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.

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 and additionally studied orchestra conducting.

In 2003, Vanags received the master's degree in music. His professional work is focused on conducting and pedagogy. He served as the Chief Conductor of the teachers' choir "Vanema" for a long time and since 1990 as the principal Conductor of the Latvian University female choir "Minjona". Furthermore he was Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Jāzeps Mediņš Music School boys` choir and worked with the Jazeps Medins Music College Symphonic Orchestra. From 1987 thru 1994, Vanags was employed at the Latvian Music Academy in Riga as professor of choir conducting and as the conductor of the academy choir. From 2005 to 2012 Vanags was the head of the Conducting Department.

Vanags has been appointed as one of the chief conductors of the All Latvian Song Celebration and the Youth Song Festival. Since 2004, Vanags is the chairman of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO on the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, and since 2008, he is also a member of the World Choir Council. In 2008 Romāns Vanags received the highest civil decoration in Latvia – the Three Star Order. Romāns Vanags was a member of the artistic committee of the 8th World Choir Games in Riga and belongs since 2014 to the Artistic Board of INTERKULTUR.

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.

Heinz Ferlesch is the Artistic Director of the Singakademie Wien, the choir Ad Libitum and the original sound ensemble Barucco.

Within his career as a choir-director he has worked with conductors like Georges Prêtre, Franz Welser-Möst, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, Ton Koopman, Helmuth Rilling and Simone Young.

Engagements of the Wiener Singakademie took him – besides periodic performances at Vienna Konzerthaus – to London, Zurich, Budapest, Venice and New York.

In 2002, Heinz Ferlesch founded his orchestra "Barucco" and since then he has increased his appearances as an orchestra conductor. "Barucco", a young ensemble consisting of international baroque specialists, focuses mainly on the music of 18th century.

Heinz Ferlesch also works extensively with the choir "Ad Libitum", which he has founded in 1993. This mixed choir is focusing on A-capella music.

In 2008 he was awarded the renowned Ferdinand Grossmann Prize and in 2013 he became Cultural Laureate of Lower Austria. Heinz Ferlesch is a guest lecturer of Berkshire Choral Festival and also member of the jury of several national and international choir competitions. Since 2002 he is teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Since 2016 Heinz Ferlesch is member of the World Choir Council for Austria.

Mia Makaroff is a composer, arranger, music teacher and a choral conductor. In 2003, she graduated from the Sibelius Academy as a Master of Music in Music Education studies. Her work experience includes teaching music in schools, working with choirs, composing, creating and conducting different music projects.

Many well-known song groups and choirs have brought Mia Makaroff's music to a wider audience, such as Rajaton, King's Singers, Cantus, Amarcord and others. She has been involved in many national and international projects, such as "Song Bridge", bilingual musical "Crown Children", the mass "Diligam Te" and "The New Carmina". Further she has held master classes of composing for children choirs in Belgium, Italy and Russia. Mia Makaroff has also worked as a juror and a lecturer in choir competitions and festivals, for example in the 10th World Choral Games in Tshwane in South Africa. Her favorite themes are creativity, rhythmics and enhancing communication. Also theatre music is one big interest of hers.

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.

Johann van der Sandt received his formal undergraduate and post-graduate education at the University of Pretoria. He also furthered his studies in Choral Conducting in the Netherlands at the Institute of Choral Conductors training, Gorinchem.

He has been involved in choral work as a composer, conductor, arranger and adjudicator on national as well as international level throughout his career.

In his capacity as adjudicator, conductor and lecturer, he is well sought after. Johann has conducted numerous choirs; his experience stretches wide, from working with Children’s Choirs to Youth Choirs, student’s choirs and Adult choirs. His adult Chamber choir Singkronies specifically aimed at the recording, development and preservation of South African. His work with the University of Pretoria Camerata (a mixed student’s choir) is characterized by numerous accolades. Under his leadership, the Drakensberg Boys choir established itself as one of the best boys choir internationally.

Currently Johann is professor in Music Education at the University of Bolzano, Italy. Before that, he was professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Pretoria and served as the conductor and the Director of Music at the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, South Africa.