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63rd International
 Choral Singing Competition

The 63rd “Seghizzi” International Choral Singing Competition concluded in Gorizia (Italy) on 13 July 2026, marking another year of great success with extraordinary choral performances from all over the world. The prestigious event, held from 9 to 13 July, culminated in the Grand Prix award ceremony at the Verdi Theatre.

The overall winner of this year’s 36th Seghizzi Grand Prix 2026 is the Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana, conducted by Sonia Nadya Simanjuntak. The Indonesian ensemble delivered a series of breathtaking performances, winning the main trophy along with the cash prize of €3,000.00, the diploma and the cup. In addition to the Grand Prix, the choir won several special and category prizes, including the first prize in Category 2B, the single prize in Category 4, the second place in Category 1B, the Audience Award for folk song, and the special prizes for best traditional costumes and best choreography.

Other important awards went to the Mixed Choir Crescendo (Slovenia) for the special prize “Equal or Mixed Voices”, with its conductor Žiga Kert awarded Best Choir Conductor, and to the Taipei Philharmonic Youth & Children’s Choir (Taiwan), which obtained the special prize “Children’s Voices”. Jakub Kubis of the Academic Choir of the VSB (Czech Republic) was awarded Best Young Emerging Conductor.

The choirs admitted to the competition were:

  • MusiColore Vocal Ensemble (Hungary)
  • Indonesian Children & Youth Choir – Cordana (Indonesia)
  • Alla Breve (Romania)
  • University of Warsaw Choir (Poland)
  • The Academic Choir of the University of Opole (Poland)
  • Mixed Choir Crescendo (Slovenia)
  • Technical University of Ostrava (Czech Republic)
  • Taipei Philharmonic Youth & Children’s Choir (Taiwan)
  • Male Choir Pergula (Slovenia)

Choral Singing Competition

36° GRAND PRIX "SEGHIZZI"
 Indonesian Children & Youth Choir
Cordana (Indonesia)

Photogallery

Category 1a

A cappella sacred polyphony from the Renaissance to the Baroque (1400 – 1750)

1.

Not awarded

2.

MusiColore Vocal Ensemble

(Hungary), conducted by Éva Radics

3.

University of Warsaw Choir

(Poland), conducted by Irina Bogdanovich

Category 1b

Sacred polyphony from Romanticism to the contemporary period (ca. 1750 – present)

1.

Mixed Choir Crescendo

(Slovenia), conducted by Žiga Kert

2.

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana

(Indonesia), conducted by Sonia Nadya Simanjuntak

3.

University of Warsaw Choir

(Polonia), conducted by Irina Bogdanovich

Category 2b

Profane polyphony from the Baroque to the contemporary period (ca. 1650 – present)

1.

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana

conducted by Sonia Nadya Simanjuntak

2.

University of Warsaw Choir (Poland)

conducted by Irina Bogdanovich

Category 3

Programme of spirituals and gospel, pop and jazz music

MusiColore Vocal Ensemble

(Hungary), conducted by Éva Radics

Seghizzi_63-WEB-61

Category 4

Programme of folk songs and choral arrangements of folk and traditional songs

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana

(Indonesia), conducted by Sonia Nadya Simanjuntak

Seghizzi_63-WEB-62

Category 5

Polyphony with a programme of contemporary music

Academic Choir of the VSB Technical University of Ostrava

(Czech Republic), conducted by Jakub Kubis – for the performance of the piece “Ti aspetto” by Roberto Brisotto

Seghizzi_63-WEB-63

International Composition Trophy

for Section A – Choral Compositions

Giulio De Carlo

(Italy) for the piece “MY RIVER RUNS TO THEE”.

for Section B – Compositions for Solo Voice and Piano

Roberto Brisotto

(Italy) for the piece “THE LOVE A LIFE CAN SHOW BELOW”

Special Prizes

“Children's Voices” Prize

Taipei Philharmonic Youth & Children’s Choir (Taiwan)

“Equal or Mixed Voices” Prize

Mixed Choir Crescendo (Slovenia)

Special Prize for Best Traditional Costumes

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana (Indonesia)

Special Prize for Best Choreography:

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana (Indonesia)

Audience Award

Indonesian Children and Youth Choir Cordana (Indonesia)

Special Prize for Best Choir Conductor

M° Žiga Kert (Mixed Choir Crescendo, Slovenia)

Special Prize for Best Young Conductor

M° Jakub Kubis (Academic Choir of the VSB, Repubblica Ceca)

Special Prize to the Conductor of the Ensemble with the Programme of Greatest Artistic Interest

Maestra Irina Bogdanovich (University of Warsaw Choir, Polonia)

Discover the event
 Programme

Below is the complete programme of the event.

Thursday 9th of July 2026

12:00 — Official Presentation of the Choirs to the Authorities and the Jury
📍 Venue: Gorizia Town Hall (Internal Courtyard)

10:30 — Category 2b (Secular Polyphony), Category 3 (Spirituals & Jazz), Category 5 (Contemporary Music)
📍 Venue: Teatro G. Verdi, Gorizia

Evening — 22nd Seghizzinregione – Choral Concert Festival in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Slovenia

10:30 — Category 1a (Sacred Polyphony), Category 1b (Sacred Polyphony)
📍 Venue:Gorizia Cathedral (Duomo)


16:00 — Category 4 (Folk / National Music)
📍 Venue: Teatro G. Verdi, Gorizia

11:00 — “Seghizzinregione” Festival Concert
📍 Venue: Gorizia Cathedral (Duomo)


15:00 — 36th SEGHIZZI GRAND PRIX
📍 Venue: Teatro G. Verdi, Gorizia


20:45 — Official Awards Ceremony
📍 Venue: Teatro G. Verdi, Gorizia


21:15 — WINNERS’ GALA CONCERT
📍 Venue: Teatro G. Verdi, Gorizia

Archive
 Regulations and Scores

In this section, you can download all the materials necessary to participate in the competition.

Regulations

View and download the complete announcement and regulations of the 63rd International Choral Singing Competition

Download ENG Version .pdf
Scarica versione ITA .pdf

Registration Form

Download the registration form for the 63rd International Choral Singing Competition.

Download ENG Version .pdf
Scarica versione ITA .pdf

Category 3 - Scores

Download the official scores for Category 3 of the 63rd International Choral Singing Competition

Download all

Competition
Jury

In this section, you can find information about the members of the competition jury.

Božidar Crnjanski

Serbian choir conductor, who has collaborated with EuroChoir and conducted at the Sydney Opera House. Founder of the Novi Sad Chamber Choir, he is the president of the jury.

Learn More

Ega Odeta Azarya

Indonesian choir conductor and bass-baritone. He leads prestigious ensembles like The Archipelago Singers and the Parahyangan Choir, with which he won the Seghizzi Grand Prix in 2025.

Learn More

Marco Berrini

Italian choral conductor and teacher active internationally. Founder of the Ars Cantica Choir, he leads prestigious professional and university ensembles, collaborating with major orchestras in Europe and South America.

Learn More

Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch

Polish teacher and conductor. Founder of the Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin, she has won about a hundred international awards and collaborated with great artists, including Bocelli and Penderecki.

Learn More

Flora Anna Spreafico

Choir conductor, musicologist and teacher. Specialist in children's choirs and sacred music, she conducts the Cappella Musicale of Lecco and founded the award-winning Licabella Association.

Learn More

Awarded the Medal of the
 Presidency of the Republic

In 2026, the international activities promoted by the Associazione Corale Goriziana C. A. Seghizzi were awarded the Medal of the President of the Italian Republic, granted to initiatives of particular cultural significance.

Under the
 Patronage of:

The Association is pleased to announce that the embassies of the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, and Poland have granted their patronage to the Seghizzi 2026 International Events.

GORIZIA
LOGO REPUBBLICA CECA AMBASCIATA
LOGO POLONIA AMBASCIATA
LOGO SLOVENIA AMBASCIATA
LOGO UNGHERIA AMBASCIATA

With the
 Support of:

Logo_MIC-300x98
Logo-regione-autonoma-Friuli
loho-io-sono-friuli
GORIZIA
Logo_Fondazione_Carigo_Web-300x170
logo club Unesco di Gorizia odv
logo-quinta-giusta
USCI-300x95

Božidar Crnjanski

Bozidar Crnjanski completed his postgraduate studies in Choral Conducting at the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, under the mentorship of Professor Tatjana Ostojić. He furthered his professional development through participation in the international project Campus Cantat in Dortmund, Germany, as well as conducting masterclasses at the Winter School in Dubrovnik, studying with Professor Mats Nilsson (Royal College of Music, Stockholm) and conductor Gary Graden. He became the first and, to date, the only conductor from Serbia to collaborate with EuroChoir (AGEC, Belgium), a prestigious ensemble bringing together outstanding young singers from across Europe. Crnjanski has maintained a long-standing collaboration with the Chamber Choir of the Serbian National Theatre, the Mixed Choir of the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, and the Men’s Choir of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Zrenjanin. Since 1997, he has conducted numerous performances with these ensembles in Serbia and abroad, including appearances in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, and Australia, where he performed at the Sydney Opera House. As conductor of the Mixed Choir of the Cultural and Artistic Society “Svetozar Marković” in Novi Sad (2002–2013), Crnjanski achieved significant international success, winning numerous awards at major choral competitions: First Prize in Preveza, Greece (2004); First Prize in Sofia, Bulgaria (2004); First Prize in Arezzo, Italy (2005); Third Prize in Maasmechelen, Belgium (2007); First Prize in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2008); First Prize in Niš, Serbia; two First Prizes and the overall Laureate Award in Pardubice, Czech Republic (2009); First Prize in Gorizia, Italy (2011); and First Prize in Torrevieja, Spain (2012). During this period, the choir also maintained an extensive concert schedule and regularly participated in the most important choral festivals and competitions in Serbia.
In 2013, he founded the Novi Sad Chamber Choir and has served as its Artistic Director ever since. Under his leadership, the ensemble has achieved notable international recognition, receiving numerous awards and invitations to distinguished festivals and competitions, including: the 13th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf, Germany (2013); XVII Festival International de Chant Choral “Voix du Monde”, Nancy, France (2014); two Gold Medals in the Mixed and Youth Choir categories at the First International Choir Festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro (2015); Gold Medal and Second Prize Overall at the 11th International Choir Competition Miltenberg, Germany (2016); the 63rd International Festival of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja, Spain (2017); the 68th Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth, Germany (2018); First Prize in the Mixed Choir Category at the 40th International May Music Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” in Varna, Bulgaria (2019); Winner of the Choral Competition at the 56th Mokranjac Days Festival in Negotin, Serbia (2022); First Prize and the Jury Special Award for the Best Performance of a Work by a Macedonian Composer at the Ohrid Choral Festival, North Macedonia (2023); participation in the 70th International Festival of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja, Spain (2024); and participation in the 3rd International Choral Festival in Kotor, Montenegro (2025). Bozidar Crnjanski has received several awards for his artistic achievements and conducting excellence, including the Best Conductor Award at the First International Choir Festival in Sofia (2004), awarded by the Bulgarian Choral Society; Best Conductor Awards at the Festival of Music Societies of Vojvodina (2009 and 2011); and the Best Conductor Award at the 40th International May Music Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” in Varna, Bulgaria (2019).
Bozidar Crnjanski is a Full Professor of Conducting at the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad.

Ega Odeta Azarya

Ega Azarya began his musical training studying classical piano with Romey Mandala, later continuing his vocal studies with Ivan Yohan, Dody Soetanto, Dorcas Soenaryo, and Joseph Kristanto Pantioso. He also participated in a masterclass with Prof. Rudolf Piernay. As a bass-baritone soloist, he has performed with the Concordia Orchestra and the Jakarta City Philharmonic, collaborating with numerous classical musicians. In parallel, he teaches lyrical singing at the Musicasa Studio in Jakarta. In 2016, he participated in the International Choir Conducting Masterclass in Debrecen (Hungary), under the guidance of Peter Broadbent and Máté Szabó Sipos. He also studied choral and orchestral conducting with Budi Utomo Prabowo and Stojan Kuret. As the conductor and musical director of The Archipelago Singers, he led the choir to win the Grand Prix at the Busan Choral Festival and Competition (South Korea) in 2019. Under his direction, the ensemble has also secured first prizes and other awards in international competitions in Cantonigròs, Torrevieja, Manila, Varna, Arezzo, and Maribor, and was invited to perform at the Festival Choeurs des Lauréats in Vaison-la-Romaine (France) in 2018. In 2024, he was appointed conductor of the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir, with which he won Second Prize in the Mixed Choirs category at the Varna competition (Bulgaria). In July 2025, he led the same choir to victory at the "Seghizzi" Grand Prix in Gorizia, after winning first prize in two categories of the competition. Throughout his conducting career, he has received prestigious accolades, including the Best Conductor Award at the Busan Choral Festival in 2018 and the Conductor's Prize for the best performance of a work by Jacobus Handl-Gallus at the Maribor competition in 2025. He is regularly invited to serve on the juries of national and international choral competitions, to lead concerts as a guest conductor, and to conduct workshops, seminars, and masterclasses dedicated to choral conducting.

Marco Berrini

Marco Berrini is one of today's most active choral and orchestral conductors and music educators, both in Italy and internationally. He is Professor of Choral Conducting and Choral Composition at the "A. Steffani" Conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto (Italy). He is the founder of the professional vocal ensemble Ars Cantica Choir & Consort, with which he regularly collaborates with leading period-instrument orchestras and ensembles, including Il Giardino Armonico, Accademia dell'Annunciata, Accademia degli Astrusi, and the FORM – Marche Philharmonic Orchestra. He began his professional career as Assistant Chorus Master of the RAI Chamber Choir in Rome and subsequently collaborated with the opera houses of Málaga, Seville and Genoa, as well as with the orchestra and choir of the Community of Madrid. He has conducted in Spain, the Middle East, Estonia and South America, where he has also appeared as guest conductor of the Argentine National Youth Choir and the Choir of the Teatro Municipal of Córdoba. Since 2009, he has served as Guest Conductor of the Vocalia Consort in Rome, becoming its Artistic Director in 2015. Under his leadership, the ensemble has won first prizes at several national and international choral competitions. Since 2017, he has conducted the Choir of the Almo Collegio Borromeo in Pavia, promoting the European project MEETS, dedicated to the development of soft skills through music education. Since 2020, he has been conductor of the Choir of the University of Milan. He has also prepared music editions for the publishing houses Ediciones Si bemol & BMM, Carrara, Carisch, Discantica, Rugginenti, and Suvini Zerboni.

Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch

Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch, PhD is Associate Professor at the Academy of Art in Szczecin (Poland). She is the founder and conductor of the Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin, with which she has been passionately promoting choral music for over 23 years. Her artistic career spans nearly three decades of conducting, concert performance, recording, education, and arts administration. She has conducted nearly 800 concerts and prepared an extensive repertoire including 78 vocal-instrumental works and more than 700 a cappella and accompanied choral compositions. Under her direction, the Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin has received 99 awards at international competitions, including 15 Grand Prix and 57 Gold Medals/First Prizes. She has commissioned and premiered more than 50 new works, many inspired by maritime themes. The choir has released 16 albums, including the Fryderyk Award-nominated album The Sound of the Sea (2023), and 22 music videos. The more than one-hundred-member choir has represented Szczecin and Poland on prestigious stages throughout Europe, China, Japan, Canada, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Taiwan. Renowned for promoting contemporary Polish choral music, the ensemble has premiered numerous works dedicated specifically to it. In recognition of its artistic achievements and international promotion of the city, the choir received the titles Ambassador of Szczecin (2019) and the Artistic Award of the City of Szczecin (2024). Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch has been awarded the title of Best Conductor at numerous international choral competitions, including Gorizia (Italy), Bratislava (Slovakia), Prague (Czech Republic), Lublin and Barczewo (Poland). In 2021, she was recognized among the ten best conductors at the World Choir Festival in Hong Kong and is regularly invited to serve on the jury of national and international choral competitions. Her artistic collaborations include internationally acclaimed musicians such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Zbigniew Preisner, Andrea Bocelli, Dawid Podsiadło, Włodek Pawlik, Leszek Możdżer and Michael McGlynn, contributing to a modern and distinctive image of the contemporary choral conductor.
She also serves as Director of the Academic Culture Center at the Maritime University of Szczecin, Artistic Director of the Szczecin Branch of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras, Artistic Director of the Common Sounds Festival, and founder of the vocal ensemble Pomerania Singers.
Her distinctions include the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Bronze Medal Gloria Artis – Merit to Culture, the Silver Cross of Merit, the Medal of the Commission of National Education, and numerous other national and regional honours for her outstanding contribution to Polish culture, education, and choral music.

Flora Anna Spreafico

Flora Anna Spreafico graduated with distinction in Choral Music and Choral Conducting from the Conservatory of Milan, where she also obtained, with honours, a Master's Degree in Historical, Critical and Analytical Studies of Music. She subsequently earned, with honours, a Master's Degree in Musicology from the University of Milan.
She attended the Zoltán Kodály Course in Esztergom and pursued advanced studies in choral conducting, composition, Gregorian chant and music education with G. Acciai, N. Castiglioni, G. Colardo, I. Danieli, G. Merli, G. Pedersen, F. Rampi and J. M. Sciutto.
She founded the Licabella Musical Association, with whose choirs she has carried out an intensive artistic activity, winning numerous awards at national and international choral competitions. She has also received special prizes for Best Conductor, Best Interpretation, Best Performance, Best Artistic Programme and Best Educational Project at competitions in Riva del Garda, Quartiano, Venice, Verona, Vittorio Veneto and Chiari. She is actively engaged in the performance of Ambrosian and Gregorian Chant, leading liturgical celebrations with her choirs in important venues such as Milan Cathedral. In 2025, she launched the project "Children's Voices in the Basilica", dedicated to sacred music, at the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Lecco, where she also serves as Director of the Music Chapel. Formerly Professor of Music History at the Grassi Music High School in Lecco, she taught Choral Conducting for several years in the Te Laudamus courses organized by the Archdiocese of Milan. She currently teaches Choral Singing at the G. Zelioli Civic Music Institute in Lecco and is particularly active in children's choirs and elementary music education.
She has led workshops for Feniarco's Festival di Primavera in Montecatini, for Ar.co.pu in Fasano and for A.r.co.m. in Fermo. She also teaches courses for children's choir conductors for Cori Lombardia as part of the Legami Corali and Choral Next Work projects promoted by Feniarco.
She is a member of the Artistic Committee of Cori Lombardia and regularly serves on the juries of national and international choral competitions. As a musicologist, she has conducted research on the musical heritage of the Lombardy region. She collaborated on the research for the exhibition The Hand, the Error, the Triumph: Verdi at the Conservatory, organized by the Conservatory and the Province of Milan, and has presented papers at the International Meetings of Contemporary Music held within the Pontino Music Festival in Latina.

Božidar Crnjanski

Bozidar Crnjanski completed his postgraduate studies in Choral Conducting at the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, under the mentorship of Professor Tatjana Ostojić. He furthered his professional development through participation in the international project Campus Cantat in Dortmund, Germany, as well as conducting masterclasses at the Winter School in Dubrovnik, studying with Professor Mats Nilsson (Royal College of Music, Stockholm) and conductor Gary Graden. He became the first and, to date, the only conductor from Serbia to collaborate with EuroChoir (AGEC, Belgium), a prestigious ensemble bringing together outstanding young singers from across Europe. Crnjanski has maintained a long-standing collaboration with the Chamber Choir of the Serbian National Theatre, the Mixed Choir of the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, and the Men’s Choir of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Zrenjanin. Since 1997, he has conducted numerous performances with these ensembles in Serbia and abroad, including appearances in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, and Australia, where he performed at the Sydney Opera House. As conductor of the Mixed Choir of the Cultural and Artistic Society “Svetozar Marković” in Novi Sad (2002–2013), Crnjanski achieved significant international success, winning numerous awards at major choral competitions: First Prize in Preveza, Greece (2004); First Prize in Sofia, Bulgaria (2004); First Prize in Arezzo, Italy (2005); Third Prize in Maasmechelen, Belgium (2007); First Prize in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2008); First Prize in Niš, Serbia; two First Prizes and the overall Laureate Award in Pardubice, Czech Republic (2009); First Prize in Gorizia, Italy (2011); and First Prize in Torrevieja, Spain (2012). During this period, the choir also maintained an extensive concert schedule and regularly participated in the most important choral festivals and competitions in Serbia.
In 2013, he founded the Novi Sad Chamber Choir and has served as its Artistic Director ever since. Under his leadership, the ensemble has achieved notable international recognition, receiving numerous awards and invitations to distinguished festivals and competitions, including: the 13th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf, Germany (2013); XVII Festival International de Chant Choral “Voix du Monde”, Nancy, France (2014); two Gold Medals in the Mixed and Youth Choir categories at the First International Choir Festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro (2015); Gold Medal and Second Prize Overall at the 11th International Choir Competition Miltenberg, Germany (2016); the 63rd International Festival of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja, Spain (2017); the 68th Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth, Germany (2018); First Prize in the Mixed Choir Category at the 40th International May Music Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” in Varna, Bulgaria (2019); Winner of the Choral Competition at the 56th Mokranjac Days Festival in Negotin, Serbia (2022); First Prize and the Jury Special Award for the Best Performance of a Work by a Macedonian Composer at the Ohrid Choral Festival, North Macedonia (2023); participation in the 70th International Festival of Habaneras and Polyphony in Torrevieja, Spain (2024); and participation in the 3rd International Choral Festival in Kotor, Montenegro (2025). Bozidar Crnjanski has received several awards for his artistic achievements and conducting excellence, including the Best Conductor Award at the First International Choir Festival in Sofia (2004), awarded by the Bulgarian Choral Society; Best Conductor Awards at the Festival of Music Societies of Vojvodina (2009 and 2011); and the Best Conductor Award at the 40th International May Music Competition “Prof. Georgi Dimitrov” in Varna, Bulgaria (2019).
Bozidar Crnjanski is a Full Professor of Conducting at the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad.

Ega Odeta Azarya

Ega Azarya began his musical training studying classical piano with Romey Mandala, later continuing his vocal studies with Ivan Yohan, Dody Soetanto, Dorcas Soenaryo, and Joseph Kristanto Pantioso. He also participated in a masterclass with Prof. Rudolf Piernay. As a bass-baritone soloist, he has performed with the Concordia Orchestra and the Jakarta City Philharmonic, collaborating with numerous classical musicians. In parallel, he teaches lyrical singing at the Musicasa Studio in Jakarta. In 2016, he participated in the International Choir Conducting Masterclass in Debrecen (Hungary), under the guidance of Peter Broadbent and Máté Szabó Sipos. He also studied choral and orchestral conducting with Budi Utomo Prabowo and Stojan Kuret. As the conductor and musical director of The Archipelago Singers, he led the choir to win the Grand Prix at the Busan Choral Festival and Competition (South Korea) in 2019. Under his direction, the ensemble has also secured first prizes and other awards in international competitions in Cantonigròs, Torrevieja, Manila, Varna, Arezzo, and Maribor, and was invited to perform at the Festival Choeurs des Lauréats in Vaison-la-Romaine (France) in 2018. In 2024, he was appointed conductor of the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir, with which he won Second Prize in the Mixed Choirs category at the Varna competition (Bulgaria). In July 2025, he led the same choir to victory at the "Seghizzi" Grand Prix in Gorizia, after winning first prize in two categories of the competition. Throughout his conducting career, he has received prestigious accolades, including the Best Conductor Award at the Busan Choral Festival in 2018 and the Conductor's Prize for the best performance of a work by Jacobus Handl-Gallus at the Maribor competition in 2025. He is regularly invited to serve on the juries of national and international choral competitions, to lead concerts as a guest conductor, and to conduct workshops, seminars, and masterclasses dedicated to choral conducting.

Marco Berrini

Marco Berrini is one of today's most active choral and orchestral conductors and music educators, both in Italy and internationally. He is Professor of Choral Conducting and Choral Composition at the "A. Steffani" Conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto (Italy). He is the founder of the professional vocal ensemble Ars Cantica Choir & Consort, with which he regularly collaborates with leading period-instrument orchestras and ensembles, including Il Giardino Armonico, Accademia dell'Annunciata, Accademia degli Astrusi, and the FORM – Marche Philharmonic Orchestra. He began his professional career as Assistant Chorus Master of the RAI Chamber Choir in Rome and subsequently collaborated with the opera houses of Málaga, Seville and Genoa, as well as with the orchestra and choir of the Community of Madrid. He has conducted in Spain, the Middle East, Estonia and South America, where he has also appeared as guest conductor of the Argentine National Youth Choir and the Choir of the Teatro Municipal of Córdoba. Since 2009, he has served as Guest Conductor of the Vocalia Consort in Rome, becoming its Artistic Director in 2015. Under his leadership, the ensemble has won first prizes at several national and international choral competitions. Since 2017, he has conducted the Choir of the Almo Collegio Borromeo in Pavia, promoting the European project MEETS, dedicated to the development of soft skills through music education. Since 2020, he has been conductor of the Choir of the University of Milan. He has also prepared music editions for the publishing houses Ediciones Si bemol & BMM, Carrara, Carisch, Discantica, Rugginenti, and Suvini Zerboni.

Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch

Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch, PhD is Associate Professor at the Academy of Art in Szczecin (Poland). She is the founder and conductor of the Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin, with which she has been passionately promoting choral music for over 23 years. Her artistic career spans nearly three decades of conducting, concert performance, recording, education, and arts administration. She has conducted nearly 800 concerts and prepared an extensive repertoire including 78 vocal-instrumental works and more than 700 a cappella and accompanied choral compositions. Under her direction, the Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin has received 99 awards at international competitions, including 15 Grand Prix and 57 Gold Medals/First Prizes. She has commissioned and premiered more than 50 new works, many inspired by maritime themes. The choir has released 16 albums, including the Fryderyk Award-nominated album The Sound of the Sea (2023), and 22 music videos. The more than one-hundred-member choir has represented Szczecin and Poland on prestigious stages throughout Europe, China, Japan, Canada, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Taiwan. Renowned for promoting contemporary Polish choral music, the ensemble has premiered numerous works dedicated specifically to it. In recognition of its artistic achievements and international promotion of the city, the choir received the titles Ambassador of Szczecin (2019) and the Artistic Award of the City of Szczecin (2024). Sylwia Fabiańczyk-Makuch has been awarded the title of Best Conductor at numerous international choral competitions, including Gorizia (Italy), Bratislava (Slovakia), Prague (Czech Republic), Lublin and Barczewo (Poland). In 2021, she was recognized among the ten best conductors at the World Choir Festival in Hong Kong and is regularly invited to serve on the jury of national and international choral competitions. Her artistic collaborations include internationally acclaimed musicians such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Zbigniew Preisner, Andrea Bocelli, Dawid Podsiadło, Włodek Pawlik, Leszek Możdżer and Michael McGlynn, contributing to a modern and distinctive image of the contemporary choral conductor.
She also serves as Director of the Academic Culture Center at the Maritime University of Szczecin, Artistic Director of the Szczecin Branch of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras, Artistic Director of the Common Sounds Festival, and founder of the vocal ensemble Pomerania Singers.
Her distinctions include the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, the Bronze Medal Gloria Artis – Merit to Culture, the Silver Cross of Merit, the Medal of the Commission of National Education, and numerous other national and regional honours for her outstanding contribution to Polish culture, education, and choral music.

Flora Anna Spreafico

Flora Anna Spreafico graduated with distinction in Choral Music and Choral Conducting from the Conservatory of Milan, where she also obtained, with honours, a Master's Degree in Historical, Critical and Analytical Studies of Music. She subsequently earned, with honours, a Master's Degree in Musicology from the University of Milan.
She attended the Zoltán Kodály Course in Esztergom and pursued advanced studies in choral conducting, composition, Gregorian chant and music education with G. Acciai, N. Castiglioni, G. Colardo, I. Danieli, G. Merli, G. Pedersen, F. Rampi and J. M. Sciutto.
She founded the Licabella Musical Association, with whose choirs she has carried out an intensive artistic activity, winning numerous awards at national and international choral competitions. She has also received special prizes for Best Conductor, Best Interpretation, Best Performance, Best Artistic Programme and Best Educational Project at competitions in Riva del Garda, Quartiano, Venice, Verona, Vittorio Veneto and Chiari. She is actively engaged in the performance of Ambrosian and Gregorian Chant, leading liturgical celebrations with her choirs in important venues such as Milan Cathedral. In 2025, she launched the project "Children's Voices in the Basilica", dedicated to sacred music, at the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Lecco, where she also serves as Director of the Music Chapel. Formerly Professor of Music History at the Grassi Music High School in Lecco, she taught Choral Conducting for several years in the Te Laudamus courses organized by the Archdiocese of Milan. She currently teaches Choral Singing at the G. Zelioli Civic Music Institute in Lecco and is particularly active in children's choirs and elementary music education.
She has led workshops for Feniarco's Festival di Primavera in Montecatini, for Ar.co.pu in Fasano and for A.r.co.m. in Fermo. She also teaches courses for children's choir conductors for Cori Lombardia as part of the Legami Corali and Choral Next Work projects promoted by Feniarco.
She is a member of the Artistic Committee of Cori Lombardia and regularly serves on the juries of national and international choral competitions. As a musicologist, she has conducted research on the musical heritage of the Lombardy region. She collaborated on the research for the exhibition The Hand, the Error, the Triumph: Verdi at the Conservatory, organized by the Conservatory and the Province of Milan, and has presented papers at the International Meetings of Contemporary Music held within the Pontino Music Festival in Latina.