Founded in 2010 by Dr. Brady Allred, the Salt Lake Vocal Artists, are the international ambassadors for the Salt Lake Choral Artists, an organization of seven choral ensembles and over 300 singers. They have won four First Prizes in Tolosa (Spain) and five First Prizes in Arezzo (Italy), and represented the US at the World Choral Symposium in Argentina. Recent concert tours have included Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan for the Karuizawa Festival with Ko Matsushita. They have commissioned over twenty works and collaborated with composers such as Ola Gjeilo, Eriks Esenvalds, Ko Matsushita, György Orbán, Josep Vila, Ivo Antognini, John Høybye and other. Their well-established presence on YouTube has captivated millions of viewers and their CD recordings are available on iTunes.
In the course of twenty years, Cantatrix has developed from a club of singing friends into a mature chamber choir, professionally performing in various concert series every year. Although under the leadership of conductor Geert-Jan van Beijeren Bergen en Henegouwen their sound has matured, it has basically remained unchanged. The secret of the choir: high individual singing abilities combined with the unity and the chemistry in the group.
The results speak for themselves: international tours have taken Cantatrix to concert venues in many countries and have brought growing recognition. England, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Belarus, Finland, and all kinds of prizes at prestigious competitions and festivals. On a number of occasions the choir has even shared the programme with the famous King’s Singers.
Im Laufe von zwanzig Jahren hat sich Cantatrix von einem Singclub unter Freunden zu einem reifen Kammerchor entwickelt, der jedes Jahr eine Reihe von professionellen Aufführungen veranstaltet.
Die musikalische Leistung des Chors wurde in all diesen Jahren unter der professionellen Leitung von Dirigent Geert-Jan van Beijeren Bergen en Henegouwen zwar perfektioniert, an der Basis hat sich jedoch nichts verändert. Und genau hierin liegt das Geheimnis des Chors: hohe individuelle Gesangqualitäten in Kombination mit dem Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl und der richtigen Chemie innerhalb der Gruppe.
Das Resultat lässt sich sehen: Internationale Konzertreisen führten Cantatrix zu Konzertpodien in vielen Ländern und brachten ihm wachsende Anerkennung in England, Deutschland, Italien, Frankreich, Finnland, Polen und Weißrussland ein, wie diverse Preise bei renommierten Wettbewerben und Festivals belegen.
Der 1974 von Roberto de Regina gegründete Coro da Camerata Antiqua de Curitiba wird von der Fundação Cultural de Curitiba, dem Kulturamt Curitibas, getragen. Standen mit dem angegliederten, ebenfalls professionellen Kammerorchester zunächst die großen oratorischen Werke Johann Sebastian Bachs und Georg Friedrich Händels im Mittelpunkt der künstlerischen Arbeit, wurde ab 1982 das Repertoire auf A-cappella-Kompositionen vom gregorianischen Gesang bis zur Gegenwart ausgedehnt. Für Einstudierungen kommen Gastdirigenten aus aller Welt. Roberto de Regina brachte aber auch wichtige heimische Chorwerke zur Aufführung, so zum Beispiel die ‚Cancionero d’ Upsalla‘, mit denen der Chor nicht nur auf Tournee war sondern auch die weltweit erste vollständige Aufnahme realisierte. Zusammen mit dem Sinfonieorchesters São Paulo führte der Chor das ‚Stabat Mater‘ von Antonín Dvořák unter Roberto Minczuk auf, konzertierte mit der Kammerphilharmonie aus Arad (Rumänien), tourte 2007 durch Portugal (u.a. beim 29. Internationalen Musikfestival der Algarve.
Mit großem Erfolg führte der Chor auch mehrere szenische Konzerte auf – So z. B. ‚Die Komödie des Herrn Carlo Goldoni – Kurzgeschichte mit Musik‘. Im Jahre 2009 übernahm Helma Haller den Chor als Hauptdirigentin, unter deren Leitung u. a. das Brahmsrequiem und die „Carmina Burana“ von Carl Orff (letzteres zusammen mit dem Aachener Kammerchor Carmina Mundi) aufgeführt wurden. Seit diesem Jahr steht der Chor unter der Leitung von Maria Antonia Jimenez Rodriguez.
www.fundacaoculturaldecuritiba.com.br/musica/grupos
Founded in 1974, as a result of several of the city’s music festivals, and made up of singers from a solid musical background, the Curitiba Camerata Antiqua Choir is seen as one of the major musical vocal groups in Brazil today. The group has, since the very beginning, been recognised for it’s originality and skill in it’s interpretation of the baroque and renaissance repertoire, both in concerts performed under the baton of founder Roberto de Regina, and those performed a cappella, directed by Gerard Galloway. A combination of contemporary music and world premières of pieces written especially for them has now lent the choir a new and striking characteristic – that of a choir with a vast and eclectic repertoire.
The choir has received several favourable reviews for it’s discography and performances in both Brazil and abroad. Among the most significant international concerts include a tour of five German cities with the Arad Philhamonic Chamber Orchestra (Romania) in 2006 and a tour of Portugal in 2007, performing a programme of a cappella repertoire alongside concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of Póvoa do Varzim. They participated in concerts at the 8th World Symposium on Choral Music in Denmark in 2008, and also at the 18th Festival Corale Internazionale – La Fabbrica del Canto in Italy in 2009.
The choir has proven it’s versatility more recently by presenting new semi-staged programmes such as A Comédia do Senhor Carlo Goldoni – Crônica com Música (The Comedy of Mr Carlo Goldoni – Chronicals with Music) under the baton of Wagner Polistchuk and scenic direction of Roberto Innocente, with special guest actor Luís Melo. Other important programmes include both the Cores do Brasil (Brazilian Colours) and Lamejos da Música Sacra no Brasil (Flashes of Brazilian Sacred Music) under the baton and general directorship of Helma Haller and scenic director Jacqueline Daher.
Wagner Polistchuck became the artistic director of the choir between 2009 and 2011, with Helma Haller as principle conductor, and Neyde Thomas as vocal coach from 1992 to 2011. From 2013 onwards the choir will be under the artistic directorship and baton of Maria Antonia Jimenez.
www.fundacaoculturaldecuritiba.com.br/musica/grupos
The Sirenot (Sirens) Ensemble was formed in 2000 by Shosh Lagil and she has conducted it ever since.
The relatively small number of singers and the diverse repertoire allow Lagil to maintain every member’s unique voice. Movement and acting have also become part of the artistic interpretation. Lagil encourages personal involvement on every singer’s part whilst developing the ensemble into a “polyphonic entity” so that it finally becomes a potent inner force, a rich combination of true diversity and vitality.
The outstanding repertoire characterizing the Sirenot Ensemble is an example of how relevant music has become today. It is an inseparable part of the vivid, sizzling culture in Israel. The ensemble’s programme “You have Turned My Eulogy into Dance” involves verse from the holy Jewish scripture especially composed for the ensemble. “Hanoch Levin – The Concert” is where theatre meets the classical world, accompanied by music taken from H. Levin’s plays and rearranged for the ensemble in a fascinating manner. Monteverdi, Brahms, Schubert, Elgar, Debussy and even Edith Piaf were not forgotten.
The finest Israeli composers continue their ongoing dialogue with the ensemble, writing especially for its performances. J. Bardanashvili, P. Eliyahu, E. Bat, A. Poznansky and Y. Ben Nun are just a few of the composers who collaborated with the ensemble. Shosh Lagil values Israeli art and its creativity is of the utmost importance to her. The Ensemble allows the rich and diverse Israeli artwork a well deserved place on stage, exposing it to audiences in Israel and abroad.
The Sirenot Ensemble has performed in festivals and concerts in Israel as well as throughout the world, achieving enthusiastic critique and resounding response. The ensemble received invitations for future performances. Warm, friendly musical relationships have also been formed.
The Ensemble and its conductor have recently been awarded the Minister of Culture’s Odon Pártos Award for best performance of an Israeli work of art. The award-winning piece composed by Josef Bardanashvili and commissioned especially by the ensemble is entitled: “And the Notebook is Still Open”. It is based upon verse from the Book of Proverbs and cites Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers). The dramatic scene on stage is a protest against the moral decay and decline in our society today.
The Sirenot Ensemble released its first CD, supported by the Zfunot Tarbut NGO (for art and artists in Israel). The ensemble is also supported by the Culture Department within the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts, Mifaal Hapais and the Raanana Municipal Authority.
Das von seiner jetzigen Leiterin Shosh Lagil 2000 gegründete “Sirenot Ensemble” (Sirenen) repräsentiert die junge impulsive und brodelnde Kultur Israels. Durch die kleine Zahl von Sängerinnen und eine besondere Repertoire-Auswahl ist es Shosh Lagil möglich, aus der Eigen- und Einzigartigkeit jeder Stimme jenes polyphone (Klang-)Gebilde zu formen, das eine kraftvolle innere Stärke ebenso ermöglicht, wie die reiche Verbindung von Vielfältigkeit und Vitalität. So treten auch Bewegung und Schauspiel zur künstlerischen Interpretation hinzu.
Gekrönt werden die sehr differenzierten Programme (zur Heiligen Schrift genauso wie zur Klassischen Antike bis hin zu Theaterprogrammen) durch die besten israelischen Komponisten. Das Ensemble steht im steten Austausch mit Komponisten und lässt speziell für seine Auftritte von Komponisten wie P. Eliyahu, E. Bat, A. Poznansky, Y. Ben Nun und Josef Bardanashvili schreiben. Für die Interpretation des “And the Notebook is Still Open” von Josef Bardanashvili gewann das Ensemble den Minister of Culture’s Odon Pártos Award.
Das Sirenot Ensemble ist bei Festivals und Konzerten in Israel und genauso quer durch die Welt aufgetreten. Es bekam enthusiastische Kritiken und nachhaltigen Zuspruch. Das Ensemble erhielt viele Wiedereinladungen. Warmherzige und freundschaftliche musikalische Beziehungen wurden ebenfalls aufgebaut.
Die Grupo de Canto Coral (GCC) wurde 1973 durch ihren heutigen künstlerischen Direktor, Néstor Andrenacci gegründet. Der Kammerchor widmet sich der Aufführung von Chormusik aus verschiedenen, auch zeitgenössischen Epochen. Einige Werke in ihrem Repertoire wurden spezifisch für die Gruppe komponiert. Der Chor ist in den meisten wichtigen Veranstaltungsorten Argentiniens aufgetreten, in mehreren Ländern Süd- und Mittelamerikas sowie in Europa. Die GCC wurde für ihre Aufführungen in Argentinien und im Ausland mehrfach mit Preisen ausgezeichnet, darunter Der Preis für die beste Aufführung eines neuen Werkes beim 1. Internationalen Kammerchor-Wettbewerb Marktoberdorf 1989. GCC empfing auch den Preis für die beste Vokalkammergruppe 1999 von dem Verband der argentinischen Musikkritiker und den Konex-Preis für Chormusik 2009. 2002 nahm GCC an Musica Sacra International mit einem Programm von Weihnachtsliedern aus der barocken Zeit der Südamerikanischen Länder teil. Zusätzlich zu den Konzerttätigkeiten hat GCC über die Jahre eine Reihe anderer Chormusikprojekte ins Leben gerufen, darunter zahlreiche Workshops zu den Themen Chordirigieren und Repertoire mit Dozenten, Chorleitern, Komponisten Arrangeuren, Sängern und Instrumentalisten aus ganz Argentinien und den Nachbarländern.
Directed since 1973 by its founder Néstor Andrenacci, GCC-Grupo de Canto Coral is a chamber choir dedicated to all types of choral music, including contemporary compositions, some written specially for the group. It has performed in the most important venues in its native Argentina, as well as in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. GCC has been awarded a number of prizes for performances in Argentina and abroad. The group has made ten very fine recordings: Argentine choral music and colonial music of Hispanic America for example and also „Un Réquiem Alemán“ (“A German Requiem”) by Johannes Brahms (London Version).
In April 2009, with the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe, the group performed the Argentine première of Hector Berlioz’s “Lelio,” Op. 14b. Since 1987, GCC has been a regular performer in concert series presented by the Bach Academy of Buenos Aires.
The choir has been at the forefront of Icelandic musical life for four decades. Founded in 1967 by its present conductor, Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir, it was among the first college choirs in Iceland, and has maintained its leading position ever since. The choir, made up of students at Hamrahlíð College in Reykjavík, is an educational institution in its own right. More than 2,000 Icelandic teenagers have come into contact with classical music through the Hamrahlíð choral experience. Many of these have had no prior musical training, but through diligent practice they have gone on to participate in music-making of the highest quality, from new Icelandic compositions to the choral masterworks of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.
The Hamrahlíð Choir has been a breeding ground for many of Iceland’s leading singers, instrumentalists, and composers. Among the many musicians who are former members of the choir are singer/songwriter Björk Guðmundsdóttir, composer Haukur Tómasson (Nordic Council Music Prize 2004) and bass Kristinn Sigmundsson. In 1982, a choir made up of former students at Hamrahlíð College was founded and immediately established itself as one of Iceland’s leading choral ensembles.
Although the Hamrahlíð Choir is primarily devoted to musical education, it has from the very beginning been dedicated to giving performances of the highest quality. The choir sings with a pure, flexible, well-blended sound, and it performs with exuberance and a youthful sense of discovery. Critics throughout the world have praised its accurate intonation, clear diction, and the high level of enthusiasm and commitment that are among the hallmarks of the choir’s music-making.
Throughout its history, the choir has collaborated closely with Icelandic composers. Over 90 works have been composed especially for the choir, including works by virtually all of Iceland’s leading composers. Apart from its close association with native composers, the choir has collaborated with foreign artists such as Arvo Pärt, John Cage, and Vagn Holmboe in the first Icelandic performances of their works. Arvo Pärt was so impressed with the choir’s performance of his „Te Deum“ in 1998 that he composed a choral work dedicated to Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir, „…which was the son of…“, which was premièred in 2000.
With its dedication, passion, and spirit, the Hamrahlíð Choir has touched audiences around the world. The Choir has travelled to 23 countries and has performed at many of the world’s leading choral festivals to great acclaim, introducing audiences around the world to the rich legacy of Icelandic choral music.