Ralf Eisenbeiß was born in 1952 in Zeulenroda. After his secondary school examination he studied pedagogy, German philology and musical education. He received his PhD in 1979 at the Pedagogical University of Zwickau. From 1978 to 1981, he studied choir and orchestra conducting at the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Weimar.

Ralf Eisenbeiß was working as the director of the choral department at the Pedagogical University in Zwickau and appointed professor for choir conducting and choral singing in 1987. He was conductor of the renowned Pedagogical University Zwickau Choir. With his choir he performed a wide repertoire of compositions for a cappella choirs and with orchestra, too. Under his direction the choir won numerous prizes at national and international choir competitions.

Ralf Eisenbeiß was lecturer at the central seminar for choral conductors in Berlin and organized numerous workshops himself. He often appears as guest conductor at home and abroad. Since almost 30 years he works as artistic director of INTERKULTUR. Ralf Eisenbeiß is founder of the Int. Robert Schumann Choir Competition in Zwickau and one of the founders of the World Choir Games. Since 1992 he was responsible for more than 150 international competitions of INTERKULTUR in Germany, Italy, Korea, Indonesia, China, Austria, Spain, USA and other countries. Ralf Eisenbeiß is very often invited as a juror in national and other international choir competitions all over the world.

Johan Rooze studied Piano and Conducting at the Utrecht Conservatory, the Netherlands. Later he went to the U.S. to specialize in Jazz Piano, Singing and Arranging.

He was founder and 23 years Musical Director of the Utrecht University Vocal Group “Dekoor”. They won many prices such as The Dutch Choir Festival, The International Vocal Group Festival and the “Idols for choir” TV show, “Korenslag” 2007 in the Netherlands. He was Conductor of the Utrecht Student Symphonic Choir and Orchestra. With these choirs he toured all over the world. Johan Rooze founded the “Dudok-Ensemble”, an outstanding Project Choir, conducted the monthly Bach Cantatas in Utrecht and was guest conductor with the National Radio Choir.

Furthermore he was Professor for Vocal Jazz, Conducting and Arranging at the Conservatories of Rotterdam and Alkmaar, a member of the board of Musical Advisors for the Dutch Royal Christian Music Association and Artistic Director for the International Choir Festival, Netherlands 2005.

In 2008 he moved to South Korea and teaches Choral Music and Jazz Piano at the Yeongnam University. He is musical director of a new Jazz Choir (Yaenoeul Jazz Singers) and in 2010 he founded the professional Daegu Students Choir. He is a frequent guest conductor with other choirs. Besides his choral work he is very active as a Jazz Pianist and Arranger. He works as Artistic Director for INTERKULTUR and is a frequently asked adjudicator, speaker and workshop-leader internationally.

Fred Sjöberg, born 1953, is an educated singer and choral conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and Örebro. Among others he has studied with Prof. Solwig Grippe, Prof. Eric Ericson and Prof. Helmuth Rilling. He has been the first conductor to conduct the three major international youth choirs as World Youth Choir (1991 and 2005), World Chamber Choir (1993) and European Youth Choir (1999).

When the Swedish organization for young choirs “UngiKör” started he was elected as their first president. In 2000 he was appointed as the “Conductor of the Year” in Sweden by SCDA (Swedish Choral Directors Association) appointed with the Johannes Norrby Medallion for outstanding and 2001 service and development to the Swedish Choral Life. From 1997 to 2004 he was the Music Director and conductor of the project “Notes for Millions”.

From 2000 to 2004 he was also Music Director of the Swedish Choral Centre as well as Artistic Director for Lund International Choral Festival from 2005 to 2006. Since 2009 he is Music Director of Swedish International Choral Centre in Örebro. Fred Sjöberg has been Vice President of Europa Cantat as well as President of the Music Commission of Europa Cantat and has also been Vice President of IFCM.

He is Council Member of INTERKULTUR and also on the Artistic Directorium of INTERKULTUR.

From 2015 he is General Artistic Director of INTERKULTUR.

Helene Stureborg has graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Church Music at Stora Sköndal and a Postgraduate Diploma in Conducting at the Royal University College of Music in 1993. She has studied conducting with Professor Gustaf Sjökvist and Professor Eric Ericson.

Since 1990 she has been working as a conductor and music teacher at the Stockholm's Musikgymnasium. From 1994 to 2002 she was the conductor of Kongl Teknologkören at the Royal Institute of Technology. In August 2002 she replaced Gary Graden as conductor of the Stockholms Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir.

In 2011 a group of graduated singers from the SMK and Helene started Helene Stureborg’s chamberchoir. She also rehearses productions with the Swedish Radio Choir.

In May 2014 she was appointed Artistic advisor at the Swedish Performing Arts Agency (Statens Musikverks Konstnärliga råd).

During several years Helene Stureborg also taught choral conducting at the Royal University College of Music and she is frequently engaged as conducting teacher and choral pedagogue at varying courses.

Josef Habringer, Master of Theology (studies in Linz and Salzburg), has gained his musical education at the Mozarteum in Salzburg (member of the ORF Choir Salzburg from 1974-1978), at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz (Music Education) and at the University of Vienna (song and oratorio). In 1972 he founded the vocal sextet Voices and has been conducting this group ever since. In 1978 he founded a choir at the Catholic University Community (KHG Choir) which has now about 70 singers and is performing since 1992 as Collegium Vocale Linz.

Josef Habringer has been working as a Cathedral Cantor at the Mariendom Linz since 2006 and from 1992-2014 as a referent for church music at the Diocese of Linz. He taught at the Pedagogical Academy of the diocese Linz from 1989-2005 and at the diocesan conservatory for sacred music from 1992-2014. Furthermore he gives lessons in and holds lectures about vocal training, solo singing and choir conducting e.g. at the choir Academy Krems, Vocal Week in Melk, Austrian Week for Sacred Music, Week of Choral Singing of the diocesan Linz, Choral Week Laudate Dominuma and the Sacred Choral Music Week in St. Gallen and Einsiedeln. Josef Habringer also performs as a tenor soloist regarding sacred music. In 2013 he was awarded the Gold Medal for Services to Upper Austria and in 2014 the Orlando di Lasso Medal.

Primož Kerštanj graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Ljubljana and has studied at Ljubljana University, Academy of Music. His current professional position is teaching piano and solfeggio at Willems Music Center DO RE MI Bled, where he also conducts the children‘s choir DO RE MI and the vocal group DO RE MI. Kerštanj is specialized in working with children with special needs and children with autistic spectrum disorder.

He has conducted several choirs in his career: Milko Škoberne female choir Jesenice, Vox Carniolus and from 2000 to 2010 Akademski pevski zbor France Prešeren Kranj. He has been directing Dekliški pevski zbor Gimnazije Kranj from 2006 to 2014 and has brought it to a high quality level.

Primož Kerštanj was awarded as best conductor in the competitions in Riva del Garda in 2007 and in Calella/Barcelona in 2013.

The female choir Carmen manet is one of the three choirs Primož Kerštanj conducts nowadays. Most important achievements of the choir was winning the Grand Prix at 50th Montreux Choral Festival in April 2014 and a gold plaque in the Slovenian national competition in Maribor in April 2016. 2017 Carmen manet became "Eurovision Choir of the Year 2017" which was broadcasted on TV in 12 European countries.

Primož Kerštanj is further an internationally sought-after composer, arranger and juror.

Peter Habermann received his first musical education as a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. This was followed by a course of Vocal Studies in Dresden which he passed with a First Class Honours degree to be a singing teacher. Since 1984, he has been teaching at the Landesgymnasium für Musik Wernigerode. His scope of work covers both the field of vocal training and the choral education of this institution’s students.

For many years, he acted as a Deputy Artistic Director of the Rundfunkjugendchor Wernigerode with Friedrich Krell. Later, he led the institution’s Children Choir with great success before he became Artistic Director of the Rundfunkjugendchor in 1996, a responsibility that he held until 2004 and has been holding again from 2008 until today.

His work with this internationally renowned ensemble has been rewarded with numerous prizes, and has resulted in many CD recordings as well as concert tours both at home and abroad.

In 2003, he founded the Wernigerode Chamber Choir, a project choir comprising former Rundfunkjugendchor members which he led until 2010. He is also committed to amateur music: for 10 years, he conducted the men’s choir of the village Drübeck. Peter Habermann is an active singer, speaker and juror for INTERKULTUR events and the German Choral Contest.

conductor, pianist, adjudicator

• licenciate of the Royal Schools of Music in Choral Conducting
• pianist and pedagogue
• founder and director of the children's choir "Cor Vivaldi of Barcelona"
• national and international adjudicator in Tours, Cantonigròs, Linz, Calella, Torrevieja and others
• has commissioned and premiered several new works dedicated to him and his choir