JURY 2025

Ambrož ČOPI (Slovenia)

Studied composition with Dane Škerl and Uroš Roko at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He first gained knowledge of vocal music and conducting as an assistant of the conductor Stojan Kuret. He led several Slovenian choirs: Chamber Choir Nova Gorica, Mixed Choir Obala, Academic Choir of University of Primorska, KGBL Chamber Choir, etc. With them, he achieved fifteen golden plaquettes at various national competitions, and twentynine first places as well as several golden plaquettes at competitions held abroad. He performed as a finalist at the European Grand Prix in Choral Singing in Tours (France, 2009) with the Academic Choir of the University of Primorska. Furthermore, he was awarded several special prizes for his interpretations, a number of prizes for exceptional achievements with the choirs, and was also voted best conductor at numerous competitions. In 2014 he was awarded with the Gallus Medal, the highest award in the field of musical activity at national level in Slovenia. In 2016 he received Škerjanc recognition given by the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana for outstanding artistic achievements with the Chamber Choir of the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana and the promotion of the Conservatory. In the same year he received a prestigious national award Preseren Fund Prize, for outstanding achievements over the past two years. In 2024, he was awarded the Kozin Prize by the Slovene Composers’ Society for his complete vocal opus, and in the same year he received the Republic of Slovenia Prize for Education for his outstanding achievements in the field of music education.

Ambrož Čopi is a teacher at the Art High School in Koper, Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana. As a prominent promoter of Slovenian contemporary choral music, he became a mentor to the youngest generation of Slovenian composers (Nana Forte, Andrej Makor, Tine Bec, Matej Kastelic, Federica Lo Pino, Klara Mlakar, Jan Triler…).

He is regularly invited to act as a member of the jury at various choral events, choral competitions (Tours – France, Varna – Bulgaria, Maribor – Slovenia, Arezzo – Italy, Krakow – Poland, Taipei – Taiwan, Preveza – Greece, Jurmala – Latvia, Derry – Irland, Singapore – Singapore, Kerkrade – Netherlands, Gdansk – Poland, Split – Croatia, Prijedor – Bosnia and Herzegovina…) and composition competitions (IFCM, International Composers Competition Tokyo – Japan, Feniarco – Italy, Preveza – Greece, CroPatria – Croatia…), and is often involved in choral music seminars and workshops at home and abroad as a lecturer for composition (Patrida project – Greece, St. Peterburg – Russia) and choral conducting (LDO – Spain, Preveza – Greece, Arezzo – Italy…).

Paul D. HEAD (USA)

Dr. Paul D. Head celebrates 25 years as the distinguished named chair of choral studies at the University of Delaware this year. Choirs under his leadership have been recognized throughout the United States and Europe, appearing six times on national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) while winning awards at international competitions in Spain, Hungary, Germany, and the prestigious Grand Prix Award in the Estonian Choral Competition. He has conducted honor choirs in 27 of the United States as well as those in several choirs in Great Britain and Europe. He also served as President of ACDA-Eastern Division.​

Also highly regarded as a pedagogue and author of several books, Dr. Head’s most notable contribution is his role as co-author and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy. Under Head’s leadership, the D​elaware Choral Scholars have enjoyed residencies with several organizations including the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and Manhattan Productions in New York City. For six years, they served as the core ensemble of the Choral Conducting Symposium in Provence, France – an intensive program for aspiring choral directors from all over the United States.​

Prior to coming to Delaware, Dr. Head taught in the California public schools where his choirs received many awards, culminating in being named as state champions in the Golden State Choral Competition – a prestigious festival for the finest s​chool choirs in the state. He is the proud father of three grown children, two grandchildren, and resides in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and lovable dog named Charley.​​​

Bengt OLLÉN (Sweden)

He is the founder and artistic director of Sofia Vokalensemble, which he has led with passion and unwavering energy since 1995. Under his direction, the ensemble has grown into a vibrant and determined choir, constantly evolving artistically and musically.

In recognition of his inspiring leadership, Bengt was named Conductor of the Year in 2021 by the Rosenborg-Gehrman Foundation and the Swedish Association of Choir Conductors.

A central pillar of Bengt’s work is fostering strong group dynamics within the choir. He often incorporates creative improvisation exercises into rehearsals, which not only deepen the singers’ connection but frequently result in imaginative concert moments and unique musical interpretations.

Bengt places great emphasis on musical and social communication among choir members, believing that choral music should go beyond beautiful sound — it should move the listener. Each singer’s personal engagement is therefore an essential part of the artistic process.

Bengt studied choral conducting with Gösta Ohlin and Gunnar Eriksson at the Academy of Music in Gothenburg. He is frequently invited to lead workshops, festivals, and concerts both in Sweden and internationally.”

Oleksii SHAMRYTSKYI (Ukraine)

Oleksiy Shamrytskyi (born in 1988) graduated with honors from the Kyiv National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in 2011 and postgraduate studies.

Since 2010, he has been the artistic director of the Sofia Chamber Choir. with which he won more than a dozen international competitions in Białystok (2014,2018), Debrecen (2016), Lindenholtz University (2017), Gorizia (2017,2019), Baia Mare (2018), Torrevieja (2019), Baden (2022), and Tolosa 2022. In 2023, he became the first Ukrainian conductor to be awarded the EGP (Debrecen).

Together with various choirs, he is a regular participant in various festivals, among which the most famous is the Beethoven Fest Bonn.

Under the leadership of Oleksiy Shamrytskyi, Sofia Chamber Choir toured in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria and became the most touring choir in Ukraine. Oleksiy also produces modern Ukrainian music. Cycles of famous Ukrainian composers Yaroslav Karpiv and Yevhen Petrichenko were commissioned by him.

Bernie SHERLOCK (Ireland)

Bernie Sherlock is a leading choral conductor. She has won international conducting prizes in Finland, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia and Ireland, and her adjudication and workshop engagements have taken her around Europe and to the US, Canada and China.

Bernie studied conducting with Ildiko Herboly-Kocsar and Peter Erdei at the Liszt Academy in Hungary, and with Gerhard Markson in Dublin. Following her BA in music from Trinity College Dublin she earned Masters and Doctorate degrees in conducting from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music/DCU respectively.

Bernie is the founder-conductor of the international award-winning chamber choir New Dublin Voices, critically acclaimed for its innovative concert programming and its work in television, radio, and recording. The choir has a strong record at Europe’s leading competitions, winning many international prizes.

Bernie has extensive experience directing a wide range of choirs, including twelve years as Musical Director of the Culwick Choral Society, nine years as conductor of the University of Dublin Choral Society (Trinity College), and ten years as Choral Director at the TU Dublin Conservatoire where she is a Lecturer in Music and where she is currently conductor of the TU Chamber Choir and Youth Choir.

For 12 years Bernie was Artistic Director as well as tutor on the annual International Choral Conducting Summer School run by Sing Ireland at the University of Limerick. She is the representative for Ireland on the World Choir Council.

Dario TABBIA (Italia)

Dario Tabbia studied choral conducting with Sergio Pasteris at the Conservatory of Turin, where he graduated with honors, and then with Fosco Corti. Since 1983 he is Professor of Choral Practice at the Conservatory of Turin.

He founded in 1994 the vocal ensemble Daltrocanto which whom he participated in some of the most important festivals of early music and realized recordings that have received critical acclaim from the international press (Diapason, Gramophone, Repertoire, Le monde de la musique) as well as the Italian critics Award in 1996 and the Amadeus award in 1997. In 2008 he founded the Vox Libera vocal ensemble and the Chamber Choir of Torino. Co-conducting the Italian Youth Choir with Lorenzo Donati from 2011 to 2014, has led him to win two first prizes and a special price at the Florilège Vocal de Tours (France) in 2014.

In addition to his concert activity, he carries out an intense didactic activity. He has been invited several times as a teacher by the Conservatory of Utrecht. He regularly organizes choral conducting courses for the Feniarco and many Italian choral associations. He has been a jury member in prestigious national and international choral competitions. In 1991 and 1992 he was the director of the symphonic Choir of RAI of Torino.

With the Chamber Choir of Turin he won: the first prize and the Feniarco special prize at the National Competition of Arezzo (2012). In 2023, with the Chamber Choir of Turin, he participated in the 71st International Polyphonic Competition of Arezzo, winning three first prizes in addition to the prestigious “Gran Premio Città di Arezzo”. Therefore, in 2024 he is finalist at the European Grand Prix for choral singing, in Varna (Bulgaria).