The 92 applications have been evaluated by the artistic committee composed by Dario Tabbia, Petra Grassi, Paolo Zaltron to which was added Daniel Mestre (European Choral Association).

Franco Basili (Argentina)

Born and raised in Argentina, Franco Basili was recently appointed visiting assistant professor in choral conducting at the University of Arkansas, leading the nationally acclaimed Schola Cantorum and Razorback Chorus, among other teaching duties. Prior to this appointment, he was assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at California Lutheran University and music and artistic director-designate of the Conejo Valley Choral Society. Before moving to California, he was conductor of the Chancel Choir at Grace Presbyterian Church in Houston and director of the University Chorus at the University of Houston. He was also involved with the Houston Chamber Choir as a choral conducting intern during the 2023–24 season and with the Houston Symphony Chorus as a rehearsal conductor during the 2022–23 season. Before moving to the United States, Franco worked as artistic director of the Chamber Choir of the National University of Mar del Plata, director of Laprida Children’s Choir and assistant conductor of the Coro Estable de Tandil. As a singer, he has performed with the World Youth Choir in the summer sessions of 2016, 2018 and 2024, the award-winning Carthage Choir and the award-winning University of Houston Concert Chorale. Other professional engagements include clinics, honour choirs and adjudications in the US and Argentina. In 2025, he won 3ʳᵈ prize at the R. Gandolfi international competition for choral conductors in Parma, Italy. He completed his doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Houston under B. Cook Weber, his master’s degree in choral pedagogy at Carthage College under R. Bjella and E. García-Novelli, and his bachelor’s degrees in choral conducting and piano pedagogy at the Conservatorio de Música I. Orbe in Tandil, Argentina, under P. Banchi and M.Á. Pesce.

Mie Bauer (Denmark)

Mie Bauer is a Danish conductor with a broad profile, trained as a music teacher and conductor at the Malko Conducting School at Danish Radio, the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen and Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm. Her musical upbringing included experience in various orchestras and choirs, and she first conducted a choir at the age of 13. Her teachers include J. Scheer, O. Faurschou, M. Ryelund, R. Heiberg, M. Janhagen and F. Malmberg. She works across different genres and has conducted choirs at all levels in Copenhagen and Stockholm alongside orchestral projects. She is currently artistic director and conductor of three adult choirs in Copenhagen and also works as a singer, orchestral conductor and teacher. She particularly enjoys interdisciplinary projects that bring different art forms together in staged performance. She has participated in several masterclasses in Denmark and abroad with G. Graden, H. Stureborg, M. Korovitch, S. van Lieshout, M. Heron, D. Hill, K. Audere, P. Hanke, F. Luisi and H.V. Christensen. In 2022, she received a talent prize in Denmark and participated in the Northern Choir Conducting Competition in 2023 and the G. Dima international competition in 2024.

Francesco Bussani (Italy)

Francesco Bussani studied piano with F. Sacchi and I. Chiarotti, graduating in 2017 with M. Patuzzi. In 2021, he graduated with honours in choral conducting and choral composition, with a thesis on Marenzio’s sacred music. After studies at Como Conservatory with F. Gardella, P. Corrado and A.E. Negri, he graduated in composition at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome with I. Fedele and A. Solbiati. He also studied musical palaeography with G. Acciai and orchestral conducting with M. Boni and M. Patuzzi. He has sung with several amateur and professional ensembles, including Coro Giovanile Italiano, ArsCantica, laVerdi Barocca, Oberwalliser Vokalensemble and Vikra Chamber Choir, and attended choral conducting masterclasses with A.E. Negri, C. Centofante and P. Grassi. In 2021, he also attended a choral-orchestral conducting masterclass with J. Farrer and L. Pagliarini. Since 2015, he has been artistic director of Coro Alpino Lecchese; since 2016, of Coro Nives; and since 2022, of the female choir Vandelia. He was a semi-finalist at the national choral conducting competition Le mani in suono in 2024 and placed 4ᵗʰ in 2026. With Coro Nives, he won 3ʳᵈ prize at the G. Savani national choir competition in 2024 and 4ᵗʰ prize at the L. Pigarelli national choir competition in 2025. Since 2019, he has taught music at a primary school in Lecco, where he also teaches piano and conducts the school treble-voice choir. As a composer, his Tenebrae factae sunt received a commendation from Virgo Vox Ensemble in 2020. He won joint 2ⁿᵈ prize at the Alma Dantis national composition competition in 2022, the VI Virgo Vox Ensemble composition competition in the same year, and joint 2ⁿᵈ prize at the SIMM international composition competition for harpsichord in 2023. His works have also been commissioned for the Cantiere d’Arte di Montepulciano, the L. Brunelli Prize and the Concerti delle Abbazie - Classica festival. His compositions are published by Feniarco and Sonzogno.

Masis Aram Gözbek (Turkey)

Masis Aram Gözbek, born in 1987 in Istanbul, is a conductor and choral entrepreneur. He is the founder and artistic director of Boğaziçi Jazz Choir, Boğaziçi Youth Choir and Magma Choirs, with which he has received numerous international awards, including two world championships, the European Video Award 2021 and the 2022 Atatürk Youth Award. He has appeared at major festivals, competitions and masterclasses across Europe, Asia and the USA and has been regularly invited as a jury member, guest conductor and workshop leader. His engagements include the European Festival of Youth Choirs Basel, the European Music Festival for Young People in Neerpelt, the International May Choir Competition in Varna, the World Choir Festival Hong Kong, the International Choral Festival of Preveza, Ohrid Choir Festival and Bohemia Cantat. He was a finalist in the world choral conducting competition in Hong Kong and a candidate in the 2021 Fosco Corti international competition for choral conductors. Gözbek has worked with ensembles including the Swiss Youth Choir, Dekoor Close Harmony, the Children’s and Youth Choir of La Monnaie/De Munt, London International Choir, Astana Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Chamber Choir of Europe. His orchestral collaborations include the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Romanian National Youth Orchestra, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, and he has worked with artists such as K. Jenkins. In 2023, he led a choral conducting masterclass in Corfu and subsequently conducted joint performances involving 2,000 singers at the European Festival of Youth Choirs Basel. He is also the initiator of the Voice of Cultures project and founder of the Korohane platform. He continues his orchestral conducting studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory and regularly works internationally as a guest conductor, lecturer and workshop leader.

Lena Herber (Germany)

Lena Herber is a German choral conductor and church musician active internationally. She completed a master’s degree in choral conducting at the University of Music Würzburg in June 2026 and is currently completing a bachelor’s degree in church music there with B. Haag and A. Rasilainen. Her education includes an Erasmus year at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm with F. Malmberg, M. Nilsson and B.T. Andersson, and previous studies in music education and conducting in Mannheim with H. Jers, J. Schumacher and T. Meister. She has participated in masterclasses with F. Helgath, J. Doyle, K. Matsushita and G. Grün, working with professional ensembles including Voces8, the Swedish Radio Choir and the Zürcher Sing-Akademie. Lena is a prize-winner at several international conducting competitions. She won 1ˢᵗ prize and the special award for the best approach to Romantic music at the international choral conducting competition in Preveza, Greece, in 2025, and 3ʳᵈ prize at the international conducting competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany, in 2022. She was also a semi-finalist at the R. Gandolfi international conducting competition in Parma and the Towards Polyphony international conducting competition in Wrocław, both in 2025. She is a recipient of the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship. Lena has gained experience as assistant conductor at Würzburg Cathedral. She has worked with ensembles including the Royal Swedish Opera Chorus, the KMH Vokalensemble, including members of the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and the Montana Chamber Chorale. In 2025, she founded Vocalensemble Connexus, a semi-professional ensemble of 24 trained singers, of which she is artistic director. Her work focuses on stylistic clarity, refined choral sound and meaningful programming. In the 2026/27 season, she will work as a guest conductor with the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir. She is also active as a choral singer, organist and workshop leader.

Gisela Carolina Iuretig (Argentina)

Gisela Carolina Iuretig is an Argentine soprano and choral conductor. From an early age, she has maintained an active artistic career that has taken her to academies and stages across Latin America, Europe and Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in musical arts from the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in Argentina, completed in 2015, and earned a master’s degree in choral conducting from the Accademia Corale Italiana in 2023. She furthered her training at the Accademia Chigiana with L. Donati in Italy in 2022 and 2025, and at the Hochschule für Musik Saar with G. Grün in Germany in 2023. As a singer, she has performed at international festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany in 2013 and at Zhejiang Normal University in China in 2023, where she also worked as a faculty member. She lived in Italy for two years, during which she was a member of the Coro Filarmonico Trentino, serving both as assistant conductor and singer. In late 2024, she began her professional career as a guest conductor at Mexico City’s Festival Internacional Entrecoros, where she also taught masterclasses and workshops for conductors and choral artists from Mexico and the United States. She has also been invited as a guest conductor for the official seasons of some of the region’s most prestigious professional ensembles, including the National Choir of Argentine Music (Co.Na.MA) in February and April 2026 and the Coro de Madrigalistas de Bellas Artes in Mexico in March 2026. She currently resides in Buenos Aires, where she is specialising in orchestral and opera conducting at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes and serves as conductor of Coro Gamma.

Dafne Jonāne (Latvia)

Dafne Jonāne graduated from the choir class of the Riga Cathedral Choir School at the National Secondary School of Arts in 2023 and currently studies choral conducting with M. Klišāns. Alongside her formal studies, she began working with choirs and developing her conducting practice. In the 2023/24 season, she worked as choirmaster of the mixed choir Ogle, followed in 2024/25 by a position as second conductor of the youth choir Balsis, helping prepare the choir for a concert tour in the United States. Since June 2025, she has conducted the choir of St Antony’s Roman Catholic Church and is occasionally invited to conduct the choir Nāc Līdzās. In January 2026, she founded the youth chamber choir Sann, where she serves as artistic director. In 2025, Dafne was a finalist in the 5ᵗʰ I. Kokars international competition for young choir conductors and placed 2ⁿᵈ in the first round of the 1ˢᵗ K. Chetinyan competition for choir conductors in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She has participated in masterclasses at the Jorma Panula Academy and attended masterclasses led by K. Audere, A. Vecumnieks and other American and Canadian conductors. Her experience as a singer includes performing with the Riga Cathedral Choir School mixed choir at the 2024 Tolosa international choral competition, where the choir received the Grand Prix, and at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Grand Rapids, USA. During her secondary-school studies, she also sang with the girls’ choir Tiara, which won its category at the 2022 Tolosa international choral competition, and participated in the opera Lakstīgala. Alongside conducting, Dafne studies composition with J. Jančevskis and has been a laureate of several national and international composition competitions. She is also a singer with Chamber Choir Ave Sol and the experimental vocal group Poetics.

Aiste Krivickaite (Lithuania)

Aistė Krivickaitė began her musical education at the M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts in Vilnius, where she studied choral and orchestral conducting. She continued her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, completing her bachelor’s degree in choral conducting in the class of J. Prinz. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Graz with B. Lack and R. Durič Barić. During her studies, she also participated in an Erasmus programme at the Hochschule für Musik C.M. von Weber Dresden with H.C. Rademann. Her artistic development has been enriched by numerous international masterclasses and competitions. She has worked with conductors and choral specialists including D. Hill, S. Overington, G. Grün, Y. Weinberg, B. Smith, S. Ågren and H. Arman. In 2025, she received 2ⁿᵈ prize at the Towards Polyphony international choral conducting competition in Wrocław, Poland, as well as the special prize for a promising young conductor at the Aegis Carminis international youth choir festival in Koper. She was also awarded 1ˢᵗ prize at the N. Martinionis young conductors’ competition in 2017 and is currently a scholarship holder of Forum Dirigieren of the German Music Council. Alongside her studies, Aistė has developed broad practical experience working with adult, youth and children's choirs of different backgrounds and assisting in university productions. Her conducting experience includes work with the Philharmonic Choir of Ljubljana and opera projects in Lithuania. Her artistic interests range from early music to contemporary repertoire, with a particular focus on vocal development, ensemble sound and expressive musical interpretation.

Seungah Kwon (South Korea)

Seungah (Serena) Kwon is an accomplished conductor, sacred musician and educator currently serving as director of music and liturgy at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in La Grange, Kentucky. With a musical background spanning choral and orchestral conducting, keyboard performance and music pedagogy, Kwon is recognised for her artistic excellence and deep dedication to sacred and community music. She earned her doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under A. Megill and A. Solya. Prior to her doctoral studies, she completed two master of music degrees, in choral conducting and orchestral conducting, at the University of Louisville with K. Hatteberg. Her academic journey began in Seoul, South Korea, at the Korea National University of Arts, where she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of music in choral conducting in 2015. Throughout her career, Kwon has demonstrated a passionate commitment to musical engagement, education and artistic collaboration. In 2014, she volunteered as a music teacher at the Lusubilo Music Center in Malawi, Africa, for eight months. Her international contributions also include conducting a commissioned contemporary work at the Seoul Museum of Art in 2016 to commemorate the 130ᵗʰ anniversary of French-Korean diplomatic relations. Her experience encompasses extensive work with diverse musical ensembles. She conducted the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Choir for three years and served as assistant conductor of the Yangju City Children’s Choir for four years. As an accompanist, organist and conductor, she brings exceptional artistry, spiritual depth and passion to every ensemble and liturgy she leads.

Ingrit Malleus (Estonia)

Ingrit Malleus is an Estonian-born soprano and conductor whose musical journey has taken her across Europe. She studied choir conducting at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with T. Kapten and T. Kaljuste, at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin with J. Doyle and J.P. Weigle, and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with N. Schweckendiek. Alongside conducting, she deepened her passion for early music through vocal studies with T. Lindeberg. Her curiosity and drive have led her to masterclasses with renowned conductors including S. Halsey, R. Norrington, P. Järvi, K. Järvi, K. Putniņš, G. Grün and P. Russill. As a singer, Ingrit has performed with ensembles such as the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, EuropaChorAkademie, Helsinki Chamber Choir and Key Ensemble. Ingrit has been recognised in competitions from an early age, winning Estonia’s choral conductors’ competition twice as a student and later achieving international recognition with prizes in Poland, Italy and Estonia. In 2024, she won 1ˢᵗ prize at the Estonian competition for young conductors, along with the special prize from the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Her professional experience is equally rich, having conducted or collaborated with ensembles including Philharmonischer Chor Berlin, the Estonian National Male Choir RAM and Mieskuoro Valkia. Since 2022, she has also worked as soprano section leader and project-based chorus master with the Helsinki Music Centre Choir. Whether on the podium or singing in an ensemble, Ingrit brings energy, precision and a deep love of choral music to every project she leads. In 2025, she won 1ˢᵗ prize at the 4ᵗʰ R. Gandolfi international competition for choral conductors in Parma, Italy.

João Martins (Portugal)

João Martins completed his bachelor’s degree in music theory and choral conducting in Lisbon at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. As part of his studies, he spent a year at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy in Hungary through an Erasmus exchange programme. João completed two master’s degrees in choral conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts under E. Buscagne and M. Utz, graduating with distinction from both. João is the winner of the 2ⁿᵈ Swiss choral conducting prize in 2026, organised by the Basler Madrigalisten. In the Autumn term of 2025, João taught a conducting course as an invited lecturer at the Universidade do Minho in Braga, Portugal. His work as a singer and conductor has brought him into contact with many renowned conductors, including D. Reuss, J. Doyle, P. Järvi, F. Helgath, M. Utz and R. Lutz. Most recently, he also worked as an assistant at the Zurich Singakademie under F. Helgath, where he gained valuable insights into conducting.

Cyrille Nanchen (Switzerland) 

Cyrille Nanchen is a Swiss choral conductor currently based in Stockholm. Internationally active as both a guest conductor and chorus master, he works with leading ensembles across Europe. Since 2025, he has served as principal guest conductor of the professional vocal ensemble Musicatreize in Marseille, renowned for its world premieres and focus on modern and contemporary repertoire. Since 2022, he has also served each Summer as choirmaster at the Verbier Festival, preparing the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble for symphonic and opera repertoire. His recent and forthcoming collaborations in 2026 and 2027 include tours and concerts with Cappella Amsterdam, the Vlaams Radiokoor, the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Lausanne Vocal Ensemble and Musicatreize, including world premieres and a recording, as well as preparations with the DR KoncertKoret and Gli Angeli Genève. In Autumn 2026, he will assist Y. Weinberg with ChorWerk Ruhr and work as guest conductor of the Riddarholmens Kammarkör in Stockholm. In Summer 2027, he will prepare Fauré’s Requiem for R. González-Monjas at the Verbier Festival and lead an atelier at the Europa Cantat Festival in Liepāja, Latvia. Nanchen has worked as assistant to K.J. de Groot at the Essen Opera and D. Reuss with Cappella Amsterdam. At the Verbier Festival, he has worked with conductors including S. Rattle, G. Noseda, J. Gaffigan and L. Shani. In 2025, he won 1ˢᵗ prize at the Aegis Carminis international competition and has received grants from prestigious programmes and organisations, including Forum Dirigieren of the German Music Council, Académie Itinérante, the Madeleine Dubuis Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Nanchen studied choral conducting in Stockholm, Amsterdam and Zurich with F. Malmberg, D. Reuss, B. Goodson, M. Utz and B. Schäfer. He further specialised through academies with the Swedish Radio Choir, SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Rundfunkchor and many others.

Paula Pērkone (Latvia)

Paula Pērkone is a choral conductor and singer. She received her foundational conducting education at the Riga Cathedral Choir School of the National Secondary School of Arts and completed her bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in 2024, followed by a master’s degree in 2026. Paula is actively involved in Latvia’s choral music scene as a conductor and performing artist. She currently serves as conductor of the mixed choirs Jasmīnas koris, Ulbroka and Rātsputni, as well as artistic director of the Latvian Choir In Corde Meo in Copenhagen. Since 2020, she has also been a member of the professional vocal a cappella group Latvian Voices. As a singer, Paula has performed at European festivals and concert venues, including the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Stefaniensaal in Graz and the Hradec Králové Filharmonie. Her international performance experience also includes collaborations with the Latvian State Academic Choir Latvija, including performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under K. Petrenko and N. Järvi. As a conductor, Paula has collaborated with choirs in Latvia and abroad, including the Latvian State Academic Choir Latvija, Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir Tiara, Chamber Choir Wernigerode in Germany, the Youth Choir of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria, and the Tone Tomšič Academic Choir of the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. She has further developed her conducting skills through international professional seminars, including the 7ᵗʰ international conductors’ seminar Wernigerode 2025 organised by Interkultur. Paula’s artistic interests focus on Latvian choral music, contemporary a cappella repertoire and vocal ensemble performance. Her professional practice combines conducting and performing, with an emphasis on active concert work and international artistic collaboration.

Rebecka Ryd (Sweden)

Rebecka Ryd is a versatile musician from Sweden, based in Salzburg, Austria, where she studies conducting with J. Andresen at Mozarteum. Ryd is also active as a professional singer, as a composer and as a board member of Sweden’s national organisation for children’s and youth choirs, UNGiKÖR. In 2023, she earned a bachelor’s degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she studied choral conducting with M. Nilsson and F. Malmberg. She previously attended Adolf Fredrik’s Music School and Södra Latins Gymnasium, studying classical singing and choral conducting. She has participated in international masterclasses with K. Audere, G. Graden, P. Kerštanj, B. Shangkuan-Cheng, L. Sow and H. Stureborg, and in 2025 took part in the R. Gandolfi international competition for choral conductors. From 2022 to 2025, Ryd was a conductor at Oscar’s Church in Stockholm, directing five children’s choirs and projects with four adult choirs. She conducted works including Bach’s Johannes-Passion, Schnittke’s Requiem and Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, and also served as choral producer, managing organisation, recruitment and repertoire for the nine choirs. As a singer, she is a regular substitute with the Swedish Radio Choir and Eric Ericson Chamber Choir. She has performed Mahler’s Das klagende Lied with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir at Stockholm Concert Hall and toured Japan with the Swedish Radio Choir under H. Blomstedt. In 2025, she founded the vocal ensemble Sága, which performed several concerts and made two recordings in its first year. She sang in the children’s choir of the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm, performing in Puccini’s La bohème and Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, and later in Adolf Fredrik’s Girls Choir. Since 2024, she has also sung with the World Youth Choir. As a board member of UNGiKÖR, she organises and teaches conducting and leadership courses for young choristers across Sweden.

Chiara Selva (Switzerland)

Chiara Selva, from Basel, completed her master’s degree in choral conducting and school music at the FHNW Hochschule für Musik with R. Immoos in 2023, graduating with top marks. She spent part of her master’s studies with G. Grün at HfM Saar in Saarbrücken. She gained further valuable experience in masterclasses with, among others, J. Doyle, Y. Weinberg and D. Reuss. In 2024, she was appointed conductor of the chamber choirs Molto Cantabile in Lucerne and PourChoeur in Basel, as well as the choir of Bern Cathedral, Münsterchor Bern. Prior to this, she assisted N. Fink with the Swiss Youth Choir and conducted the orchestra Juventus Musica in Basel. During the 2021/22 and 2023/24 seasons, she conducted the Sinfonieorchester Basel education project Singalong-Mobil. In 2025, Chiara won 3ʳᵈ prize at the international conducting competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany, received invitations to other international conducting competitions and was a finalist in the 1ˢᵗ Swiss choral conducting prize in Basel in 2024.

Marianna Setti (Italy)

Marianna Setti is an Italian conductor. She graduated from the School for Choral Conductors of the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in choral conducting and choral composition at the F.A. Bonporti Conservatory in Trento with honours, studying with P. Grassi, L. Donati and M. Ozbič. As an Erasmus student, she studied with M. Sirmais at the Jāzeps Vītols Academy of Music in Riga and graduated in modern languages from the University of Verona with a thesis on music in foreign-language teaching. During her studies, she conducted BYU Singers, Coro Giovanile Italiano, Vikra Chamber Choir, Coro della SAT, Genova Vocal Ensemble, Gioventù Incantata, Melicus and Coro Il Calicanto, and attended masterclasses with M. Berrini, A. Crane, B.O. Erdem, G. Graden, A. Greco, G. Grün, U. Lah, F. Lombardo, W. Marzilli, L. Marzola, S. Noschese, R. Paraninfo, C. Pavese, M. Sacquegna, L. Scaccabarozzi, V. Vagnetti and M. Valbusa. She conducts Mosaicor and Children’s Choir Castelbarco and was selected as co-conductor of the Trentino Youth Choir. She won 1ˢᵗ prize and two special awards at the 3^rd International choral conducting competition in Preveza, children’s choir conductors category, in 2025, and 2ⁿᵈ prize at the Aegis Carminis international choral conducting competition in Koper, Slovenia, in 2023. With her children’s choir, she has won awards at competitions including Giovani Musicisti Città di Treviso, Città di Chiari and Cantagiovani. As a singer, she has sung with Coro Giovanile Italiano, Ensemble Continuum, Castelbarco Polyphonic Choir and Trentino Youth Choir. She is a primary-school teacher and lecturer at the Sacred Music Institute in Trento, leads music projects in schools and collaborates with the Philharmonic Association of Rovereto. In 2026, she was invited to lead an atelier at the Festival di Primavera.

Kamila Siliņa (Latvia)

Kamila Siliņa is a Latvian choral conductor currently pursuing a professional master’s degree in choral conducting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where she studies with A. Veismanis. She is currently continuing her studies at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, as an Erasmus+ student, working with N. Schweckendiek. She completed her bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under A. Veismanis. During the 2023–24 academic year, she studied at the Mozarteum University Salzburg as an Erasmus+ exchange student in the choral conducting department, where she worked with J. Andresen. Her professional experience includes conducting children’s choirs, as well as working as a choirmaster and vocal coach with various ensembles. She has conducted the professional Riga Chamber Choir Ave Sol as part of its choral laboratories and has worked with the mixed choir of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. She is the founder of the mixed choir Exordium. She is currently a vocal coach and choirmaster of the male choir Absolventi. She has also worked as conductor of the inclusive choir Nāc Līdzās for singers with special needs and as choirmaster of the youth choir Balsis. Her conducting education has been complemented by masterclasses with distinguished conductors including D. Hill, C. Büttig and K. Audere.

Zhizhong Xie (Singapore)

Zhizhong “Danny” Xie is a Singaporean choral conductor, tenor and music educator whose career spans Singapore, the United States, Estonia and Sweden. Falling in love with choral singing in his adolescent years, he went on to study at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in choral music education with highest honours, majoring in piano with minors in conducting and ethnomusicology. In Singapore, Danny built an active career as a music educator and choral conductor, teaching music at secondary-school and junior-college levels and leading multiple choirs. He served as assistant conductor and president of the award-winning Raffles Singers, contributing to its Grand Prix and category wins across Europe, and worked on large-scale choral-orchestral projects as assistant conductor, singer and accompanist. He also serves as executive director of Resonance of Singapore, home to the country’s first professional vocal ensemble, The ROS Singers. In 2022, Danny moved to Estonia to deepen his conducting studies, completing a master’s degree in choral conducting cum laude at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre under T. Kapten. In 2023–24, he also studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under F. Malmberg through Erasmus+. In 2023, he was a top-five finalist at the 4ᵗʰ J. Naujalis international competition for choral conductors in Vilnius, Lithuania. He has since sung and guest-conducted with ensembles including Tallinna Kammerkoor, Segakoor HUIK!, the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, the Swedish Radio Choir and Vokalharmonin. He has also sung tenor with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir since the 2024/25 season. He currently serves as chorus master of Segakoor HUIK! and co-conductor of Kammerkoor Avis Animi, with whom he won the Grand Prix at the XVIII Estonian Chamber Choirs Association Festival in April 2026.