The Honorary Artistic Committee will be joined by a renowned and world-famous musician: John Rutter, currently one of the most important and popular composers of choral and church music, was recently added to the committee.

Through this nomination INTERKULTUR appreciates his long-time outstanding efforts and great commitment in the field of international choral music as well as his fantastic successes as significant choral composer.

Born in London in 1945 he received his first musical education as a chorister at Highgate School. His compositional career has embraced both large and small-scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas, music for television, and specialist writing for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King’s Singers.

John Rutter co-edited four volumes in the Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, has edited the first two volumes in the new Oxford Choral Classics series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European Sacred Music (1996).

He has guest-conducted or lectured at many concert halls, universities, churches, music festivals, and conferences in Europe, Africa, North and Central America and Australasia.

Rutter will also be present at the Grand Prix of Nations & 3rd European Choir Games in Riga 2017. He will not only act as a juror at the “Eurovision Choir of the Year” choir competition on July 22 to be broadcasted in eight European countries but also present a seminar on his work as a composer.

Along with Rutter the INTERKULTUR’s Honorary Artistic Presidency consists of Mikis Theodorakis (Greece), Morten Lauridsen (USA), the two Chinese conductors and composers Prof. Zheng Xiaoying and Prof. Yang Hongnian as well as Eric Ericson (Sweden, in memoriam).