Klaudia moved to Brussels, Belgium to continue her studies in choral conducting at the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles. She obtained her master’s degree with great distinction in June 2020.
She is currently serving as the conductor of Sammartini Choir as well as the Vocal Ensemble Similare. She was a semi-finalist competing in the international conducting competitions DIMA (Romania) and Fosco Corti (Italy). In May 2022 she has won a place in the Young Conductors Mentoring Scheme with David Temple and Crouch End Festival Chorus based in London for the artistic season 2022/2023.
She has worked with major choirs and orchestras, including Transylvanian State Philharmonic Choir, North Czech Philharmonic, Choir of the Warsaw University of Technology, Coro da camera di Torino.
Since the year 2024 marks the centenary of the death of the opera composer Giacomo Puccini, Klaudia is currently organizing a larger project involving two big mixed choirs and the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Liège. She will conduct La Missa di Gloria alongside other works by Puccini. The concert will be organized at St Mary's Church in Brussels where the funeral ceremony of Puccini took place back in 1924.
Tobias Stückelberger
Tobias Stückelberger is the musical director of the Boys' Choir of St. Ursen Cathedral in Solothurn and the Basel Young Chamber Choir. With the choirboys (aged 10-25) he works on sacred and secular a cappella literature, folk music and choral symphonic repertoire, while with the professional singers in the Basel Young Chamber Choir he mainly performs challenging 20th century and contemporary vocal music ranging from Schnittkes "Choir Concerto" or Schönbergs "Friede auf Erden" to remixing a Schubert Mass with electronic music artist Gabriel Prokoviev.
He also founded and conducts"vokal:orgel", a project promoting music for voices and symphonic organ at the Basel concert hall. Hewas a singer in the Basel Boys' Choir for many years and then studied choral conducting and schoolmusic in Basel. He continued his education with a master's degree in conducting with Grete Pedersen atthe Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. During this time he also worked as an assistant with DetNorske Solistkor, Norway's leading professional vocal ensemble. He then gained experience with theDrakensberg Boys Choir in South Africa, which he conducted from 2018-2020 and with which hetoured the African continent and Europe in addition to weekly concerts atthe boarding school.
He wasa guest conductor with Voces Suaves, PourChoeur and Det Norske Solistkor, director of theintercantonal women's choir, assistant conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir and singer in the ChamberChoir of Scandinavia and the World Youth Choir.
He also founded and conducts"vokal:orgel", a project promoting music for voices and symphonic organ at the Basel concert hall. Hewas a singer in the Basel Boys' Choir for many years and then studied choral conducting and schoolmusic in Basel. He continued his education with a master's degree in conducting with Grete Pedersen atthe Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. During this time he also worked as an assistant with DetNorske Solistkor, Norway's leading professional vocal ensemble. He then gained experience with theDrakensberg Boys Choir in South Africa, which he conducted from 2018-2020 and with which hetoured the African continent and Europe in addition to weekly concerts atthe boarding school.
He wasa guest conductor with Voces Suaves, PourChoeur and Det Norske Solistkor, director of theintercantonal women's choir, assistant conductor of the Swiss Youth Choir and singer in the ChamberChoir of Scandinavia and the World Youth Choir.
