Ananda Puijk wurde an der Kleinen Akademie in Brüssel in Bewegungstheater – basiert auf den Ideen von Jacques Lecoq (Paris) – ausgebildet. Entscheidende Impulse für ihre künstlerische Arbeit bekam sie weiterhin vom Puppentheater „‘t Magisch Theatertje“ in Maastricht. Seit 2005 verbindet sie die Disziplin des Bewegungstheaters mit der des Puppenspiels.
Ananda Puijk graduated in 2003 at „De Kleine Academie in Brussels“, the Academy for Physical Theatre based on the ideas of Jacques Lecoq from Paris, France.
Growing up within the walls of ‘T Magisch Theatertje in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Ananda Puijk is on a quest to develop her own style in which she combines the ideas of Jacques Lecoq’s Physical Theatre together with the discipline of ‘T Magisch Theatertje, puppetry. In her quest she is creating her own means of theatrical communication, trying to morph both disciplines into one.
Dr. Brady Allred ist Professor für Musik und Direktor für Chorleitung an der Universität von Utah. Außerdem leitete er das Butler Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania, den Bach Choir of Pittsburgh und die Chorabteilung der Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Als Juror internationaler Chorwettbewerbe wirkte er in Österreich, Belgien, Frankreich, Deutschland, Irland, Slowenien, Spanien, Brasilien, Indonesien, Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia und Thailand. Dr. Allred erwarb seinen Master of Music und den Doctor of Musical Arts in Dirigieren an der Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Brady Allred was Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Utah. He was also the Music Director and Conductor for the Butler Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania, Director of Choral Activities at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. He has served on international juries for competitions in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. Dr. Allred earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting degrees from the Eastman School of Music, and his undergraduate degree in Theory/Composition and Flute Performance from Brigham Young University.
Geert-Jan van Beijeren Bergen en Henegouwen studierte am Konservatorium in Groningen und war Dirigent mehrerer Amateurchöre und Jurymitglied bei Chorfestivals. Sein großes Talent fiel auf, als er im Jahr 2005 als einziger Niederländer an der Eric Ericson Masterclass mit den Professoren Simon Halsey und André Thomas teilnehmen durfte. Daraus folgte, dass er in der Saison 2006-2007 als Dirigentenassistent des Groot Omroepkoor angestellt wurde. Seitdem wird er von diesem Chor, wie auch von anderen professionellen Chören regelmäßig als Gastdirigent engagiert. In 2009 war er mit Cantatrix sehr erfolgreich und gewann mit diesem Ensemble den Concours „Seghizzi“ in Gorizia(Italien). Geert-Jan gewann dort den 1. Preis in der Kategorie „Dirigent des Wettbewerbs“.
Geert-Jan van Beijeren Bergen en Henegouwen graduated of the Groningen conservatory, was director of various amateur choirs and adjudicator at choral festivals. His great talents were recognised when he was the only Dutch conductor admitted to the 2005 edition of the prestigious Eric Ericson Masterclass, taught by Simon Halsey and André Thomas. For his performance he was appointed assistant conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir in the 2006-2007 season. He has since been asked regularly to guest conduct this choir, as well as other professional vocal ensembles. In 2009 Geert-Jan won several prizes with his ensemble Cantatrix. He won the 1st prize as the best conductor of the prestigious competition „Seghizzi“ at Gorizia, Italy.
Peter Dejans (*1964) studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Lemmens Institute in Leuven under Erik Van Nevel. He also took master classes under Frieder Bernius. Since 1996 he has served as Director of the Orpheus Institute (Ghent), which organises postgraduate studies as well as a doctoral programme for musicians. During his studies in Law at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Peter Dejans conducted the Leuven University Choir (LUK) and in 1989 he founded the chamber choir Musa Horti. From 1995 until 1997 he conducted the Cappella Antwerpen and in 1998 he co-founded the KU Leuven staff choir, Capella Academica. From 1999 until 2009, he conducted the Cappella Concinite. Peter Dejans is regularly invited as guest conductor of the Flemish Radio Choir (VRK).
The American conductor Kazem Abdullah is the new musical director of the City of Aachen. His predecessors in this long established post include Fritz Busch, Herbert von Karajan, and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
Born in Indiana, Kazem Abdullah began studying music at the age of ten. He graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, with a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet. He then studied at the University of Southern California before joining The New World Symphony as a clarinetist under Michael Tilson Thomas for two seasons, after which he continued his musical studies at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Kazem Abdullah served as Assistant Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, a three-year post to which he was appointed by Music Director James Levine. In addition to Levine, while at the Met he worked with conductors such as Louis Langree, Kirill Petrenko, Lorin Maazel, and Fabio Luisi. He received the prestigious Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award award in 2010 and again in 2015.
In his first season in Aachen, Kazem conducted four productions: Carmen, Hänsel und Gretel, Simon Boccanegra, and Die Zauberflöte. In addition to his many duties in Aachen, Kazem also made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in May 2013.
Der US-amerikanische Dirigent Kazem Abdullah ist neuer Generalmusikdirektor der Stadt Aachen. Er begann seine musikalische Laufbahn als Klarinettist, wechselte dann zum Dirigieren. U.a. Metropolitan Opera in New York, Mexico City Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Orquestra de São Paulo, Théâtre du Châtelet de Paris, Staatskapelle Weimar, Finnish Radio Orchestra, die Helsinki Philharmoniker und das Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. www.kazemabdullah.com
Néstor Andrenacci has been a director, teacher and singer since 1973. In addition to GCC-Grupo de Canto Coral, he directs the Choir of the Argentine National Bank, Trilce (the choir of the General Director of Books and the Promotion of Reading for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires), the Cantoría del Socorro and the Francisco Guerrero Madrigal Group. He co-directs the Buenos Aires Orfeón. He was Chair of the Department of Choral Direction in the College of Arts and Musical Sciences at the Catholic University of Argentina from 1989 to 2010. He has given concerts in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.
He also regularly works as a Guest Director, teaches courses, gives workshops and serves on panels of judges in Argentina and abroad. In 1999 and again in 2009 he received the Konex Certificate of Merit for Choral Direction.www.gcc.org.ar/