2006 PARTICIPATING CHOIRS

Australia: Adelaide Chamber Singers
Conductor: Carl Crossin

Adelaide Chamber Singers is widely regarded as one of Australia's leading chamber choirs. Formed in 1985 by its director, Carl Crossin, the choir has performed at a number of Australia's major arts festivals and has toured the UK, Norway, Singapore, Japan and the USA. ACS also represented Australia at the 10th Annual Convention of the Association of British Choral Directors in 1996, the inaugural Asia South Pacific Symposium in Singapore in 2001, and at the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music in the USA in 2002. The members of Adelaide Chamber Singers come from backgrounds as diverse as Music, Law, Education, Medicine and Science, but all share a passion for vocal chamber music and a dedication to choral excellence. The ensemble's repertoire is wide-ranging in style and genre, and manifests a strong commitment to contemporary Australian choral music.

Australia: Woden Valley Youth Choir
Conductor: Alpha Gregory

Woden Valley Youth Choir is based in Canberra, Australia's national capital. The choir was founded in 1969 by a local school teacher and today it is a world-class performing choir with a tradition of excellence. The choir has recorded four albums and three CD's, and has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, and a large number of other national and international dignitaries. Woden Valley Youth Choir has also toured America, Japan, Europe and New Zealand and has hosted choirs from all parts of the world.

Czech Republic: Ústí Children's Choir
Conductor: Vlastimil Kobrle

The Ústí Children's Choir, from the city of Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, was established in 1966 and is supported by the Municipal Cultural Centre. For a number of years the choir has collaborated with North Bohemian Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Ústí nad Labem. The choir regularly appears in concert and has taken part in a vast number of national and international competitions. The choir has shared Czech music with audiences throughout Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Their rich repertoire includes Czech folk songs and contemporary compositions, music of the Renaissance, spirituals, and other genres. The Ústí Children's Choir has made five recordings, two of which are available on CD.

Estonia: EELK Misjonikoor
Conductor: Maarja Vardjae

The EELK (Estonian Evangelical Luthern Church) Mijonikoor sends out a joyful modern day message with the help of music. The Misjonikoor began in 1998. Although sponsored by the Lutheran Mission Center, almost half of the singers are from different backgrounds and churches, showing just how inclusive the people and the purpose of the Misjonikoor really is. The choir rehearses on the last Saturday of each month in the capital city of Tallinn. Choir rehearsals also include a Bible study, food and socialization. The Misjonikoor's repertoire includes classical music, spirituals and gospel, as well as folk music from many different lands. The choir has sung concert tours in Latvia, Russia, Germany, Finland, and in every corner of Estonia.

India: Navrachana School Choir
Conductor: Madhumeeta Majumdar

The Navrachana School Choir of Vadodara was formed in 1986 and since then over 3,500 students have sung in the choir. In addition to many local school concerts, the choir has performed in choral festivals and competitions at the state, national and international levels. In 2001 and 2003, the Navrachana School Choir won the All Gujarat Patriotic Singing Competition. They were national winners of the All India Patriotic Singing Competition in 2001. The choir has toured in China and Turkey and their participation in the International Choral Festival will mark their first visit to the United States.

Slovenia: Mariborski Oktet
Conductor: Franci Kovac

The Mariborski Oktet is an amateur male ensemble with professional artistic standards. The group, founded in 1973, sings a wide variety of music, including sacred Renaissance motets, Romantic Slovenian songs, modern compositions, and domestic and foreign folk songs. The size of the choir has fluctuated over the years, and technically they should be labeled today as a nontet because of their nine voices. Since its founding, the Oktet has given more than 1,300 concerts, extending from Maribor through the former Yugoslavia, and all over Europe, Japan, and both North and South America. The choir won third place in the 1986 International Choral Festival of Cork, Ireland and took first place honors in the male chorus category at the International Choral Contest in Montreux, Switzerland in 1990. They have participated in the International Choral Festivals of Larissa (Greece), Puebla (Mexico), and Tromsoe (Norway), as well as the International Folklore Festival of Brazil, the Choral Festival of Miane, Italy, and several others. They were recognized by the Municipality of Maribor for their cultural achievements in 1992 and were awarded the City of Maribor Charter in 1993. The Mariborski Oktet recorded its fourth CD as part of its 30-year anniversary in 2003.

South Korea: Ansan City Choir
Conductor: Shin Hwa Park

Beloved by many Korean musicians, the Ansan City Choir is known as one of the best choirs in Korea. Founded in 1995, it consists of 37 professionally trained singers. The choir's repertoire includes music from the Renaissance through contemporary literature, and includes folk and pop music, spirituals and song accompanied by dance. The choir performs about 40 times per year, including performances at Korea's major concert halls, and has produced 11 CDs. The Ansan City Choir is noted for its clarity of tone, balance, blend, and authentic interpretation of repertoire.

Taiwan: The Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Conductor: Dirk DuHei

Founded in 1972, the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir has established an extensive repertoire and a reputation as one of the most prestigious choruses in Taiwan. Members of the chorus are music lovers from all walks of life. The 40 voice choir is selected to tour at home and abroad from a group of 140 singers. The choir participates in a variety of international festivals and is active in the government's community efforts by giving highly acclaimed concerts in the cultural centers of small towns and villages. The choir was invited to represent Taiwan as part of the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney, Australia and the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music in Minneapolis, USA.

USA-California: Ragazzi Boys Chorus
Conductor: Joyce Keil

Ragazzi Boys Chorus is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's premier youth arts training and performing groups. A regional, nonprofit organization with 125 boys aged 7-18 in five progressively demanding choruses, Ragazzi performs its own concert series, records, and tours domestically and internationally. Ragazzi sings regularly with the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony and other prestigious groups, including Opera San Jose, the West Bay Opera, the Lawrence Pech Dance Company, the Peninsula Symphony, Masterworks Chorale, and the Stanford University Symphonic Chorus. In 2000, Ragazzi was honored for its contribution to the San Francisco Symphony's Grammy-award winning "Stravinsky" CD.

USA-Kansas: Lawrence Children's Choir
Conductor: Janeal Krehbiel

The Lawrence Children's Choir was founded in 1991 by Janeal Crabb Krehbiel and Marilyn Crabb Epp. The organization is divided into two choirs-the LCC Choristers and the LCC Tour Choir-which offer vocal training and musical fellowship to young artists. The LCC Tour Choir consists of singers in the 5th-9th grades, and choir members demonstrate advanced abilities in choral singing and music reading. Over the past 15 seasons the Lawrence Children's Choir has performed for many prestigious events, including the national conventions of the American Choral Director's Association (ACDA), the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the American Guild of Organists, and Chorus America. They were the featured choir during the 2000 National Children's Choir Festival in Carnegie Hall and were the premier choir for the "MENC World's Largest Concert", televised on PBS. The Tour Choir has recorded four CDs and toured England in 2003.

USA-Montana: Missoula Youth Choir
Conductors: Dean Peterson, Jessica Franks, Nancy Labbe, and Ronald Wilcott
Accompanists: Dean Peterson and Jessica Franks

The Missoula Youth Choir was formed in 1987 for the sole purpose of performing at the first International Choral Festival. It has delighted audiences at every Festival since. Founded by David Heidel and Dean Peterson, the MYC has grown from 35 members to almost 80 singers in its current form. Membership is comprised of selected high school students from Missoula's public and parochial high schools. With only 12 evening rehearsals at the beginning of summer vacation, the singers quickly come together and emerge as a superb youth choir. The partnership of the Missoula Youth Choir with the International Choral Festival provides Missoula's young singers with the opportunity to experience a musical tour of the world without ever leaving their home town. The Youth Choir conductors are local Missoula high school directors who have collaborated on many school festival and concerts. Sharing this year's podium are Dean Peterson from Hellgate High School, Jessica Franks from Sentinel High School, Nancy Labbe of Big Sky High School, and Ronald Wilcott of Loyola High School.

USA-Washington State: Tacoma Youth Chorus Chorale
Conductors: Judith Herrington & George Guenther

Tacoma Youth Chorus, founded in 1991 by Judith Herrington, is a select, auditioned choir of musically gifted young people which serves the South Puget Sound region of Washington. The program consists of seven auditioned choirs for girls and boys, 7-18 years of age. The choirs provide members with outstanding performance experiences and a training program that emphasizes vocal pedagogy, ear-training, and sight-singing skills, with a focus on performance. The Tacoma Youth Chorus Chorale, which combines the Young Men's and Young Women's Choirs, is noted for its collaborations, having performed with many professional organizations including the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta, University of Puget Sound Choirs, Tacoma Youth Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma Master Chorale, Tacoma Civic Chorus, BalleTacoma, and the Evergreen Brass Quintet. In addition, they have performed for the conventions of the Music Educators National Conference, the Northwestern American Choral Directors Association and Orff-Schulwerk Association. This is the choir's second appearance in Missoula's International Choral Festival.

Wales: Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir
Conductor: Stephen Bard

The Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir was founded in 1908 and was at that time mainly made up of members from local church choirs, the majority of whom were employed in the local coal mines. It has since become one of the top male choirs in Wales. The choir has sung in many famous halls, including the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, The Royal Albert Hall London, and St. David's Hall Cardiff. In 1992, it took part in the world choir Ten Thousand Voice concert at The National Stadium Cardiff, and was also asked to entertain the crowd at the National Stadium prior to the Wales vs. Italy international rugby match. In 1999 the choir performed in the closing ceremony of the Rugby World Cup at the new Millennium Stadium. The choir undertook its first continental tour in 1982 with a visit to Rome during the Easter Period, where it received an audience with Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square. During the years since Rome, the choir has toured Canada, France, Germany, Holland, and Spain. To date, the choir has produced four recordings and has appeared on television on many occasions.