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.

choral conductor, conservatorium lecturer, music arranger, adjudicator

• artistic director, “A Voyage of Songs”, “Jubilate, Festival of Choirs” and “Asia Cantate” International Choral Festival series
• executive member of the National Arts Council’s Advisory Board for Choral Development in Singapore and first Vice-Chairman of the Asian Youth Choir Council
• conductor of nine school-, college-, university- and semi-professional choirs in Singapore that won numerous national and international accolades

Born in China in 1957, Suvalug Liansi was brought up in Thailand at an early age and began piano lessons at the age of six under Acharn Somboon Viriyasophon, Acharn Nat Yontararak and Acharn Piyabhand Sanitwong. She later obtained her A.T.C.L. and L.T.C.L. in piano examination from Trinity College of Music while still in Bangkok, after which she started to conduct local church choirs.

In 1986 she moved to New York, and while furthering her music education at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, she joined the Westminster Symphonic Choir under the baton of world famous conductors Leonard Bernstein, Riccardo Muti and Kurt Masur and performed religious works such as Bach’s Mass in B minor, Britten’s War Requiem, Mozart’s Mass in A minor, and Verdi’s Requiem. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Music (MM) in Church Music, majoring Conducting, Organ and Piano.

Since her return to Bangkok in 1996, Liansi has been giving private piano lessons and served as Church Music Minister at the Second Church of Sam Yan. Suvalug Liansi is also member of the Executive Committee of Thailand Choral Association, lecturer on Church Music and Choral Conducting at Christian University and internationally sought-after clinician and jury member.

Pawasut Jodi Piriyapongrat earned her Bachelor's degree in Music Education with honors from Chulalongkorn University; Master of Music in Church Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, where she studied choral conducting with the late Dr. William Dehning.

Piriyapongrat conducted Thai Youth Choir, a national youth choir under the Ministry of Culture, during 2007-2009.  In 2007 she started Chulalongkorn University Concert Choir, and has been introducing to the music patrons of Thailand a variety of classical choral repertoire.  She has conducted Chulalongkorn University Symphony Orchestra performing Thailand premier of numerous larger choral works. She has also collaborated with professional orchestras in Thailand including the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and Siam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Piriyapongrat is very active and well-known in the Thai choral scene as a leading choral conductor, clinician, and an adjudicator in and outside Thailand, namely USA, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar and Philippines.  She dedicates much time and energy in bettering choral standards in Thailand through her initiatives that include various workshops, an annual choral festival, and choral camps for university choirs in Thailand.

She is currently a full-time professor of Music Education Division, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

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.

Aida Swenson is one of Indonesia‘s strongest forces of choral music development. A founder and conductor of the Indonesian Children‘s & Youth Choirs- Cordana, who have gathered international recognitions and awards, and have been invited to perform in major cities worldwide.

As a graduate of the Westminster Choir College, Princeton, USA and as a sought after clinician, Aida Swenson conducts numerous workshops and adjudicates national and international events. Her activities as a juror includes in: USA, England, Germany, Vietnam and Singapore.

Aida Swenson has spent many years traveling throughout Indonesia creating and leading choirs, giving masters classes, and training choral conductors. However, her professional endeavors are largely but not limited to her choral clinician activities. Her professional activities include: Council Member of the World Choir Games for Indonesia; Member of the Advisory to INTERKULTUR‘s World Choir Games; Chairman of the Foundation for the Development of Choral Music in Indonesia; Member of Advisory of the Foundation of Church Music; Member of Artistic team of Polyfollia World Showcase; Member of the committee APCS-IFCM; Artistic Director of National Christian Universities Choir Competition in Indonesia.

Aida Swenson is featured in the “World Who is Who in Choral Music”. Her personal commitment to her musical endeavors in Indonesia is not only centered on her vision in furthering the quality of children‘s choral development. Aida is a pillar of change, of progression, and of energy to achieve unassailable quality in choral music in Indonesia and internationally.

After graduating from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Western Michigan University and Peabody Conservatory of Music majoring in conducting, Jun Wang worked as conductor at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh, at Xiamen Opera House and Hubei Opera House, with the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra as well as the China National Symphony Orchestra. Currently he is the Artistic Director of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra Choir, Zhongshan Choir and Autumn Whispers Choir.

Wang is Vice Director of the Conducting Committee of the China Choral Association, Vice Chairman of Guangdong Choral Association and Chairman of Zhongshan Choral Association. Wang is a famous choral conductor in China and conducted the “China National Choir” based in Beijing which was ranked one of the best choirs in China. Under his direction many choirs won gold medals at national and international choral competitions including the World Choir Games in Guangzhou, Riga and Sochi and at several national choral competitions in China.

Axel Pfeiffer studied musicology and instrumental pedagogy with a major in piano in Gießen and Mainz, as well as choral conducting at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt. As a choral conductor, he has won numerous first prizes with his choirs at national and international choral competitions. Since 2008 he has been the organisational director and one of two conductors of the "Landesjugendchor Hessen", since April 2023 he has been conducting the choir alone.

Axel Pfeiffer was national choir director of the Hessian Choir Youth and chairman of the Federal Music Committee of the Hessian Singers' Association. He taught music theory, choral voice training and rehearsal at the Frankfurt Choral Conducting School and, as head of the Marburg Choral Conducting School of the Hessian Singers' Association, the subjects of conducting, rehearsal and choral voice training. He teaches in seminars and advanced training courses and is regularly engaged as a critic and juror.

In 2009 Axel Pfeiffer founded the choir Cantamus Gießen. Since then, he has won numerous first prizes with this ensemble at competitions, including winning the Hessian Choir Competition in 2013, 2017 and 2022 and the highest score of the day of all participating choirs at the national choir competition at the Harmonie Festival in 2017.

Christo is regarded as one of South Africa’s foremost conductors and clinicians of choral music. Some of his accolades include: AKUSTIKA Chamber Singers winning the Pavarotti trophy and the title “Choir of the World” at the annual Llangollen Eisteddfod in Wales (2008); the grand prize at the Concorso Chorale Internazionale Riva del Garda competition in Italy (2010); and winning 5 gold medals at the World Choir Games held in Tshwane (2018). The choir was also crowned the World Champions of the Sacred A Cappella category. According to the Interkultur world ranking list, AKUSTIKA is currently ranked the 2nd best mixed choir in the world. Christo has also been the conductor of the award-winning University of Pretoria Jacaranda Children’s Choir since January 2015. Christo is the founder of Capital Singers.

Dang Chau Anh received her master degree in choral conducting and music education at the Vietnam National Academy of Music and Malmo Academy of Music (Sweden).

She is head of conducting subject in Vietnam National Academy of music and a member of the International Society for Music Education. She is the World Choir Council representative of Vietnam.

Dang Chau Anh has worked 20 years as chorus master, artistic director and conductor for children choirs, choir of vocal faculty, musicology- composing- conducting faculty of Vietnam National Academy of music, Vietnam SolArt and Hanoi International School. She is known as a pioneer in the field of choir and music education in Vietnam.

Together with the Vietnam SolArt Choir she attended many events and festivals of Vietnam television as well as in the role of an artistic director, she led the choir to many titles in competition such as: Gold Medal, Audience Prize and Best Performance in International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival in Wernigerode, Germany.For several years she was guest conductor in Children of the World in Harmony and The Voices Without Border in Petoskey, USA.

She is a frequent juror at choir competitions, such as the Vietnam International Choir Competition, in the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Spain among others. Dang Chau Anh is also well-known by Vietnam Television audience as M.C, Music expert, Jury of many music programs and competitions on Vietnam Broadcasting System over the whole country.

Composer, conductor

• Winner of composition prizes from Tokyo, Japan and Tours, France
• Writer of approximately 300 commissioned works for choirs around the world
• Featured composer at JCDA Tokyo 2012 and and 2013 in South Africa, Japan, Indonesia and Croatia
• Jury member in Takarazuka (Japan), Cro Patria Split (Croatia), Rimini (Italy) and the IFCM Composition Contest in 2012