Finalists

Finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

Jerica Bukovec

Jerica Bukovec studied in the Music Academy of Ljubljana University which she successfully concluded in 2003. She continued her studies in Malmö, Sweden under Dan-Olof Stenlund and after one year of studies abroad she continued her studies in the Royal Academy of music in Stockholm where she studies choir conducting in Anders Eby’s class. She actively attended various seminars both at home and abroad and was chosen to perform at all the concluding events.
She has been very active in Slovenia and now she conducts two choirs in Stockholm, Täby kammarkör and KFUM choir which is one of the oldest choirs in Stockholm. She is working also with 16 professional singers at school. She won the special scholarship of Kungliga Musikaliska Akademin in Stockholm in the category of choir and orchestra conductors twice.

Maja Cilenšek (special section)

Maja Cilenšek (special section) graduated at the Department of Musical Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. She takes part in Slovenian and foreign seminars for choir music, gives lectures herself and leads workshops regarding children choir conducting in seminars in Slovenia. As conductor’s assistant she has been collaborating with Academic choir of the University of Primorska and Mixed choir Obala Koper.
In 2000 she founded The Children`s Choir of the Music School Koper, which she still conducts. During its seven years of activity the choir won a number of awards at national and international competitions. At present she teaches music theory and solfeggio at the Music School and at the Faculty of Education in Koper.

Lorenzo Donati (both sections)

Lorenzo Donati (both sections) composer, conductor and violinist, studied in Arezzo and Florence, following advanced courses in Composition at the Scuola di Musica in Fiesole, and at the Accademia Chigiana of Siena. In a course organised by the Guido d'Arezzo Foundation and with support from the European Community he successfully gained his diploma after three years of professional training as a conductor. He gives many concerts conducting Insieme Vocale Vox Cordis, Arezzo, and id conductor and singer of Hesperimenta Vocal Ensemble. He has achieved excellent results with these groups in national and international competitions. Particulary appreciated as vocal music composer, his works are executed and published at international level and have received prizes.
Donati has received prizes in Arezzo, Gorizia, Rome, Avellino. He collaborates with a number of international cultural institutions and is invited to hold seminars as an expert on vocal music and as juror in composition and choral music competitions.

Marta Jakubiec

Marta Jakubiec, graduate of the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland, obtained a Master degree in choir conducting (2000). She broadened her knowledge on courses led by Peter Erdei, Uwe Gronostay and Gary Graden. She was qualified into the final stage of two competitions for choral conductors: under the auspices of BBC Singers in London (May 2002) and Mariele Ventre Foundation in Bologna (October 2003). Mentioned courses and competitions gave her the opportunity to rehearse and perform with choirs: BBC Singers, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Debrecen Chamber Choir. At present she works as the conductor of the students’ choir of Warsaw School of Economics. She also conducts her own St. Cecilia Chamber Choir, a group specialising in performing contemporary music.

Esko Kallio

Esko Kallio Esko Kallio has graduated from the Sibelius Academy with choir conducting as his main subject. He has also taken part in masterclasses in Finland and abroad.Among other groups he has worked with the Finnish Radio Choir, the Helsinki Chamber Choir and the BBC Singers. He is currently the artistic director of the Finnish Choral Institute and three Helsinki-based choirs. Kallio has commissioned and given first performances of several hours of new choral music. He was awarded the conductor´s prize at the Madetoja male choir competition in 2000 and the International Tampere Chorus Review in 2003.

Luigi Leo (special section)

Luigi Leo (special section) gained his diplomas in Piano and Choral Conducting at the Bari and Monopoli Conservatoires. He is the conductor of "Modus Novus" choir. In 1999 he also founded the Corato "Juvenes Cantores" Treble Voices Choir, which he conducted in the prestigious Sala Scarlatti, in Naples "S.Pietro a Maiella" Conservatoire in the occasion of the international festival "Venite Pastores" and, which qualified forth at the 53^rd edition of the "Guido D'Arezzo" International Polyphonic Competition in 2005. The Choir gained the Diploma of Honor at TIM (International Music Tounament) and in the same year they were admitted to the European semifinal in Rome, where they qualified third. He is the conductor of Treble Voices Choir "N.Rota" Conservatoire in Monopoli. Furthermore, he teaches in many schools and trains teachers at every level of school education.

Krastin Nastev (special section)

Krastin Nastev (special section) was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He began his music education in Plovdiv boys choir and then competed his studies at the “Dobrin Petkov” National School of Music as oboe player. He studied choir conducting with Krikor Chetinian for two years at the Plovdiv Academy of dance and fine arts, then went to Sofia to work with Miroslav Popsavov in the National Academy of Music. He gained a Master Degree in Choral and Orchestral conducting. He is secretary for Bulgaria of European Federation of choirs of the Union. Since 2005 Nastev is choirmaster in Opera and Philharmony society – Plovdiv and conductor of Plovdiv boys’ and man’s choir “ Stefka Blagoeva”.

Steffen Schreyer

Steffen Schreyer, after his diploma in church music and organ at the University College of Music in Munich (Germany) he went to Stockholm (Sweden) for his post-gradual studies on choir conducting with Anders Eby. Together with his diploma he was honoured by the very seldom given “belöningsjeton” – the medal of the Musical Academy of Sweden for outstanding merits, which was awarded to a conductor for the first time ever. He has freelanced as a conductor, e.g. with several Radio Choirs, held international masterclasses and workshops.
Steffen Schreyer held a professor’s chair in choir conducting at the Catholic College of Church Music St. Gregorius in Aachen (Germany). Since 2001 he has also been the leader of the children’s choir “Kinderchor St. Gregorius Aachen”. In 2006 he founded a professional choir, “The European Vocal Soloists”.

Sebastian Vrhovnik

Sebastian Vrhovnik graduated at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. Currently he studies coral conducting (under Johannes Prinz) at Graz University of Music and Dramatic Arts. Since October 2006 he is an assistant for choir conducting at Academy of Music in Ljubljana.
Till September 2006 he was conducting mixed choir Cantemus from Kamnik. Under his leadership, the choir has achieved the awards at the National and International Choral Competitions, which places this ensemble on the top of Slovene musical re-creation.
Since 2003 he conducts Teachers choir Emil Adamič, which takes care of permanent music teachers’ education of all Slovene music teachers beside musical re-creation and cooperates with vocal group Ad libitum as artistic leader.

Takuya Yokoyama

Takuya Yokoyama, born in Sapporo, Japan, holds a degree in Linguistics from Faculty of Letters, Keio University in Tokyo with his thesis on “Correlation between Sound and Meanings in Different Languages.” Studied piano under H. Nakayama has won prizes at many national competitions which include a concert opportunity in Europe. As a choral conductor, he has been studying Conducting under M. Takahashi. He has been singing as well as being an Assistant Conductor in Coro Kallos of M. Fumiaki Kuriyama that won the Grand Prix at the 7^th European Grand Prix in Arezzo. Currently the Conductor of Female Choir Mokuseikai and Sumidagawa Choir, Assistant Conductor of Coro Kallos and 3 other choirs, Ensemble Trainer of 4 choirs, Rehearsal Conductor at Beethoven: Symphony No.9 Concert with 5000 Singers in Sumida.

Viacheslav Zaharov (both sections)

Viacheslav Zaharov (both sections), born in Minsk, Byelorussia, completed his studies at the State M.I.Glinka Music College in 1996 with Golden Diploma and at the State Academy of Music in Minsk in 2001. He continues his education from 2003 at the Academy of Music Detmold (Germany) at the faculty of orchestra conducting. He has attended master courses by Thomaskantor Mr G.C. Biller and by Chief Conductor of SWR Symphony Orchestra Mr. Sylvain Camberling.
This year saw him as a laureate of the 4^th International Competition for Young Choral Conductors in memoriam Zoltan Kodaly in Budapest, Hungary, where he was awarded with Second Prize and Special Prize for the authentic performance of the piece Molnar Anna by Zoltan Kodaly.

Michael Zaugg

Michael Zaugg, Swiss-native choir conductor living in Canada, has conducted internationally acclaimed groups throughout Europe and North America. Since moving to Montreal, Canada in 2004, he is Artistic Director of the renowned Cantata Singers of Ottawa and of Voces Boreales, a vocal ensemble specialized in contemporary a cappella music. Founded by Michael Zaugg in 2006, Voces Boreales has already received numerous invitations for its 2^nd season, including an appearance in the National Arts Centre Contemporary Music Series. As Chorus Master, he is preparing groups for performances under Kent Nagano, Franz-Paul Decker, Paavo Järvi and Trevor Pinnock with several of Canada’s finest orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.