Preliminary round
Ensemble InContrà - Fontanafredda
conductor: Roberto Brisotto

The Ensemble In Contrà was born in 2013 within the Contrà Camolli Choir of Camolli-Casut (Pordenone). Since its foundation, the ensemble has undertaken a lively concert activity. In 2015 he won the 3rd place in the sacred music category and a special prize at the International Choral Competition Venezia in Musica. In the same year it obtained the Diploma of Excellence, the prize for the best interpretation of a piece in the category of polyphonic choirs and monodic singing and the Grand Prize at the XV edition of Corovivo, an important regional project festival organised by Usci Friuli Venezia Giulia. In 2016 and 2017 the choir collaborated with USCI Pordenone within the project A scuola di coro with the teacher L. Donati. In 2017 he participated, with the whole association, in the XVI edition of Corovivo winning another excellence’s prize. In 2018 he took the 2nd place of the sacred music category at the 52nd National Choral Competition Trofei Città di Vittorio Veneto. In 2018 he took part in a masterclass with S. Connolly and in 2019 he won the sacred music category and a special prize at the Venezia in Musica International Choral Competition. It was invited, the first Italian choral group, to participate in the 15th edition of the J. Langlais Festival in Brittany. In 2020 he won the 2nd prize at the Aerco national online competition (adult choirs category), the 1st prize at the Voci d'Italia national online competition (concerts category) and the 1st prize at the Bobbio Sacra National video competition. In 2021 it won the 1st prize in the vocal ensemble category and the Guido d'Arezzo Grand Prize at the 38th Guido d'Arezzo National Polyphonic Competition. Since its foundation it has been conducted by Roberto Brisotto.

Graduated in piano, organ and organ composition at the Conservatorio C. Pollini in Padova, Roberto Brisotto later obtained a first level degree in choral composition and choir conducting at the Conservatory G. Tartini in Trieste, completing his training with several master classes. As conductor, pianist and organist he has an extensive concert activity to his credit with performances in Italy and abroad and many discographic television and radio recordings. He has received several awards as composer and choir conductor in national and international competitions. He has composed choral, vocal and instrumental music for theatre performances, short films and multimedia exhibitions. His works have been published by LIM, PH Publishers, Carrara, Asac, Usci Fvg, Act, broadcast by Radio Rai, Radio Capodistria, Rai Slovenia and Rai FVG and performed in Italy and abroad. Since 2017 he is the conductor of the Cappella Civica of Trieste at which he held the position of organist. He conducted the choir Giovani del Contrà, the youth choir of the Opitergium Musical Institute, the vocal group Made in Vox and the youth choir of the Oberdan High School in Trieste. He carries out didactic activity, collaborates with different musical and cultural realities and has been invited several times to be part of juries of national and international competitions.

[mixed choir-preliminary round]

Preliminary round
Artemusica - Valperga
conductor: Debora Bria

Semifinal round
Coro da camera di Torino - Turin
conductor: Dario Tabbia

The Turin Chamber Choir was founded in 2008 on the initiative of its conductor Dario Tabbia to enhance the lesser known polyphonic repertoire. The choir performed concerts in important music festivals including MiTo Settembre Musica, Unione Musicale of Torino, Piemonte in Musica, Musici of Santa Pelagia, Teatro Bibiena of Mantua, Festival of the Via Francigena, Ruvo Coro Festival with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance to the music of the 20th century. It was invited to the International Festivals of Sassari, Cagliari and Porto Torres. In 2011 the group won a first prize and three special awards at the F. Chaffurio National Quartiano Choral Competition and in 2012 the first prize and the Feniarco Special Prize at the Guido d’Arezzo National Polyphonic Competition. In 2015 the choir was chosen as pilot choir for the international competition for young conductors in Turin and, in the same year, it toured the Netherlands with great success. In 2017 he was a finalist at the Grand Prize of the Maribor International Choral Competition (Slovenia) where it was awarded a special prize and in 2019 it won three first prizes, two special prizes and the E. Casagrande Grand Prize at the National Choral Competition City of Vittorio Veneto. Some of the most important Italian composers such as Giovanni Bonato, Elena Camoletto, Giuseppe Di Bianco, Franco Dominutti, Alessandro Ruo Rui and Mauro Zuccante, have composed pieces expressly for the choir. It regularly collaborates with Il Respiro è già Canto Choral Conducting School and it performed under the direction of K. Koetsveld, A. Sanna, L. Marzola and F.M. Bressan. The choir recorded the CDs: Voci, Made in Italy, a project entirely dedicated to Italian composers from the Renaissance to the present day, Passio Domini nostra Jesu Christi (attached to n. 60 of the Choraliter magazine) and Dieci on the occasion of the tenth anniversary.

Dario Tabbia graduated in choir conducting at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Turin, he performed in Italy and abroad. He conducted the University Choir of Turin and the vocal ensemble Daltrocanto with which he made recordings that have obtained important international awards (Diapason, Gramophone, Repertoire, Le monde de la musique), in addition to the Italian critics' award in 1996 and the Amadeus award in 1997. He has recorded for Opus 111, Nuova Era, Stradivarius, Arts, Symphonia and Bongiovanni. Jury member in prestigious national and international choral competitions, in 1991-92 he was the conductor of the symphonic choir of the RAI of Turin. In 2006 he supervised the revision of the book about choir conducting Il respiro è già canto by Fosco Corti and the following year he founded the school for choir conductors of the same name, where he teaches. In 2008 he founded the Turin Chamber Choir with which he won several awards and recorded four CDs. Since 1983 he has been teaching choral exercises at the G. Verdi Conservatory of Turin. He was a member of the Feniarco's Music Commission as well as a teacher at the Europa Cantat Festival Pécs 2015 . From 2011 to 2014 he was co-conductor of the Italian Youth Choir with which he won several first prizes at the Florilège Vocal de Tours in 2014.

[mixed choir - semifinal]

Semifinal round
Gruppo Vocale Novecento - San Bonifacio
conductor: Maurizio Sacquegna

Gruppo Vocale Novecento was founded in 2003 as a male vocal ensemble whose repertoire is focused on renaissance, romantic, contemporary and folk polyphony. The ensemble has collaborated with the University of Padova, Conservatory E. Dall'Abaco of Verona, Conservatory N. Bonporti of Trento, Academy for choir conductors P. Righele, training course Il respiro è già canto in Turin, residential course for choir conductors of Mel and with important musical personalities such as M. Lanaro, L. Donati, A. Lovato, M. Valbusa, M. Da Rold, W. Testolin, D. Tabbia, B. De Marzi, P. Da Col. The choir has participated in hundreds of concerts including Mito Settembre Musica, Conto Cento Canto Pace in Agordo, Voce! in Bosco Chiesanuova, Organ Festival in Vicenza, Rassegna Arcova in Valle d'Aosta, Choral Festival Nella città dei Gremi in Sassari. The choir has recorded the anthologies of T.L. da Victoria and A. Lotti. It has been very active for years in national and international competitions where it has won several prizes and awards: Grand Prize at the 12th National Polyphonic Competition of Lake Maggiore; 1st Prize and Prize for the best conductor at the 2nd National Competition for male choirs L. Pigarelli; 1st Prize at the 7th National Competition Città di Fermo; the 21st Grand Prize E. Casagrande at the 49th National Choral Competition Trofei Città di Vittorio Veneto; 2nd Prize cat. voci pari at the 64th International Polyphonic Competition Guido d'Arezzo; 2nd Prize at the 9th Competition A. Guanti of Matera; the 2nd prize at the 32nd National Polyphonic Competition G. d'Arezzo; the 1st prize in the B2 category at the XXV International Choral Competition of Verona; the band of excellence at the 8th Festival of Venetian choral music; the gold band and the prize for the best conductor at the 31st National Choral Competition F. Gaffurio of Quartiano.

Maurizio Sacquegna is a teacher, choir conductor and PhD in musicology. He has taught at the P. Righele Academy for choir conductors and he is a lecturer at the Campostrini High School of Music in Verona and at the Guido d'Arezzo School for choir conductors. He is often invited as a jury member at international choral and conducting competitions. He has been as speaker at conferences and masterclasses at the Fondazione Guido d'Arezzo, the F.A. Bonporti conservatories in Trento and E.F. Dall'Abaco in Verona, and for Asac Veneto, Usci Brescia and other choral associations. He is the founder and conductor of the Gruppo Vocale Novecento and also leads the Piccola Baita Choir, the San Giovanni Battista Choir and La Preara Alpine Choir. He sings as a baritone in the professional sextet EsaConsort and is a member of the Asac Artistic Commission. He was awarded the prize for best conductor at the 31st and 32nd F. Gaffurio National Choral Competition in Quartiano and at the 2nd L. Pigarelli National Competition for men's choirs in Arco. His essays, articles and monographs have been published by the University of Padua, Aerco, Erma di Bretschneider, Fondazione Campostrini of Verona. In 2020 he was awarded the 35th Brunacci prize for the history of the Veneto in Monselice and a mention at the 5th biennial P. Gaiatto prize promoted by the Levi Foundation of Venice.    

[male choir - semifinal]

Final round
Slovenian Philharmonic Choir
conductor: Gregor Klančič

The beginnings of organised choral activities in Slovenia can be found in the work of the predecessors of the Slovenian Philharmonic. We know that the Philharmonic Society had its own vocal ensemble with which it presented concerts from the end of the eighteenth century onwards. In the nineteenth century, at a time of strong national aspirations, the central Slovenian music organisation Glasbena matica founded its own choir, whose members also performed successfully abroad. After the Second World War and the dissolution of Glasbena matica, the choir was revived as part of the Slovenian Philharmonic. In 1976, the professional choral tradition was interrupted for some time, until 1991, when the Slovenian Chamber Choir was re-established as an association of special social importance. This choir has been operating under the auspices of the Slovenian Philharmonic since 1998. The choir was led by Mirko Cuderman for two decades. From 2012 until the present day, Martina Batič, Borut Smrekar and Gregor Klančič have respectively served as its artistic directors. In addition to the most prominent Slovenian conductors, the choir has also been conducted by many renowned international artists, such as Eric Ericson, Tõnu Kaljuste, Grete Pedersen, Kaspars Putniņš, Günther Theuring and Stephen Layton. As part of its subscription series, the choir prepares concerts of a cappella and vocal-instrumental music, as well as regularly collaborating with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra in the performance of vocal-instrumental works. As the only professional concert vocal ensemble in Slovenia, the choir devotes a great deal of attention to the preservation of the Slovenian musical heritage. Since 2016, the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir has been a member of the European Network of Professional Chamber Choirs TENSO.  

Choirmaster and organist Gregor Klančič began his music education at the Music School Nova Gorica and at the Organ School in Nova Gorica. He continued his studies at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, where he graduated from the Department of Music Pedagogy and Church Music. He has conducted several different choirs, including the Consortium musicum choir, with which he has performed several vocal-instrumental works. Since 2019, he has been the conductor of the Ave Chamber Choir. He is the head of music at the Archdiocese of Ljubljana and also the director and lecturer at the Organ School in Ljubljana. He performs as an organist in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France and Germany. He has performed with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, numerous vocal soloists, instrumentalists and choirs. From 1993 to 2012 he was a member of the Slovenian Chamber Choir - now the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, from 2004 to 2012 he worked as an assistant choirmaster of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, with whom he also had several solo concerts. In 2018, he was the the artistic director of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, and in May 2020 he took over this function again.  

[mixed professional choir-final]