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.
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“.
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).
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
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.
Néstor Andrenacci arbeitet seit 1971 als Direktor, Dozent für Chordirigieren und Sänger. Neben dem GCC-Grupo de Canto Coral dirigiert er den Chor der Argentinischen Nationalbank, Trilce, den Cantoría del Socorro und die Francisco Guerrero Madrigalgruppe. Er ist Co-Direktor des Buenos Aires Orfeón. Von 1989 bis 2010 war er Vorsitzender der Abteilung für Chordirigieren der Hochschule für Kunst und Musikwissenschaften der katholischen Universität Argentiniens. www.gcc.org.ar
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/
After finishing his studies in Aachen, Düsseldorf and Essen, employments as cantor in Nettetal and as associate lecturer at the college for church music St. Gregorius in Aachen, Berthold Botzet has been serving as bandmaster of Aachen Cathedral since the year 2000. In this position he holds overall responsibility over the vocal and instrumental parts of the music of Aachen Cathedral. His principal task is the direction of the famous choir of Aachen Cathedral and the vocal training of the cathedral´s boys’ choir. Additionally he is directing the vocal ensemble at Aachen Cathedral. He recommended the establishment of a girls’ choir at Aachen Cathedral in 2011 and was in charge of the music in the choir´s initial stages. Berthold Botzet also taught at the seminary of Aachen Cathedral for 10 years. He is a member of the commission for church music of the bishopric of Aachen and representative of the bishopric in the national organization of the “Pueri Cantores” Germany.
Berthold Botzet ist seit dem Jahre 2000 Domkapellmeister am Hohen Dom zu Aachen und somit für den vokalen und instrumentalen Bereich der Dommusik gesamtverantwortlich. Dazu zählt insbesondere die Leitung des traditionsreichen Aachener Domchores und des noch jungen Vokalensembles am Aachener Dom.
Nicolas Fink from Bernese graduated from the Music Academy Lucerne (Switzerland) where he completed studies as choral conductor, singer, and accompanist. In 2005, he took part in the 3rd Eric Ericson Masterclass in Haarlem (the Netherlands), led by conductor Simon Halsey, who has since been his most important mentor. In 2006, he was a conducting fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center in the United States, with Bernard Haitink and James Levine. In 2008, Nicolas Fink gained new inspiration from Erwin Ortner at the World Symposium on Choral Music held in Copenhagen (Denmark).
Since 2010 he has been permanent assistant conductor at the Berlin Radio Choir, since 2012 he has been artistic director of KorVest – Bergen Vocal Ensemble in Norway. Furthermore, he has also worked in various productions with the radio choirs of the Stuttgart SWR, MDR and the Hamburg NDR, the Groot Omroepkoor Hilversum (in the Netherlands), as well as the Chœur de Radio France in Paris. In Switzerland, he has continued his association with the Leonardo Ensemble.