conductor, lecturer, countertenor

• choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers since 2001
• lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Music Choral Conducting Department
• artistic director of the Consortium of Voices (Kilyawan Boys Choir, Voces Aurora Girls Choirs, Kilyawan Male Choir)
• countertenor soloist

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.

Jonathan Velasco is a much sought-after choral conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the world today.

He and his choirs have won first prizes in major European choral competitions. He regularly adjudicates choral competitions in Europe and Asia, and gives choral conducting workshops and choral clinics worldwide. He currently conducts the Ateneo Chamber Singers.

Velasco is the Philippine representative in the INTERKULTUR World Choir Council. He was elected the first President of the Philippine Choral Directors Association in 2008. He was awarded the Pinoy Playlist Music Festival Ryan Cayabyab 2022 Award for his lifelong excellent contribution to Filipino choir music. He was recently appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

• Head of Conducting Section at Vietnam National Academy of music
• Member of the World Choir Council representative of Vietnam
• Artistic director, Vietnam International Choir Competition
• She received her Masters degree in Choral Conducting and Music education from Vietnam National Academy of Music and Malmo Academy of Music, Sweden.
• She has over 20 years working as a Chorus master and Choir Conductor. She is known as a pioneer in the eld of choir and music education in Vietnam.
• She lead Vietnam SolArt Choir to achieve Gold Medals, Public Prizes, Special Prizes... in the 7th and 8th International Johannes Brahms Choir Competition in Wernigerode, Germany, the 3rd Vietnam International Choir Competition.
• In several years, she was Guest Conductor in Children of the World in Harmony and Voices Without Border in Petoskey, the USA.
• She received many invitations from INTERKULTUR and other International organizers to be juror for International Choir Competitions in Spain, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam.
• She is also wellknown as Host, Music expert, Juror of many music competitions on Vietnam Broadcasting System over the whole country.

Tommyanto Kandisaputra is the founder, music director and conductor of Studio Cantorum Bandung Choir & Orchestra, which actively performs important music repertoire in Indonesia.

He is working as voice consultant and conducts many choir development programs all over Indonesia for singers and conductors by giving choral seminars, workshops, voice building, choir clinics and organizing competitions.

He is the chairman and founder of the Bandung Choral Society that organizes concerts and collaborations, symposium on Church Choral Music since 2003 until now. This year, he organize the 5th Symposium on Church Choral Music.

He was a World Choir Council member. He is a chairman of INTERKULTUR Indonesia since 2006.

Tommyanto Kandisaputra was the Artistic Director of The 1st Asian Choir Games in November 2007, taking place in Jakarta/ Indonesia. Also, Tommyanto was the Artistic Director of the North Sulawesi International Choir Competition 2008 in Manado and the Tomohon International Choir Competition 2009 and 2010 in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Now he organizes the Bandung International Choir Competition in his home town and the successful Bali International Choir Competition in Denpasar every year. And now he have been organizing another big Choral event "INDONESIA CHOIR FESTIVAL" in Indonesia.

At the end of 2014, he had been asking to be the Representatives of Indonesia for One Asia Cultural Ambassador organized by Music for one Foundation, South Korea. This organization dedicated to working with children and communities worldwide to reach their full potential through music and music education.

Recently, he conducted Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir, May 4 performed the richness of Choral Music from Indonesia at National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan.

conductor, piano teacher, jazz pianist, juror

• director and founder of the Gitameit Music Center
• founded "Gitameit Voices" which is believed to be the first secular choir in Myanmar in 2004
• Principal at Legacy Music Academy, Music Supervisor at International Language and Business Center (ILBC) in Myanmar
• in 2010, he successfully organized the very first choir festival in Myanmar in partnership with a Malaysian choir
• representative of INTERKULTUR in Myanmar

Dr. Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng is the President of the Philippine Choral Directors Association, Chair of the Conducting & Choral Ensemble Department of the University of the Philippines College of Music, and Artistic Director of the Las Piñas International Bamboo Organ Festival.
She is a first prize winner at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Graduate Conducting Competition. She also won first prize for the A1 Piano Category of the Philippines' National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). She is the Philippine representative to the Asia Pacific Choral Council and was appointed as conductor of the Asia Pacific Youth Choir for its 2018 Season. In 2023, she served as one of the Artistic Directors for the World Symposium for Choral Music, an event organized by the International Federation for Choral Music. She was also a featured presenter at the 2023 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association. In the same year, she served as guest conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in one of its season concerts.
Dr. Shangkuan-Cheng's conducting, academic, and teaching awards include the Levi Barbour Fellowship from the University of Michigan, the Phyllis Curtin Career Entry Award from the Yale School of Music, the Margot Fassler Award and the Hugh Giles Prize from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, the 2022 - 2024 One UP Professorial Chair Award in Music for Outstanding Creative Work and Public Service and the 2023 UP Diliman Centennial Professorial Chair.
Performance and adjudication engagements have brought her to Belgium, South Africa, Germany, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Spain, Vietnam, Portugal, Singapore, and the US. She also regularly leads workshops in different parts of the Philippines.
Dr. Shangkuan-Cheng received a Bachelor of Music (summa cum laude) from the University of the Philippines, a Master of Music from the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan.

Kirby Shaw has made a major impact in choral music education and has shared his musical expertise in 45 states. Kirby has degrees in Music Education and Choral Composition from San Jose State University and a DMA degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington. Dr. Shaw’s teaching is infused with a sense of humor and breadth of knowledge that is transmitted in an exciting and highly contagious manner. Kirby taught in the Mt. Shasta public schools before joining the faculty at College of the Siskiyous in California where he founded and directed the innovative and highly acclaimed COS Vocal Jazz Ensemble. He also pioneered similar groups at Colorado State University and The University of Missouri - Kansas City, and is now directing the Jefferson State Choral Coalition at Southern Oregon University. Kirby has scatted one-on-one with such notables as Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, Greta Matassa and Chris Calloway.

He has overseen the creation of hundreds of educational recordings, five college and university albums and two solo CDs. Kirby is a member of Just 4 Kicks, a zany 4-man a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in Jazz. A composer/arranger with nearly 3000 choral compositions/arrangements in print, Kirby’s music is sung around the world and has sold over 20 million copies. He has many commissioned pieces to his credit, including one for The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This creative and prolific output has resulted in numerous ASCAP awards. Kirby and his wife, Markita have written an original musical based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol entitled SCROOGICAL.

Jonathan Velasco is a much sought-after choral conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the world today.

He and his choirs have won first prizes in major European choral competitions. He regularly adjudicates choral competitions in Europe and Asia, and gives choral conducting workshops and choral clinics worldwide. He currently conducts the Ateneo Chamber Singers.

Velasco is the Philippine representative in the INTERKULTUR World Choir Council. He was elected the first President of the Philippine Choral Directors Association in 2008. He was awarded the Pinoy Playlist Music Festival Ryan Cayabyab 2022 Award for his lifelong excellent contribution to Filipino choir music. He was recently appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.