EGP FINALISTS 2018

Allmänna Sången
Conductor Maria Goundorina
(Uppsala, Sweden)

Winner of
International Choir Competition Gallus – Maribor 2017
MARIBOR, SLOVENIA

The choir presents a rare combination of well–established traditions and innovative musicianship. Founded as a male–voice choir, it has been part of the academic life in Uppsala since 1830. Reforming as a mixed choir in 1963, they continue to honour the rich Swedish choral tradition as well as highlighting music by contemporary composers. Its heterogeneous repertoire wishes to inspire the listeners not only to enjoy treasured music gifts of the past, but also to discover new music. Through its long history, the choir made many appearances on stages in Sweden and across the globe. They perform their own concerts and collaborate with other artists. In 2014, they carried out a large-scale production of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana together with Swedish Folkoperan. They performed the main entertainment event Floral Transformation during the Nobel banquet in Stockholm in 2005, released the CD Resonanser–Swedish Choral Music New Perspectives in 2009, and won the Swedish Grammis–award the same year for best classical album. During autumn 2015 and spring 2016, Allmänna Sången recorded a new album: Femina Moderna, consisting of music by female contemporary composers.

Coro Musicanova
Conductor Fabrizio Barchi
(Roma, Italy)

Winner of
Tours Vocal Competition 2017
TOURS, FRANCE

Coro Musicanova started performing in 1990. Since the beginning, the choir included varieties of genres and authors in its repertoire, ranging from renaissance to pop music. They performed in various European countries, gaining recognitions and prizes in some of the most important international choral competitions. In 2008, the choir won the first prize at the 6th International Miltenberg Competition. In 2014, Coro Musicanova won several prizes at the 53rd Gorizia International Competition, becoming the best mixed choir. In 2017, the choir won the Grand Prix of the 46th Florilege Vocal de Tours, winning access to the 2018 EGP Finale in Maribor. The choir is highly involved in spreading choral music among young people, strongly believing in the musical and human values of the choral activity. As a consequence, the choir often collaborates with Roman schools, from which the majority of its members come from.

The Stockholms Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir
Conductor Helene Stureborg
(Stockholm, Sweden)

Winner of
International May Choir Competition 2017
VARNA, BULGARIA

Founded in 1989 by Gary Graden to offer the students extended experiences in choral singing, it complements the regular choral education. They soon gained a wide reputation and won several international competitions. A highlight was the invitation to the IFCM Symposium in Ljubljana in 1995, where the Chamber choir represented Sweden. In 1997, the choir was invitated to the Vatican’s yearly Christmas Concert, televised in several countries and seen by millions of people!
The choir rehearses two hours per week after a full school-day and changes 10-12 of its 38 members each year. In 2002, Gary Graden ‘retired’ as conductor and Helene Stureborg took his place.
They have since produced two CDs (God Jul and Ave Maria), were successful in competitions (Tours 2006, Marktoberdorf 2009, Cork 2011), festivals (Usedomer Musikfestival 2005, Concordia Vocis 2010, Europäische Jugendchor Festival Basel 2012), made several tours to Berlin, performed in Berliner Dom, and gave many concerts. In spring of 2010, they toured with Andrea Boccelli in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm and celebrated 25th Anniversary with Graden and Stureborg.
The repertoire shows a wide range of styles and epochs, with emphasis on contemporary a cappella music.

Beijing Philharmonic Choir
Conductor Yang Li
(Beijing, China)

Winner of
International Guido d’Arezzo Polyphonic Contest 2017
AREZZO, ITALY

The choir was founded in 1983 by Professor Yang Hongnian, renowned conductor and music educator. In the past 30 years, nearly 5,000 children have been trained in the choir, with about 1,500 Chinese and foreign songs sung at over 1,000 performances worldwide. It has garnered 30 major prizes from internationally prestigious competitions, released 32 CD and DVD albums and 7 collections of children’s choral music.
In 1987, they performed in the 3rd International Children’s Choir Festival in Washington D.C., receiving Highest Appreciation Certificate, signed by the president Ronald Reagan. In 1990, Austrian president Rudolf Kirchschläger praised their performance with these words: “A concert of such brilliance should be heard by everyone in Vienna.” In February 2003, the choir staged a showcase performance at the annual meeting of American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and participated in concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Riverside Church in NYC.
Beijing Olympic Games Bidding Committee picked the choir to perform in Monaco and Moscow, along the bidding process for hosting the 2000 and 2008 Olympics. On August 8th 2008, 66 singers sang The Olympic Hymn at the opening ceremony of the 29th Beijing Summer Olympics. In September 2016, they visited and performed in Israel and Palestine as the Peace Angel as start of “The Song of World Peace” tour.
The choir remains committed to its mission – Love & Devotion. In 30 years, they have regularly appeared in charitable events and free training workshops. They will continue to pursue its artistic goal, sharing love and the beauty of music with all.

The Resonanz Children’s Choir
Conductor Avip Priatna
(Jakarta, Indonesia)

Winner of
Tolosa Choral Competition 2017
TOLOSA, BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN

The Resonanz Children’s Choir (TRCC) is an award-winning children’s choir based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Most of its members are students of The Resonanz Music Studio, a music centre led by Indonesian maestro Avip Priatna. He founded TRCC in 2007 and has been mentoring them ever since. Conductors of the choir include Devi Fransisca and Luciana Oendoen.
For the past few years, TRCC has been championing several international choir competitions. In 2012, TRCC became the Champion Children’s Choir in Bali. Next year, TRCC competed at the Hong Kong International Youth and Children’s Choir Competition and won six awards. These, among others, were first prizes in children’s and folklore categories, and the title of ‘Choir of the World’. In 2015, TRCC went to the US and won four awards at the Golden Gate International Choir Festival in San Francisco. In 2016, they won the Children’s choir category and became the grand champion of the Claudio Monteverdi Choral Competition in Venice, Italy. In July 2017, TRCC won the Children’s Choir category and also became the grand champion of the Musica Eterna Roma, in Italy, while in November on the same year, TRCC won the children’s choir category as well as the grand prix of the 49th Tolosa Choral Contest.