Lecturers
Bob Chilcott (United Kingdom)
Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong association with choral music, as a chorister and choral scholar in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and as a member of the King’s Singers. He became a full-time composer and conductor in 1997, and has composed a large catalogue of choral music which is published by Oxford University Press. His most often performed pieces include Can you hear me?, A Little Jazz Mass, Requiem, and the St John Passion. Bob has directed choirs in more than 30 countries worldwide and conducts many thousands of amateur singers in a continuing series of Singing Days. Since 2002 he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers and since 2019 Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers. His music has been widely recorded by leading British choirs and groups including The King’s Singers, King’s College, Cambridge, Wells Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, The Sixteen, Tenebrae, The BBC Singers, The Bach Choir, Commotio, and Ora. Circlesong, recorded by the Houston chamber Choir and Treble Choir of Houston, was released by Signum in January 2022, and his second disc with NFM Wroclaw, Canticles of Light, in January 2023.
Giovanni Bonato (Italy)
Giovanni Bonato began his composition studies with F. Vacchi in Vicenza, continuing them with A. Guarnieri and graduating in 1986 with G. Manzoni at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan. At a very young age, he received an honourable mention at the International New Music Composers Competition (New York, 1987). He also studied conducting at the Civic School of Music in Milan. He is the author of several chamber (vocal and instrumental), choral and symphonic pieces, many of which have received important awards. He has won first prizes in the following competitions: K. Szymanowski (Katowice, 2018), GMCL/Jorge Peixinho (Lisbon, 2017), Reina Sofia (Madrid, 2009), F. Siciliani (Perugia, 2012), Uuno Klami International composition competition (Finland, 2004) with the special prize of the Society of Finnish Composers, Prix international de composition musicale Reine Marie José (Geneva, 2004), F. Evangelisti (2002), Kompositionswettbewerb Rhein-Ruhr ICV (Bochum, 1998), A. Pedrotti (Trento, 1991), Guido d'Arezzo (Arezzo, 1987 and 1989), ICONS (1989), Città di Trieste (1988), A. Casella (Siena, 1987) and also the second prize (first not awarded) at the G. Petrassi (Parma, 1991). Among others, he boasts world premieres by the Estonian National Male Choir, Coro Giovanile Italiano, Vocalforum Graz, Vokalna Akademja Ljubljana, St. Jakob's Chamber Choir, State Choir Turkey, M. Brunello as well as performances by the World Youth Choir, Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart. He teaches composition at the Conservatorio C. Pollini Conservatory in Padua and was artistic director of SpazioZen, a chamber music festival. In 2013, he was elected Ordinary Academician by the Accademia Olimpica di Vicenza while in 2018 he was awarded the ASAC prize for artistic merits.