Michael T. Dawson is an award winning conductor, educator, co-founder and CEO of the Irish Institute of Music & Song. He returned to Ireland in 2019 from the University of Southern California where he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and teaching assistantship to pursue a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Choral Music. Prior to moving to the U.S, he taught at the National University of Ireland Maynooth where he established the Maynooth University Chamber Choir as one of the top performing ensembles in Ireland. Under Michael's direction the choir travelled on multiple tours of the U.S, China and Europe performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls. In 2015 Michael became the first Irish conductor to win the Pavarotti Trophy at the "Choir of the World" International competition at the Llangollen Eisteddfod.
Michael regularly adjudicates choral competitions around the world and in 2022 delivered masterclasses and choral clinics to over 45 different ensembles. As a singer Michael spent several years performing with the internationally acclaimed ensemble Anúna and recorded on several albums which include the soundtracks for Diablo III and World of Warcraft. He also holds a masters degree in Ritual, Chant and Song from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University of Limerick and can be heard singing chant on the TV series Vikings.
Currently Michael is expanding the Irish Institute of Music & Song, a non-profit organisation dedicated to expanding music education in Ireland and sharing Irish culture globally. His specialty areas include conducting, science informed voice pedagogy, choral music, and music education. Michael is also a keen Irish traditional musician and plays the uilleann pipes, bagpipes and low whistle in his spare time!

Born in St Asaph, North Wales in 1975, Paul Mealor studied composition privately as a boy with William Mathias and later with John Pickard, and at the University of York with Nicola LeFanu and in Copenhagen with Hans Abrahamsen and Per Nørgård. Since January 2003 he has taught in the Music Department at the University of Aberdeen where he is Professor of Composition.

Mealor is the first President of Tŷ Cerdd and Patron of the Welsh Music Guild. He is Vice-President of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod and the North Wales International Music Festival and was the Curator of JAM on the Marsh in Kent (2015-17) and Composer in Residence with Canada’s top professional choir, Pro Coro Canada.

Mealor was catapulted to international stardom in April 2011, when 2.5 billion people heard his Motet, Ubi caritas performed by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine at Westminster Abbey.

He has received many awards and honours for his music including the Glanville Jones Award, from the Welsh Music Guild, for his outstanding contribution to music in Wales (2013). In January 2018, HM Queen Elizabeth II appointed him an Officer of the Venerable Order of St John and in November 2020, The Saltire Society of Scotland presented him with The Fletcher of Saltoun Award for outstanding contribution to the arts and humanities in Scotland, becoming  only the second composer, after Sir James MacMillan, to be given this award.

Paul Mealor is one of the world’s most ‘performed’ living composers and has been described as, ‘the most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias’ (New York Times, 2001).

Tove Ramlo-Ystad is  an educated singer and conductor with a Master Degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.

Her teachers and mentors in conducting have been Stefan Sköld, Anders Eby and Mogens Dahl.

Tove Ramlo-Ystad is one of Norway’s most acknowledged choir conductors. She is a very popular and inspiring guest conductor and she is frequently invited as an adjudicator in international choir competitions.

She has conducted the female choir "Cantus" since their beginning in 1986. "Cantus" has received a lot of attention, won several competitions and is known by their Nordic sound. This sound was the reason Disney discovered "Cantus", and led to the choir being asked to sing in their animation movie 'Frozen'.

In the past she has also conducted both mixed and male ensembles. Now her experience especially serves to mentor  younger conductors.

Tove Ramlo-Ystad works for the Norwegian Choral Association as a music director, where developing education systems for conductors in Norway is one of the main issues.

Karmina Šilec is an artistic director of Carmina Slovenica, ensemble !Kebataola! and Choregie – new music theatre, conductor, composer and director - author. With her unique concept choregie she brought freshness and originality to the world of vocal music and theatre, has opened wider artistic spaces and set trends worldwide.

As conductor and director she has projects with various companies, opera houses and ensembles, her productions have been performed worldwide on stages and festivals of the highest esteem. Karmina Šilec has received more than 20 highest international awards at choir competitions and International Robert Edler Prize for Choral Music for her exceptional contribution to the world choir movement. She also works as an artistic adviser for choral music, university professor for conducting, a guest conductor and jury member at festivals and competitions.

Sanna Valvanne, director of the Sing & Shine Choirs, is one of the most international and innovative Finnish choir conductors. She is recognised world wide for her creative and expressive choral method "Sing & Shine with Body & Soul". A former singer and vocal trainer of the world famous Tapiola Choir, Sanna created the method in 1994, while studying for her Master's Degree in Music at the Sibelius Academy. She has since been a popular guest conductor with hundreds of choirs and festivals around the world.
For 11 years in the USA, she developed her choral work further to support social causes and uplift humanity, finally launching her own organization in Espoo, Finland in 2016. By now her Sing & Shine Choirs have empowered hundreds of people from all ages in training, performances and community projects. Whether with her own choirs or guest conducting, Sanna continues to expand the boundaries of choral expression, and explore new ways of sharing love and joy through singing.

Mathew Wright has worked in the education sector for over 20 years working in schools in a variety of roles, most recently as a Regional Director of Education for a trust overseeing 27 schools across England. He has worked as an Advisory Teacher and as an Advanced Skilled Teacher, delivering support and training nationally at Primary, Secondary, FE and HE levels, and has provided resources for government publications. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Barnsley Youth Choir, and founder of Barnsley Singers (an adult community choir) and has developed the choir into an internationally award-winning and recognised organisation.
As a member of the international jury, Mat has worked in some of the most important competitions in the world including the World Choir Games. He works closely with exceptional organisations including the Kodaly School (Hungary), The Adolf Fredriks Music School (Sweden) and the University of Pretoria (South Africa), all of whom have travelled to Barnsley to work with BYC and is in demand as a choral clinician and workshop leader throughout the world.
In 2019 Mat was appointed as a representative for Great Britain on the World Choir Council and in January 2020 was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to young people by the Queen. In 2022 he was also made a "Freeman of Barnsley" in recognition for his work in the community.