Ingenium Ensemble (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Ingenium Ensemble is a vocal ensemble of six singers from Ljubljana (Slovenia). The group was founded in 2009. In May 2014 they received the most extra prizes of the International A Cappella Competition in Leipzig – the audience award and the special award (presented by the host group Amarcord) for best unamplified a cappella group and the best performed unamplified song. In August 2014 they won the vocal group category and the renaissance category and got two first prizes in the international competition Polifonico in Arezzo (Italy). They also received the highest score of the entire competition. In November 2014 they won both, the secular and profane category and also received the public award in prestigious international choral competition in Tolosa (Spain). In 2014 they released their first musical album “Ingenium”. In January 2015 Ingenium Ensemble received the Golden Emblem for outstanding achievements in vocal music by JSKD (Public Fund of Slovenia for Cultural Activities). The ensemble mostly performs madrigals and motets from renaissance period, arrangements of Slovenian folksongs and new contemporary pieces composed by the young Slovenian authors. The main purpose of the ensemble is presenting rarely performed or even unknown masterpieces, promoting the young composers and growing in quality of the sound and performance itself. The Ingenium Ensemble singers are: Ema Pavlič (soprano), Petra Frece Šilak (mezzo-soprano), Blaž Strmole (tenor), Domen Anžlovar (tenor), Matjaž Strmole (baritone) and Ambrož Rener (bass).
Choir Giuseppe Verdi (Parma, Italy)
The Corale Verdi di Parma was founded in 1905 four years after the great Maestro’s death on the initiative of Maestro Eraclio Gerbella who formed an initial all-male choral nucleus based in Oltretorrente, near the house where Arturo Toscanini was born. Since then, it has done nothing but preserve and reinforce the great Verdi musical and operatic heritage that has made it famous in Italy and abroad, making it achieve prestigious goals in the concert and opera fields. The Giuseppe Verdi Chorale has toured all over the world, participated in important opera productions, and received flattering praise everywhere, starting with the most distant, but most coveted of all: that of Maestro Arturo Toscanini.
Emilia-Romagna Youth Choir (Bologna, Italy)
The Coro Giovanile dell’Emilia-Romagna (Emilia-Romagna Youth Choir) established in February 2017 by the will of A.E.R.CO., is composed of singers from the region aged between 18 and 35. One of the main objectives of the project is to become a valid example for the region’s choirs: an emblem of quality, commitment, responsibility and a pole for the enhancement of internal resources. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, rehearsals are structured in monthly study days in which the singers, with considerable commitment, drive and enthusiasm, meet in the region’s capital city of Bologna. The repertoire embraces several styles with the intention of capturing the different sensitivities of those involved in a context of mutual respect and listening. The choir has performed at the AERCO Regional Assemblies in Parma, Rimini and Ferrara, at the prestigious ‘CantaBO’ Choral Festival, at the ‘Roffi’ Review, at the ‘Gaudeamus in Musica’ festival, at the ‘Fiumi di Voci’ and ‘Voci nei Chiostri’ festivals. In 2021 it was also a workshop choir in the masterclass held in Parma by Maestro John Rutter. In 2022, he was selected to participate in the ‘Voci d’Italia’ choral competition. In the same year it was commissioned to perform the finalist pieces of the ‘Pier Paolo Pasolini’ Composition Competition organised by the ‘G. e A. Giovannini’ Foundation of Reggio Emilia. Recently, the choir performed a concert tour in Malta. Numerous musical encounters have also been organised with youth choirs in the region, both Italian and international. Deciding to be part of an experience such as the Regional Youth Choir means discovering new repertoires and meeting other young people with whom you can share your efforts and satisfaction. This path not only enriches the youngsters but also their home choirs. The young people, who nevertheless continue their normal choral activity, are spurred on to share this experience with the conductors of their choirs with a view to the overall growth of the movement and an ever-closer network of collaborations between choirs. Last but not least, the choir is part of a context of youth choirs that goes beyond Emilia-Romagna and gives the opportunity to reach the World Youth Choir through the Italian Youth Choir and the European Youth Choir. The selection of singers for the Regional Youth Choir takes place through auditions, which are carried out regularly. Requirements for applying are to be under 35 years of age and preferably resident in the region. An exception is made for those temporarily residing in Emilia-Romagna for study purposes. The choir is currently directed by Maestro Daniele Sconosciuto. Previous directors of the CGER were Silvia Biasini from Cesena and Ilaria Cavalca from Gattatico (RE). The selection of singers for the Regional Youth Choir takes place through auditions, which are carried out regularly. Requirements for applying are to be under 35 years of age and preferably resident in the region. An exception is made for those who temporarily reside in Emilia-Romagna for study reasons.
Coro a Voci Bianche: Giovani Voci di Bassano (Bassano del Grappa, Italy)
The choir Giovani Voci Bassano was founded in 1990 with a twofold purpose: to animate the liturgy in the parish of S. Vito and to develop and promote choral education among young people. It currently consists of children and young people aged between about 8 and 20 years old, and its repertoire includes sacred, secular and folk-inspired polyphonic pieces. In November 2005, it released its first CD ‘Gloria, Alleluja!’. He has numerous concerts to his credit. In the summer of 2019, it toured extensively in St Petersburg (Russia) and Finland, where it received enthusiastic praise. The ensemble travelled to the Czech Republic, to the ‘eternal city’ in October 2005, and in the spring of 2009 and 2015 they carried out a cultural exchange with the Augustana Chor in Germany in the city of Augsburg, gaining plaudits and acclaim. In September 2016, he performed a long singing tour in Campania (Salerno, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum, Amalfi Coast) and in Rome with the project ‘Around the World’, gaining considerable success. At the 2017 National Choral Competition “Il Garda in coro” he won 3rd place in the Youth category and the special prize for the best choreography and stage movements. In May 2018 he wins the First Prize in the category of popular inspired songs at the 52nd National Choral Competition of Vittorio Veneto and the Special Prize “Best Veneto Choir” present at the Competition. In October 2021 it achieved a brilliant second place at the 12th National Polyphonic Choral Competition of Lake Maggiore with a score of 92.80, the second highest in the entire competition, and in May 2022 it won 2nd place at the 55th National Choral Competition of Vittorio Veneto. It has also collaborated as a children’s choir with “Opera Estate Festival Veneto” in the staging of several operas in which the inclusion of this choral formation is envisaged and has participated in the staging of two operas in their national premieres by Maestro Pierangelo Valtinoni: Regina delle Nevi (2011 – 2019) and Il Mago di Oz (2017). Since October 2004 it has been organising, in collaboration with the Department of Culture, CANTICORO – Choral Music in Bassano, an event that annually hosts a number of choral ensembles operating in the area, alongside important international guests. It also collaborates, from an organisational point of view and for over 10 years, in the organisation of the National Choral Meeting for children’s voices and youth choirs promoted in Bassano by ASAC Veneto. For its qualified and appreciated educational, social, artistic and cultural activities, it received the prestigious S. Bassiano Prize 2019. Since its foundation, the group has been directed by Cinzia Zanon.
Ensemble Gregoriano: Schola Gregoriana Ecce (Bologna, Italia)
Recently formed, the Schola Gregoriana Ecce consists of both male and female groups and is dedicated to the study of Gregorian Chant in line with the semiological revision undertaken by E. Cardine onwards. Meetings are usually monthly, on Sundays, in a city in Emilia-Romagna. Since 2021, it has participated in the Interreligious Choir Festival Spiritus in Bologna, the Open Rehearsals season promoted by the Musical Chapel of Modena Cathedral, the Ferrara Organ Festival for a recital together with Maestro Wladimir Matesic, the Festival Voci nei Chiostri, the Ferrara Conservatory celebrations for the Frescobaldian anniversary and is a workshop choir for the courses of the AERCO Gregorian Chant School. You can register to book an audition at the link https://www.aerco.academy/avada_portfolio/schola-gregoriana-ecce
Director in charge is Maestro Luca Buzzavi
Coro da Camera: En Kör (Stockholm, Sweden)
En Kör is an award-winning vocal ensemble with 12 singers based in Stockholm. The choir was founded in the autumn of 2016 with the aim of singing complex choral music in a small ensemble and engaging all singers in the entire musical process. The choir’s vision is to create music at a high level and to spread choral singing to a wide audience. The whole group is involved in the musical work. The interpretations of the music are developed collectively during rehearsals. The choir has 2-4 concerts per year. In addition to that, we are happy to record music, sing at parties and events, and travel together. In 2022, En Kör participated in the choral competition Concorso Polifonico Internazionale Guido D’Arezzo in Arezzo, Italy. There, we won all the categories we competed in, as well as the Grand Prix, something we are very proud of! Prior to that, in 2019, the choir competed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in the choir competition Adriatic Pearl where we won the categories “B1 – Mixed choirs” and “S – Musica Sacra”.
