Jury 2026

Marco Antonio García de Paz (Luanco, Spain) is one of the leading figures of contemporary Spanish choral conducting and an artist increasingly active in the symphonic-choral repertoire. He combines musical depth with a strong ability to shape and inspire vocal and orchestral ensembles. He is the founder and artistic director of El León de Oro, an internationally acclaimed choir with which he has toured across Europe, Africa and the Americas. With this ensemble he has won major prizes at leading international competitions, including Arezzo, Maribor, Tolosa and Varna, and reached the final of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2009. Since 2019 he has been conductor of the Joven Coro de Andalucía, and in 2024 was appointed director of the Acadèmia Vocal CdM in Valencia. From 2021 to 2024 he served as Chief Conductor of the Spanish Radio and Television Choir (RTVE). His symphonic activity includes engagements with the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra and Choir (RTVE), Oviedo Filarmonía, Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, Córdoba Orchestra and the Joven Orquesta de Andalucía, as well as projects in Mexico, Hong Kong, Italy and Greece. He regularly records for labels such as Hyperion and Naxos. As a pedagogue, he is a faculty member of the Accademia Corale Italiana and regularly gives masterclasses internationally. He studied violin and conducting at Musikene, working with Peter Phillips, Johan Duijck and Javier Busto.

Petra Grassi is the conductor of the VIKRA Chamber Choir, having won with them the Grand Prix at the 59th International Choral Competition Seghizzi in Gorizia in 2021, as well as awards for Best Conductor and Best Repertoire. From 2020 to 2022, she was co-director of the Italian National Youth Choir, becoming its youngest conductor. She has conducted the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, while with DEKOR Chamber Choir (Ljubljana), she won the national competition Naša pesem in 2018, including the Best Conductor award. Her other awards include Best Conductor according to the Choir at the World Choral Conducting Competition (2019, Hong Kong), 1st prize at “Zvok mojih rok” (2016, Ljubljana), 3rd prize at the European Choral Association competition (2016, Turin), and 1st prize at “Le mani in suono” (2015, Arezzo). Petra Grassi regularly serves on juries at international competitions, including Tolosa, Cork, Spittal an der Drau, Maribor, Arezzo, Milan, Bologna, and Koper, and leads masterclasses across Europe. She has also been invited to serve on the artistic commission of the Italian National Choral Federation (Feniarco), and for Leading Voices Tallinn 2025. She completed master’s degrees in piano, music pedagogy, choral conducting, and choral composition in Italy, and was appointed Professor of Choral Conducting and Choral Composition at the State Conservatory of Trento.

Voicu Popescu graduated from the National University of Music in Bucharest and began his career as a member of the MADRIGAL National Chamber Choir, later returning as its choirmaster. In 1994, he founded the SOUND Choir and the SOUND Cultural Foundation, through which he has organized concert tours, festivals, choral symposia, and masterclasses. From 1988 to 2004, he served as assistant conductor of the Romanian Radio Children’s Choir, and from 2004 to 2018 as its principal conductor. He produced recordings for the Romanian Radio Sound Archives and appeared in vocal-symphonic concerts, as well as numerous a cappella projects. With more than 60 appearances on tours, festivals, and international competitions in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Japan, he has received numerous medals and prizes and wide professional recognition. He writes on choral topics, teaches choral courses, and is frequently invited to serve on juries. He has led workshops for organizations including Cantascuola (Turin), Cantica Nova (Milazzo), ARS Cori (Sicily), AERCO (Emilia-Romagna), the Union of Moldovan Musicians (Chișinău), COREARTE (Barcelona), SODRE (Montevideo), and AMJ (Usedom).

Avip Priatna, Mag. Art., is one of Indonesia’s leading conductors. He studied orchestral and choral conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). He directs the internationally acclaimed Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) and led both BMS and The Resonanz Children’s Choir (TRCC) to victories at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2022 and 2018 respectively. Avip is also the founder, music director, and conductor of the Jakarta Concert Orchestra (JCO). With JCO, he has developed classical, national-themed, and modern concert series, and collaborated with Indonesian and international artists. Under his leadership, the orchestra has performed at major venues in Singapore, Austria, and Italy. Deeply committed to music education, he founded The Resonanz Music Studio (TRMS), where he teaches vocal and conducting technique, and mentors young musicians. Frequently awarded Best Conductor and Best Song Interpreter, he is also in demand as an adjudicator at leading national and international events. For advancing cultural exchange between Indonesia and Austria, he received Austria’s Decoration of Honor in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Johannes Prinz (born 1958 in Wolfsberg, Austria) has held leading artistic positions with major Viennese choirs for decades. In 1982 he became artistic director of the Choir of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and in 1988 of the Chamber Choir of the Vienna University of Music. From 1995 to February 2007 he served as artistic director of the Vienna Chamber Choir. In 1991, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien appointed him choirmaster of the Wiener Singverein, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading concert choirs. Under his leadership, the choir has collaborated with top orchestras and internationally renowned conductors, toured extensively, appeared at major festivals, and received awards for recordings. As guest conductor, he has worked with ensembles including the Bavarian Radio Choir, Berlin Radio Choir, Austrian State Opera Chorus, RIAS Kammerchor, and State Choir Latvija. He has also collaborated with the European Youth Choir and, in 2003, the World Youth Choir. A highly sought-after lecturer, he has taught at numerous national and international courses. From 2000 to 2023 he was Professor of Choir Conducting at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz.

Helene Stureborg worked from 1990 to 2022 as a choral conductor and pedagogue at Stockholms Musikgymnasium/Kungsholmens gymnasium, Sweden’s leading choir school for students aged 16–19. From 2002 to 2022, she conducted the school’s chamber choir (SMK), an internationally recognized ensemble with multiple competition prizes abroad. She holds a master’s degree in church music and a postgraduate diploma in choral conducting from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In 2011 she founded Helene Stureborgs chamber choir (HSK), which won Grand Prix at the Cork International Choral Festival (Ireland) and the Grieg International Choir Festival (Norway). She also taught choral conducting for many years at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In 2017, she received Sweden’s Choir Conductor of the Year award and, in 2018, conducted the World Youth Choir during its summer session in Inner Mongolia and China. Since January 2023, she has served as Artistic Planning Manager of the Swedish Radio Choir, and received the Johannes Norrby Medal of Honour for her contribution to Swedish choral singing the same year. In August 2023, she founded Storkyrkans Kammarkör at Stockholm Cathedral, a chamber choir for talented young singers aged 17–26. The ensemble placed second in Tolosa in 2024 and has quickly established itself as a respected choir.

Wilma ten Wolde is a Dutch choral conductor and music pedagogue dedicated to the artistic and personal development of young singers. After completing her master’s degree in choral conducting, she focused her career on choral pedagogy and youth vocal education. From 1989 to 2004 she served as artistic director of the Viva la Musica Choir School. From 1999 to 2025 she was artistic and general director of the National Youth Choirs of the Netherlands, which under her leadership became an internationally respected institution known for high-level vocal and solfège training and inspiring performance opportunities. She prepared more than 70 productions with the choirs in collaboration with leading orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic. She has worked with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Iván Fischer. Alongside her work with youth choirs, she taught solfège and ensemble singing at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. In 2019 she was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for her contribution to youth choral music.

Wilma ten Wolde je nizozemska zborovodkinja in glasbena pedagoginja, ki se posveča umetniškemu in osebnemu razvoju mladih pevcev. Po zaključku magistrskega študija zborovodstva se je usmerila v zborovsko pedagogiko in vokalno izobraževanje mladih.
Med letoma 1989 in 2004 je bila umetniška direktorica šole za zborovsko petje Viva la Musica. Od leta 1999 do 2025 je delovala kot umetniška in generalna direktorica Nacionalnih mladinskih zborov Nizozemske, pod njenim vodstvom pa so se razvili v mednarodno priznano institucijo z visokokakovostnim vokalnim in solfeggio izobraževanjem ter navdihujočimi nastopnimi priložnostmi.
Z zbori je pripravila več kot 70 produkcij za ugledne orkestre, med njimi za Kraljevi orkester Concertgebouw, Nizozemski radijski filharmonični orkester, Festivalski orkester iz Budimpešte in Berlinski filharmonični orkester. Sodelovala je z velikimi dirigentskimi imeni, kot so Mariss Jansons, sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Iván Fischer. Poleg dela z mladinskimi zbori je poučevala solfeggio in ansambelsko petje na Kraljevem konservatoriju v Haagu. Leta 2019 je bila za prispevek k mladinski zborovski glasbi imenovana za vitezinjo reda Orange-Nassau.