Prof. Dr. Friedrich Krell was born in 1928. He studied music and chemistry at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittemberg between 1947 and 1951. He was a teacher at the extended secondary school in Wernigerode since 1951. Right at the start of his work he founded the mixed youth choir. The ensemble, known today as the Wernigerode Radio Youth Choir, enjoys international recognition. Friedrich Krell is a voice teacher whose main aim is to achieve a special ideal in sound quality. During his scientific work in the field of choral music he was primarily concerned with the problem of perceiving and performing 16th century music, as he wrote in his dissertation in 1970. In 1988 Friedrich Krell founded the “Wernigeröder Singakademie”, in 1991 he was appointed to be the director of the Wernigerode College of Music that was built upon his special classes for music. In 1994 the Federal State Music Council of Sachsen-Anhalt charged him with the formation of the Federal State Youth Choir of Sachsen-Anhalt, which has also earned significant artistic recognition since then. Friedrich Krell is a renowned advisor, lecturer at courses for choral conductors and an internationally acting adjudicator for several choral competitions. For his outstanding contributions to the choral movement he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2003.

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.

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.

- in memoriam -

Christian Ljunggren was born in 1942. He studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm as well as musicology and theology at the University of Uppsala. For many years he worked at the Music Department of the Swedish National Broadcasting Company, and was responsible for the presentation and programming regarding music.

He was the conductor of the Adolf Fredrik Madrigal Choir since their foundation (1965 and 1974). He was the first President of the Swedish Choral Directors Association (1986 – 1998) and President of KÖRSAM, the joint committee of the Swedish choral organisations (1997 – 2004). From 1997-1999  he worked for the of IFCM, the International Federation for Choral Music, as the Secretary General from 1997-1999 and as a liaison officer (until 2005).

He was one of the Artistic Directors of INTERKULTUR and the Artistic Director of the World Choir Games. Due to his engagement as a clinician for seminars and workshops around the world and having built up the INTERKULTUR series of seminars in China the Swede gained growing recognition since 2003.

Christian Ljunggren has written numerous articles in Swedish and international magazines and was also a keen arranger of choral music.

Dr. Miguel Ángel Felipe was appointed Director of Choral Activities at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, in 2011. Felipe is also active as a clinician and conductor in the US, Asia, South America, and Europe. Upcoming and recent engagements include leading choirs in the Philippines, Japan, and Hawai‘i; presenting masterclasses in Sweden, Shanghai, and California; and adjudicating choirs in Indonesia, Germany, and Singapore.

As devoted supporter of new music and lesser known masterpieces, Felipe

has commissioned extensively and spoken at national events about the composer-conductor relationship. His research focuses on choral innovations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, on concepts of the influence of choral societies in cultural development, and on choral programming.

Felipe has served on the faculties of Oberlin College & Conservatory, The Boston Conservatory, Brown University, and Mount Holyoke College. He has led choirs at Harvard University (USA); the Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto (Brazil); and in churches. He serves as president of the Hawai‘i Chapter, American Choral Directors Association and as a national board member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization.

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.

From 1983 to 1987 Nico Nebe visited the special class for music education in Zwickau. He continued his qualifications with studies of choral conducting at the University of Chemnitz-Zwickau from 1989 to 1995. Since then he has been acting as a freelancer in music teaching, conducting, arranging and music publishing in Zwickau.

Since many years Nico Nebe has been conducting the chamber choir "Belcanto" Zwickau and the male choir "Liederkranz" Zwickau 1843. Under his direction both ensembles won numerous prices and diploma in national and international competitions. In the framework of these competitions, Nico Nebe was repeatedly awarded several conductor prices.

As the president of the West Saxony Choir Association and as the vice president of the Choir Association of Saxony Province, he has a strong connection to the choir movement. He made significant contributions to unify the several and different Saxony Choir Associations to the present Choir Association of Saxony Province with nearly 10.000 members.

As the owner and head of the publishing company "edition choris mundi" he maintains a close cooperation with renowned German and international choral composers. Apart from his own arrangements and compositions the publishing company edits each year numerous new music pieces for all choral genres.

Nico Nebe furthermore regularly acts as a juror at national and international choir competitions and holds conductor workshops in Saxony.

conductor, lecturer, professor, juror

• Professor of Choral Conducting and choir director at the Music Conservatory of Paris
• former Professor of Choral Conducting at Mahidol University College of Music in Bangkok, Thailand
• former choral conductor of the "Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra"
• international adjudicator, conductor and guest lecturer

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.

Angela Stevens a dynamic choral conductor, teacher and adjudicator, was born in South Africa. Her long and varied International career took her to Oman where she mastered styles and techniques of Arabic music before moving to Germany where she has been the Head of Music at the Internationale Friendensschule in Cologne for the past four years.

Angela Stevens holds her Masters in Music Education and is an innovative conductor who brings ethnic and cultural diversity to her many choirs while instilling a love and appreciation of music to all those with whom she is associated.

As the former conductor of the Kearsney College Choir, South Africa, she was responsible for their being crowned Olympic Champions of Folklore in 2000 and 2004 at the World Choir Games in Linz and Bremen respectively. Angela Stevens and her choir were awarded the prestigious Prize of the City of Vienna in 2004, amongst many other accolades both in Europe and Asia.

Angela Stevens was the Vice President of the KwaZulu Natal Youth Choir and advisor to the Artistic Director. She has led many diverse choral workshops both in South Africa, Germany and Switzerland amongst others. Angela Stevens has been adjudicating for Interkultur since 2007.

André van der Merwe is a conductor and composer from Cape Town, South Africa. He is often invited to perform as guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician nationally and internationally. He has been invited to work with universities and companies in the USA, Sweden, Germany, China, and Portugal amongst others. André van der Merwe initially studied B.Mus at the University of Cape Town, but later changed course and studied B.Drama (Directing) at the University of Stellenbosch. He received national awards and prizes as actor and director. André van der Merwe was invited e.g. as adjudicator and clinician for the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, Wales (July 2013) and guest conductor and lecturer for the Taipei International Choral Festival and the Taipei Philharmonic (August 2013). His arrangements of African music are published by Earthsongs in the USA. Currently he conducts the Stellenbosch University Choir (number one choir on the INTERKULTUR World Rankings) and the the Stellenberg Girls Choir. From 2005 – 2012 he has established and conducted the South African Youth Choir. In 2012 André van der Merwe received a ministerial cultural award (Western Cape Government) for his work with choirs and the youth and a civic honorary award from the City of Cape Town. In 2012 André has been selected as the South African representative on the World Choir Council for INTERKULTUR.

Helle Høyer Vedel is the conductor of the Aarhus Girls Choir which was awarded Champion of the World Choir Games in category Female Choirs in July 2014. She trained at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus.

Since 1981 she has served as choirmaster of The Aarhus Music School, leading choirs of children and young people as well as teaching instrumental students ear training.

For several years Helle Høyer Vedel has conducted mixed choirs, but since 2006 she has focussed her energy on just three youth choirs: The Children’s Choir of Aarhus Music School, The Girls Choir at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus - and Aarhus Girls Choir.

Likewise, she has been an occasional lecturer in the conduction of children’s choirs at The Danish School of Education, Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus.

Today Helle Høyer Vedel is one of the most successful Danish conductors of equal voiced youth choirs and due to her musical enthusiasm and international success with Aarhus Girls Choir, she plays an important role in Danish choral life.