Jury and marks
1. Members of the jury and work of the jury
The jury will consist of 6 esteemed members, choral music experts from Slovenia and from abroad.
Every member of the jury will score the choir with a numerical estimate up to 100.
Taken into account when evaluating:
- the manual technique of the conductor,
- concept of the rehearsal with the choir,
- interpretation,
- contact with the choir.
2. The declarations of the results
The names of the participants will be announced one hour after the end of each round in A category. The results of the competition will be publicly announced after the final concert of the competition.
The decisions of the jury are final. Appeals are not possible.
Each conductor will also receive a written opinion of the performance from each member of the jury.
THE JURY:
President of the jury
STOJAN KURET (Slovenia / Italy)
Conductor of Vocal Academy Ljubljana, EGP Winning Choir
Stojan Kuret born in Trieste (Italy), Stojan Kuret graduated from Academy of Music of University of Ljubljana and finished piano studies at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory in Trieste, where he has been teaching since 1983. He served as the artistic director of APZ Tone Tomšič Choir of University of Ljubljana for 10 years. With them, as well as with the Ljubljana Vocal Academy, he made notable international artistic achievements (five grand prizes in Tours (1999), Varna (2001), Gorizia (2001), Maribor (2002), and Arezzo (2009), and three-time finalist and two-time winner of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Arezzo (2002) and Varna (2010)). In 1984 he received the Gallus commendation from the State of Slovenia for his exceptional musical achievements as well as an honour from the city of Ljubljana for his artistic direction of the APZ Tone Tomšič Choir. He directed RTV Slovenia Chamber Choir (a national radio and TV choir) for two years and also led the Italian Youth Choir for two seasons since January 2007. In September 2011, he received the prestigious Guidoneum Award in Arezzo for his successful and creative work with Ljubljana Vocal Academy, and in 2012 he was bestowed upon the Prešeren Foundation Award, the greatest national cultural accolade in Slovenia. In 2017 he received the Golden Plaque, the highest recognition of the Public fund for cultural activities of the Republic of Slovenia, for his creative and successful work for choral development in the national choral music.
Jury member
MARCO ANTONIO GARCIA DE PAZ (Spain)
Conductor of El Leon de Oro and L’Acadèmia Vocal CdM
Marco Antonio de Paz is considered as one of the most daring and creative conductors today, Marco Antonio García de Paz (Luanco, Asturias) is the main conductor and founder of the choir “El León de Oro”, with which he has performed throughout Spain, Europe, Africa or USA and titular conductor of the Young Choir of Andalusia since 2019. Since 2024 he is the director of L’Acadèmia Vocal CdM in Valencia. From 2021 to 2024 he was also the main conductor of the RTVE Choir, with which he continues to work regularly. He has more than 60 national and international awards. Marco Antonio is regularly invited to conduct numerous professional choirs such as the Choir of the Community of Madrid, Coro de Madrigalistas de Bellas Artes de Ciudad de México or the National Choir of Spain. As a renowned teacher, he has taught at the Milano Choral Academy and the Conservatory of Music in the Principality of Asturias. He has recently conducted the Córdoba Orchestra, the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oviedo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra and the Andalusian Youth Orchestra. He regularly premieres new works and makes recordings for record labels such as Hyperion, Naxos or RTVE Música.
Jury member
TOH BAN SHENG (Singapore)
Artistic Director, Conductor, Composer, Editor,
Founder of Resonance of Singapore Ltd.
Toh Ban Sheng is Singapore’s homegrown conductor that paves the road less travelled. From a physicist to a selftaught musician to one of the most awarded conductors with seven Conductor’s Prizes in Europe, he has been invited to adjudicate, conduct, or teach in some 25 countries. Known for his artistry, he is one of few who has also judged in international choral conducting and choral composition competitions. He obtained two master’s degrees in Choral Conducting and Voice from the USA with the support of a National Arts Council Bursary. Toh has since been recognized as an eminent conductor and educator with an illustrious track record, having garnered eight Grands Prix, numerous Category Champions and Jury Prizes, and some 70 gold awards. In recognition of his artistic achievements and contributions, Toh was conferred the Young Artist Award (2006) by the National Arts Council and the Honorary Member (2016) by the Choral Directors Association of Singapore. Since assuming Artistic Directorship, the annual International Choral Festival Orientale Concentus has grown larger and more established than ever before. To build a stronger Singapore through music, he founded in 2022 Resonance of Singapore Ltd., the first non-profit organisation helmed by professional ensemble.
Jury member
RONI SUGIARTO (Indonesia)
Conductor of St. Angela Choir, Artistic Director for the Saint Angela Children and Youth Choir Festival and Satya Dharma Gita International Choir Festival.
Roni Sugiarto is one of the leading conductor of children and youth choir in Indonesia. He is known for his award-winning choir, Saint Angela Choir, where he promotes genuine, expressive and beautiful appropriate singing for children and youth. With SAC, he has attained international achievements in Hangzhou, Japan, Rome, Florence, South Korea and Tolosa, Spain. In 2023, he won the Grand Prix of the 5th Tokyo International Choir Competition 2023. His vocal and conducting education is taken under the tutelage of Joseph Kristanto and Avip Priatna. On 2009-2010, he got scholarship from German Government (Goethe-Institut) to further studying conducting through “Conducting Workshop for Orchestra” programme in Bangkok, Thailand under the baton of Gudni A. Emilsson (Tubingen, Germany). He had also joined as active participant at several vocal and conducting masterclasses from Jonathan Velasco (Philippines), Julie Spitill (Australia), Marcus LaPratt(USA), and Martin Nagashima Taft (Denmark). Roni is currently acting as the Music Director of Paduan Suara Mahasiswa ITB Bandung and PSM SDG FH Undip Semarang, and as the Artistic Director of Saint Angela Children and Youth Choir Festival and the Satya Dharma Gita National Choir Festival. He has also adjudicated several international and national choir competitions/festivals, as well as being active in leading choral and conducting workshops.
Jury member
PETRA GRASSI (Slovenia / Italy)
Conductor of Vikra Chamber Choir
Petra Grassi is one of the most interesting and awarded European choral conductors of her generation. She has graduated with highest honors and distinction in Choral Conducting from the Conservatory of Trento, where she now teaches choral conducting and choral composition. She has received the Choir’s Prize for Best Conductor at the World Choral Conducting Competition (Hong Kong, 2019) 1st Prize at the “Zvok mojih rok” Choral Conductors Competition in (Ljubljana, 2016), 3rd Prize at the International Conductors Competition organized by the European Choral Association (Turin, 2016), and 1st Prize at the “Le mani in suono” Conducting Competition Arezzo). With the choirs she has conducted, she has won first prizes at national and international competitions. From 2016 to 2020, she served as Principal Conductor of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Youth Choir. With the VIKRA Chamber Choir, she won the Grand Prix of the 59th “C. A. Seghizzi” International Choral Competition in Gorizia, as well as the Best Conductor Award. She is the regular guest conductor of the semi-professional DEKOR Chamber Choir in Ljubljana. For three years, she served as co-artistic director of the Italian Youth Choir (2020–2022). She has been a guest conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. She is regularly invited to serve on international juries for choir and conductor competitions. She has been honored with the Golden Emblem of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the Prešeren Award for her international work under the patronage of the Presidents of Italy and Slovenia, and recently received the prestigious Pavle Merkù Award.
Jury member
MICHAEL JOSEPH BARRETT (South Africa)
Acclaimed composer, arranger and conductor of the University of Pretoria (TUKS) Camerata
Michael Joseph Barrett is an internationally acclaimed conductor, educator, composer, and choral clinician. He was the conductor of the University of Pretoria (TUKS) Camerata and a full-time faculty member in choral conducting at the University of Pretoria Department of Music from 2013-2025. Since April 2025, he has been appointed as a Research Associate at the University of Pretoria. His choirs have received numerous national and international awards, including winning the prestigious Grand Prix of Nations for Best Mixed Youth Choir in Riga, Latvia, in both 2014 and 2017. The Camerata has also performed at the World Symposium of Choral Music in Barcelona, Spain (2017), and recorded six critically acclaimed albums. In March 2025, the Camerata performed as a Headline Choir at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Dallas, Texas. As a composer and arranger, Dr. Barrett has over 40 works published by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and Walton Music (USA). His work spans across the globe, with recent engagements including conducting the Texas All-State Choir (TMEA 2024), the Missouri All-State Choir (MMEA 2022), and the Florida ACDA High School Honor Choir (2019).
Co-Jury member for Slovenian philharmonic choir award
SEBASTJAN VRHOVNIK (Slovenia)
Professor at choral Conductors department at Ljubljana Academy of Music Artistic director of Slovenian Philharmonic Choir
Sebastjan Vrhovnik after completing the High School of Music and Ballet (general theory major, 1997; singing, 2003), in 2004 he enrolled at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, majoring in music pedagogy. He graduated with honors under the mentorship of Marko Vatovac, and also completed his master's studies with honors at the University of Music and Visual Arts in Graz in the class of Johannes Prinz. As an associate professor of choral conducting, he is employed at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, at the same time he leads various choral conducting workshops at home and abroad and appears as a member of expert juries at Slovenian and international magazines and competitions. He currently works as the conductor of the Mixed Choir of the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana and the Mixed Choir of Glasbene matica Ljubljana. In the past, he collaborated with the Chamber Choir of RTV Slovenia, the Maribor Opera Choir, the female vocal group ČarniCe, and the Slovenian Children's Choir. Choir of the Slovenian Philharmonic and Chamber Choir DEKOR. He led the Mixed Choir Cantemus from Kamnik, the Ecce Vocal Group, the Teachers' Choir of Slovenia Emil Adamič, the APZ Tone Tomšič of the University of Ljubljana and the Mixed Choir Obala Koper. With the latter, he recorded several CDs and received many first places and special awards at various national and international competitions. His concert work with choirs is distinguished by his excellent knowledge of vocals and expressive musicality, his interpretations are characterized by a special softness and fusion of choral sound.