Finalists

Marco Antonio García de Paz was born in Gijón (Asturias), Spain in 1972. He has a degree in violin and chamber music from the Oviedo Professional Conservatory and a degree in choral conducting. He has conducted the "El Leó de Oro" Choir since its foundation in Luanco (Asturias) in 1996. With this choir he has got many outstanding awards. He has also directed the "Aires de Candás" Choir in Candás (Asturias). Lately he has been invited as a guest conductor by several choirs and commissioned to carry out orkshops and clinic sessions on choral music. His latest commission has been to create a professional choir for the Campoamor Opera Theatre in Oviedo (Asturias) for the 2006 session. His most recent award has been the prize for best conductor at the 28^th International May Choir Competition "Prof. Georgi Dimitrov" in 2005.

Harald Jers was born in Aachen, Germany in 1972. He has a diploma in physics, and in orchestra and choral conducting. He was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship, research in choir acoustics, voice pedagogic and room acoustics by the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm. He is following a doctoral programme in systematic musical science.
He has attended many master classes in conducting with many renowned professors.
From 1995 to 2004 he has been leader and singer of the vocal Jazz group "Picanto". At present he is the conductor of the Chamber Choir of Melanchthon-Church in Cologne and the Chamber Choir Consono. He has also been conductor and participant of Master classes at the Bavarian Radio Choir in Munich.
He also has a wide academic and teaching experience and has won many prizes, among which 2^nd prize at International Choir Competition of Belgium with Chamber Choir "Consono" and final round participant at the 2^nd International Competition for Young choral Conductors in Tallinn, Estonia.

Christian Jeub was born in Solingen, Germany in 1970. He studied at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and the Folkwanghochschule where he passed his choir conducting exam with Prof. Ralf Otto. He has attended several masterclasses with Eric Ericson. In 2000 and 2001 he got a conducting scholarship by Helmut Rilling and the Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart. He has also participated in a conducting workshop on invitation by the RIAS- Kammerchores, Berlin. Since September 2000 he has been working at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich as a second Choir Director. He has conducted performances like Mozart "Magic Flute"; Strauss "One night in Venice", C. Porter "Kiss me Kate", Lorzings "Zar und Zimmermann". He prepared the choir for pieces like Idomeneo, Così fan tutte, Der Waffenschmied, Die Fledermaus, Hallo Dolly, Die Csárdásfürstin. During the past few years he could make some experience with broadcasting choirs like the WDR-Rundfunkchor in Cologne, whom he first assisted to a mixed a capella program and Dvorák's opera "The Jakobín". Later on he refreshed Mahler 3^rd Symphony and then produced on his own responsibility E. Rautavaaras’ "Erste Elegie".

Michele Napolitano was born in Turin in 1971. He gained a diploma in Choral Music and Choral Conducting and studied Composition at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna, as well as Violin at the G. Verdi Conservatory and at the Scuola Civica in Turin. He also graduated at DAMS (specialisation in Music), and attended the training course for choir conductors in schools organised by the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna.From 1997 to 2002 he conducted the vocal ensemble Attosecondo of Bologna. In April 2004 he was invited by the Hogskolen I Tromso (Norway) to specialise with M° R. Rasmussen. In May 2002 he was guest director at the 3^rd "Città di Bologna" international choir festival. He was artistic director of the Insula Dulcamara Ensemble (2001-2005). In 2004 he founded "Mikrokosmos – Coro Multietnico" of Bologna, of which he is the artistic director. He won the first overall prize and the F. Caracciolo award at the 5^th Competition of Composition for polyphonic choir on Lutheran texts, organised by the Lutheran Evangelical Community of Naples. He has published the composition for mixed choir (MsTB) "Bocca", to a text by Umberto Saba.

Manus O'Donnell born in 1975 in Dublin, Ireland, studied viola in his city and in Boston, singing, choral and orchestral conducting at the Dublin’s Trinity College in Dublin. He then specialized both in Ireland and in Germany. He was the musical director of St. Anne’s Church in Dublin for several years and he directed the choir of St.Patrick’s Cathedral many times. He also is a violist and a singer. Final round participant at the 2^nd International Competition for Choir Conductors "Mariele Ventre". In 2004 he took part in a conducting masterclass in Berlin with the RIAS Kammerchor, conducting the choir in concert at the end of the course. He is currently continuing his conducting studies in Germany, at the Staatliche Hochschlule für Music und Dastellende Kust, in Mannheim.He teaches music at the Heidelberg International School.

Manvinder Singh Rattan was born in Nairobi, Kenia in 1966. He got a BA (Hons) in French & History with Music as a free standing area in 1989 at the College of Ripon & York St John in York, as well as the Archbishops Certificate in Church Music delivered by the Incorporated Guild of church Musicians in 1993. He has followed many courses in choral and orchestra conducting. In 1989 he joined the John Lewis Partnership as a graduate trainee and in 1995 he assumed the position of Musical Director. He has founded the choir "Voices in Partnership" and the society’s orchestra, The Cavendish Ensemble and the chamber choir The Cavendish Singers, winners in several international competitions. He was appointed to the Sing for Pleasure team of conductor tutors in 1997 specializing in the training at advanced level for choral and orchestral conducting

Jan Scheerer was born in 1973 in Tübingen, Germany, where he began studies at the university in physics and philosophy and simultaneously at the piano academy "Herman–Hesse–Haus" with Wei–Tsin Fu. After three years, he turned solely to music by beginning studies at the music conservatory in Karlsruhe in both choir and orchestra conducting and music theory with Peter-Michael Riehm, Wolf-Dieter Hauschild and Martin Schmidt. He continued his studies in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Music Conservatory, first in the choir conducting class with professor Dan-Olof Stenlund, then additionally in the orchestra conducting class. Masterclasses with Wolfgang Schäfer, Uwe Gronostay and Hartmut Haenchen, Daniel Reuss, Georg Grün and Jorma Panula deepened his development. In 2003, he won the first prize at the "Friedrich–Silcher" composition competition with the choir piece "Im Frühling". Jan Scheerer has sung in several semi-professional ensembles, e.g. in the "Karlsruher Vokalensemble" and he is currently member of the "Malmö Chamber Choir". As a conductor, Jan Scheerer has a broad experience in all styles, both with amateur and with professional ensembles. He has conducted concerts with the vocal group "Ars Nova" and "Malmö Chamber Choir" as well as performances with "Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester" and "Aalborg Symfoniorkester". He is currently conductor for the chamber choir Notabene in Denmark.

Artur Sedzielarz was born in Chrzanów, Poland in 1972. He attended the Secondary Music School in Cracow where he studied clarinet. He attended the Liturgical Institute of Papal Academy in Theology in Cracow and then graduated at the Department of Music Education and Choral Conducting in the Academy of Music in Cracow. He further specialized in Choir Conducting in the same academy. Since 1999 he has his own chamber choir called Quattro Voci, awarded with numerous medals and distinctions, both in Poland and abroad. As a choirmaster he cooperated with the Academic Choir of the Jagiellonian University of Cracow and John Paul The Second Choir in Strumiany. He is also a singer and a cabaret artist.

Katarzyna Smialkowska was born in Nowy Targ, Poland in 1975. She has got a diploma in piano at the School of Music in Nowy Targ, then a honours diploma in choral conducting at the Faculty of Music Education of the Cracow Academy of Music and attended Postgraduate Studies for Choral Conductors at the same academy. She has obtained scholarships and prizes. She has attended several choral conducting courses and seminars in Poland as well as abroad. She has conducted several choral ensembles, among which the Chamber Choir "Elim" of Andrzej Frycs Modrzewski Cracow College, and since 2005 she conducts the choir and instrumental ensemble in Carmel's Monastery in Cracow.