Ralph Allwood, UK

Precentor and Director of Music for 26 years at Eton College, UK, Ralph Allwood recently left his position to pursue freelance activities as conductor of the orchestra of St Paul’s Girls’ School, Director of Music at Hampstead Parish Church and the founding of Inner Voices, a choir for young people from ten Inner London state schools.

As a pupil at Tiffin School and a student at Durham University, Ralph received the Eve Myra Kysh prize for music and conducted the University Chamber Choir from 1970 until his graduation in 1972, later becoming a member of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge before a position Director of Music at Pangbourne College. ·While Director of Music at Uppingham he founded the annual Choral Courses for prospective choral scholars which currently host up to four hundred young singers each year, the best voices of which form the Rodolfus Choir, which he also directs.

In addition to a position as adjudicator for the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, Ralph Allwood is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music and Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Kathleen Dineen, Ireland

Kathleen Dineen, soprano and harpist teaches voice and medieval vocal ensemble at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland. Among her many achievements, including the position of Artist in Residence at the Stimmen festival, Germany in 2010, Kathleen directs the highly successful Basel-based vocal trio White Raven, which specialise in Irish traditional and medieval repertoires.

As a music graduate from University College Cork, Kathleen sang and performed with a range of well-known artists and ensembles, including harpsichordists Malcolm Proud and London based ensemble The Clerkes of Oxenford, for a number of years before moving to Switzerland in 1987 to study voice with Richard Levitt and Dominique Vellard.

Kathleen has enjoyed a successful career as vocal arranger and composer with a large repertoire of musical arrangements for voice, and harp accompaniment, and has featured on many recordings of the Ferrara Ensemble Basel, as well as recordings with White Raven on their label, Blasket Music. The artist’s long established collaboration with countertenor Andreas Scholl culminated in a newly released album "Songs of Myself" which received rave reviews by critics at its recent London premiere.

Prof. Péter Erdei, Hungary

Director of the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemét, 1974-2008

Professor of choral conducting at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest.

Permanent guest professor of the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, CN.

Artistic director of the Alma Mater Choir of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music.

Co-founder of the Kodály Musical Training Institute, USA, 1969.

Chairman of the Artistic Board of the Béla Bartók International Choral Competition of Debrecen, 2002-2008.

Conductor of the World Youth Choir, 2000.

For many years Péter has conducted choirs such as the Hungarian Radio Choir, the Kodaly Choir of Debrecen, and the Teachers' Choir of Kecskemét.

The last three decades have seen many premier performances and recordings of many contemporary Hungarian choral works. Among many accolades, Péter was awarded the Order of Merit (civilian) Officer Cross in 1995 by the President of the Hungary, as well as the Order of Merit Chief Officer Cross in 2002 by the King of Norway.

Pasi Hyökki, Finland

Born in 1970, Pasi Hyökki is a graduate from the Master of Arts (Music) in Choral Conducting programme at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki; continuing his studies with master classes from Eric Ericson and Anders Eby.

As Artistic Director of the Tapiola Choir, YL Male Voice Choir, and two self-establised choirs - the EMO Ensemble and Talla Vocal Ensemble, Hyökki was awarded the honour of “Best Conductor” in the Tampere Vocal Festival in 1997, and the “In...Canto sul Garda” competition in Italy 2001, among other accolades.

As a sopranist, Pasi Hyökki has studied under Claudine Ansermét, Christina Miatello and Gloria Banditelli in Urbino, Italia. The artist’s performed his debut concert in 2003 as the soprano soloist in Händel’s ’The Messiah’, with a first solo concert in Viitasaari,in 2004, premiering commissioned works from Sampo Haapamäki, Perttu Haapanen and Seppo Pohjola.

Helena Fojkar Zupančič, Slovenia

As both a music teacher and solo singer, Helena Fojkar Zupančič has the perfect foundation for choral conducting.  Her knowledge of the human voice and the refined approach to singers are reflected in the sophisticated vocal techniques and the extremely cultivated sound of the choirs she conducts: St. Stanislav's Girls' Choir and St. Nicholas Mixed Choir Litija. Both choirs have received many significant awards, including first and special prizes at national and international competition, most notably first prize at the Euroradio Competition ‘Let the Peoples Sing’ in Oslo 2009 with St. Stanislav’s Girls’ Choir. 

In 2004, and subsequently from 2007 to 2009, Helena was also choirmaster of the Slovenian Children’s Choir and has also collaborated and recorded with the RTV Slovenia Chamber Choir. In her musical interpretations, this experienced conductor strives to offer an experience of musical eloquence through the fusion of music and words.

Helena's rich knowledge, skills and experience have brought her much success and the conductor is a much sought-after singer as well as lecturer at choral and conducting seminars and conferences.

Shane Brennan, Ireland

Arts Education Officer for the Midland region, Shane Brennan spent 19 years as Director of the Schola Cantorum at St Finians College Mullingar and Director of Music at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar and Whitefriar St Carmelite Church, Dublin.

Earlier appointments included periods as Organ Scholar at the Pro-Cathedral Dublin 1977-1982 and at Cathedral London, where he worked with three eminent Masters of Music. As an organ recitalist Shane has performed in Ireland, UK and Sweden, with notable recent international performances in Lithuania and Russia. He also perfoms annually at the International Summer Series at St. Michael's, Dun Laoghaire. Shane has served as an adjudicator at many Irish choral festivals, as well as being an examiner for·choir and orchestras exams for almost 18 years.·

Early recordings include an album of Bach, Sweelinck, Brahms and Wagner compositions on the magnificent Frobenius organ at Tullamore, and Shane is in preparations for performances and recordings of Bach’s Six Trio Sonatas, and the Clavier-Übung Part III, underway for 2012.

Bernie Sherlock, Ireland

Bernie Sherlock trained in choral conducting in Hungary with Peter Erdei and Ildikó Herboly Kocsár and then Gerhard Markson of the NSO before earning a Masters from NUI Maynooth.

In 2005 she founded New Dublin Voices, now established as one of Ireland’s leading chamber choirs. Known for its innovative concert programming as well as its television, radio and recording work, NDV has also won major prizes from competitions in France, Germany, Hungary, Finland, Italy and Belgium, and won 2nd prize in the 2010 Fleischmann International Competition where Bernie was also awarded the International Jury Award.

·
Since 2007 Bernie has been Musical Director of the Culwick Choral Society. She is a Music Lecturer at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and is in demand as an adjudicator and teacher of conducting. Bernie is Artistic Director of Educational Programmes for the Association of Irish Choirs, including the annual International Conducting Summer School.