The associate professor Inessa Bodyako is head of the choral conducting department of the Belarus State Academy of Music, artistic director of the Student Choir (with 2008) and teaches choral conducting and the history of Russian choral music at the Belarusian State Academy of music. She was a chorus master of the Academic chorus of the national television and the radio broadcasting company of the Republic of Belarus, as well as founder and conductor of the chamber chorus "Cantemus", who achieved prizes at the international choral competitions in Italy (Arezzo, Gorizia), Spain (Tolosa), Poland (Hajnowka), Belarus (Minsk).

Inessa Bodyako was awarded the title "Best Conductor" at international choral competitions and under her direction different choirs won five Grand Prix competitions (Minsk, Gorizia, St-Peterburg, Guangzhou, Grodno).

She is responsible for a great number of choral projects in Belarus including the Open Conductor’s Competition named after V. Rovdo and Choral Pages of the XX-th century.

Inessa Bodyako is regularly invited internationally to serve as a jury member and to give master classes in Germany, China, Romania, Poland, France and the Ukraine. She is a honorary professor of the Anyang Normal University (China). From 1997 to 2010 she was a regent of the orthodox Christmas church (Minsk) and a member of the ECA-EC Music Commission from 2013-2015.

Jürgen Budday studied music education, church music and musicology from 1967 to 1974 at the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart. From 1979 to 2012, he taught at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Maulbronn, a high school with boarding school.

He is the founder and artistic director of the "Maulbronn Chamber Choir", which he conducted until June 2016. From 1979 to 2013, he was the artistic director of the "Maulbronn Monastery Concerts" at the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Baden-Württemberg and developed the concert series into a classical music festival with international renown.

With the Maulbronn Chamber Choir he has won numerous prizes at home and abroad, such as 1st prize at the International Choir Days in Prague in 1990 and 1998, 2nd prize at the 3rd German Choir Competition in 1990 in Stuttgart, 2nd prize in 2009 at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf and victory at the International Choir Competition in Malta.

Regular activities as guest conductor, workshop leader and juror also lead Jürgen Budday to travel regularly at home and abroad.

From 2002 – 2019, he was Chairman of the Advisory Board for Choirs at the German Music Council and thus Jury Chairman of the German Choir Competition and has been the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Federal Youth Choir at the German Music Council (DMR) since 2019.

In 2013, Jürgen Budday received the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Ring, one of the highest awards in choral music, and in 2014 he was appointed artistic director of the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf.

Conductor, composer, researcher of old music manuscripts

• Musical Director of the St. Julian’s choir between 1965 and 2002 and Maestro di Cappella of the Metropolitan Cathedral between 1993 and 2000
• Artistic Director of Malta International Choir Competition and Festival
• Editor and performer of old Maltese music from the musical archives held in the Mdina Cathedral Museum
• Director of the Catholic Institute in Malta

conductor, composer, music educator

• head of choral conducting department at the Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory in Graz and lecturer at the Graz University of Music and Performing Arts
• since 2012 artistic director of the Austrian Choral Association
• was awarded the merit prize of the Federal Ministry of Science and Research

Bernard Krüger is currently the Director of Music at Kearsney College, a leading independent school for boys in South Africa. Prior to this post, he was the Artistic Director of the Drakensberg Boys Choir School – a specialist educational institution using choral singing as a vehicle to teach music and all other academic applications to boys in South Africa.

He is a composer and arranger for local and international ensembles, a cappella groups, choirs and orchestras. Krüger studied conducting at the Koninklijk Conservatorium (Royal Conservatory) in The Hague, Netherlands, with Jos van Veldhoven and Jos Vermunt, received masterclasses from Simon Halsey, Paul Hillier, Jaap v Zweden, Tonu Kaljuste, Steve Reich, Masaaki Suzuki and Nathalie Stutzmann.

He is frequently in demand for workshops at conferences and festivals in South Africa and abroad, particularly for South African choral music and performance practice and was member of the jury at the Johannes Brahms Competition (2011), the European Choir Games (2013), the World Choir Games (2014), Canta al Mar (2016) as well as competitions and eisteddfods in South Africa.

In 2017, the Drakensberg Boys Choir, under Bernard’s direction, toured to Japan and performed in front of 38,500 people over 25 concerts in all major cities and in 2018, the Drakensberg Boys Choir was crowned Champions of the WCG in Tshwane in the category Scenic Pop. In 2019, Bernard led the DBC to perform at the official 20th Anniversary concert of The Lion King on the West End in London, in a joint performance with Lebo M and the cast.

Bernard is no stranger to the Kearsney College Choir and worked with them from 2009-2015 as well, and during this time, the choir was twice crowned WCG Champions (2012 and 2014).

Bernard Krüger is actively involved in the promotion of choral music in South Africa and believes choral music will one day be the driving force to bring peace and understanding across cultures, borders, religions and all nations on Earth.

Choral conductor and composer

• Associate professor, composer in residence and coordinator of music programs (University of Macao, China)
• Director of choral activities (Santa Rosa da Lima School English section, Macao, China)
• Visiting Conductor Music Education Department Shanghai Conservatory of Music
• Artistic Director Porfiri & Horváth Publishers (former Edition Music Contact, Pohlheim, Germany)

Jan Schumacher (*1980) is Music director of the Goethe-University in Frankfurt as well as the conductor of Camerata Musica Limburg and the Choir of TU Darmstadt. Until 2016 he was professor for choral conducting at the College of Church Music in Rottenburg.

Having received his degree in School Music and German from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Jan went on to study Choral Conducting with Wolfgang Schäfer at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. Even as a child and young adult (musical education with the Limburg Cathedral Boyschoir and the State Youth Choir of Rhineland-Palatinate), he was fascinated with the activity of group singing, which has remained the main motivation for his manifold activities to this day. With his choirs, he builds extensive repertoires from Gregorian chants to world premieres, from symphonic orchestra to Big Band, and vocal or electronic improvisation.

Jan teaches courses for singers and conductors across Europe, Iceland, Iran, Turkey, Argentina, Venezuela, and the USA. He is co-editor of various choral collections. His role as Vice President of the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat puts him in the wonderful position of being able to intensify the exchange among singers, conductors, and composers further for the benefit of choir music.

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.

Aida Swenson is one of Indonesia‘s strongest forces of choral music development. A founder and conductor of the Indonesian Children‘s & Youth Choirs- Cordana, who have gathered international recognitions and awards, and have been invited to perform in major cities worldwide.

As a graduate of the Westminster Choir College, Princeton, USA and as a sought after clinician, Aida Swenson conducts numerous workshops and adjudicates national and international events. Her activities as a juror includes in: USA, England, Germany, Vietnam and Singapore.

Aida Swenson has spent many years traveling throughout Indonesia creating and leading choirs, giving masters classes, and training choral conductors. However, her professional endeavors are largely but not limited to her choral clinician activities. Her professional activities include: Council Member of the World Choir Games for Indonesia; Member of the Advisory to INTERKULTUR‘s World Choir Games; Chairman of the Foundation for the Development of Choral Music in Indonesia; Member of Advisory of the Foundation of Church Music; Member of Artistic team of Polyfollia World Showcase; Member of the committee APCS-IFCM; Artistic Director of National Christian Universities Choir Competition in Indonesia.

Aida Swenson is featured in the “World Who is Who in Choral Music”. Her personal commitment to her musical endeavors in Indonesia is not only centered on her vision in furthering the quality of children‘s choral development. Aida is a pillar of change, of progression, and of energy to achieve unassailable quality in choral music in Indonesia and internationally.

Romāns Vanags is a graduate of Emils Darzins' specialized music college and of the Department of Choir and Orchestra Conducting of Jazeps Vitols' Latvian State Conservatory in Riga. He has received a diploma in choir conducting and in music pedagogy. He studied also symphonic orchestra conducting. In 2003, Romāns Vanags received the professional master's degree in music.

His professional work is focused on conducting and pedagogy. He has been the Chief Conductor of the teachers' choir "Vanema" from 1984 – 2004 and since 1990, he has been the principal Conductor of the Latvian University Female Choir "Minjona". Since 1987, he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Jāzeps Mediņš Music School Boys` Choir and has worked with the Jāzeps Mediņš Music College Symphonic Orchestra from 1990 – 1993. Since 1987 Romāns Vanags was employed at the Latvian Academy of Music in Riga as professor of choir conducting. From 2005 to 2012 he was the head of the Conducting Department.

Romāns Vanags has been the organizer of various courses for conductors in numerous countries around the world and also jury member of many international choral competitions. He has been appointed as one of the chief conductors of the All Latvian Song Celebration and the Youth Song Festival. Since 2008 he is a member of the World Choir Council. Since August 2014 Romāns Vanags is one of the Artistic Directors of INTERKULTUR and also chairman of the Latvian choral conductors’ board.

The choirs conducted by Romāns Vanags have won numerous awards at international competitions (Arezzo, Debrecen, Tour, Varna, Powel River) and made concert tours all over the world.

In 2008 Romāns Vanags received the highest civil decoration in Latvia – the Three Star Order.