The winner of the competition in the A category is conductor Artürs Švarcbachs from Latvia. Hyonah Song from South Korea celebrated in the B category, who also received an award from the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. Both are also recipients of numerous special awards.
The 3rd international competition of choral conductors Aegis carminis 2023 came to an end in an exceptional atmosphere and good preparation of top Slovenian demonstration choirs.
Eleven conductors from seven countries were admitted to the competition. One candidate appeared in two categories. The jury consisting of Basilio Astulez Duque (Spain), the president and members of the jury Lorenzo Donati (Italy), Brian Stevens (USA), Helena Fojkar Zupančič (Slovenia) and Sebastjan Vrhovnik (Slovenia) were satisfied with the level. They also praised the selection of weighty, interesting and demanding repertoire. The participants of the competition had to deal with the literature of the 20th and 21st centuries and show their technical skills, interpretation and suggestive abilities. In the rehearsal with the choir, different ways of approaching the improvement of the interpretation, the elaboration of details and the elimination of technical problems.
jury on stage
We would like to thank all the participants, demonstration choirs and conductors who prepared the choirs well and made the competition possible. We would like to thank everyone who helped and supported the event in any way.
Demonstrative Choirs:
A CATEGORY:
Elementary School France Bevk Tolmin Youth Choir
(prepared by Barbara Kovačič)
St. Stanislav Girls' Choir, Ljubljana
(prepared by Helena Fojkar Zupančič)
KGBL Chamber Choir
(prepared by Ambrož Čopi)
B CATEGORY
Music School Koper Youth Choir
(prepared by Maja Cilenšek)
RESULTS
A CATEGORY - CHORAL CONDUCTORS
Participants:
1st Round - QUALIFICATIONS
Neža Križnar Ristič (Slovenia)
Lovro Frelih (Slovenia)
Oleksandra Polytsia (Ukraine-Austria)
Kristaps Solovjovs (Latvia)
Hyonah Song (South Korea-Estonia)
Liang Sheng-Kai (Taiwan)
Artūrs Švarcbahs (Latvia)
2nd Round - SEMI-FINALS
Neža Križnar Ristič (Slovenia)
Lovro Frelih (Slovenia/Slovenia)
Kristaps Solovjovs (Latvia)
Hyonah Song (South Korea-Estonia)
Artūrs Švarcbahs (Latvia)
3rd Round - FINALS
Neža Križnar Ristič (Slovenia)
Hyonah Song (South Korea-Estonia)
Artūrs Švarcbahs (Latvia)
1. AWARD
- Special award for the best performance of the compulsory composition in the Semi-final Marjan Lipovšek: Vihar (Srečko Kosovel)
- Special award for the most promising young conductor
- KGBL Chamber Choir award for the most charismatic choir conductor in the final of the competition
Artūrs Švarcbahs (2000) is currently studying at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music with associate professor Andris Veismanis. Artūrs has improved his conducting skills with conductors like Marc Korovitch, Frank Markowitsch and Mārtiņš Ozoliņš. He has also improved his vocal skills with singers such as Marina Rebeka, Snezana Nena Brzakovic, and Lars Johansson Brissman. Artūrs Švarcbahs was the chief conductor and artistic director of mixed choir “Vidzeme” from 2019 till 2021. He has also worked as a choirmaster of the Latvian National Guard Choir “Stars”. He is currently working as a freelance singer, artistic director of Vocal Group “The Garden” and guest conductor of the Swedish Latvian Choir. He is also conducting children choirs and orchestras in musical summer camps. Artūrs Švarcbahs has received the second prize and special awards for an outstanding interpretation of Polish contemporary music and for the best work on vocal technique in the 9th International Choir Conducting Competition "TOWARDS POLYPHONY" (2022). He also has been a finalist of the 3rd international Imants Kokars choral conducting competition (2019).
2. AWARD
- Special award for the best performance of the obligatory composition in the final, Ambrož Čopi: Arise my love, my beautiful one (Song of Songs)
and
PRIZE OF THE SLOVENIAN PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
- a concert with choir in the 2024/25 season
The award was presented by Gregor Klančič, artistic director of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir.
Hyonah Song (1986) is currently based in Estonia. She leads EAMT choir of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and works as a concert master in the conducting class. She studied choral conducting at the Korea National University of Arts with Prof. Martin Behrmann and Prof. Hongsu Kim, obtaining her master’s degree with Summa cum laude. While continuing her doctoral studies in Korea, she left for Estonia. She studied with Prof. Toomas Kapten at the Estoniam Academy Music and Theatre, graduated cum laude. When she was a student, she received a Dora scholarship from the European Union, and was also a merit scholarship student at academy. She was selected and performed at the Choral Conducting Competition held by Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the opera ‘Der Mond’ she served as assistant conductor won the Artist of the Year Award. Externally, she conducted a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Estonia and South Korea. She has also conducted many choirs. One of them is the Rapla mixed Choir (Estonia), where she was assistant conductor and soloist.
3. AWARD
Neža Križnar Ristič (1997) continued her studies at the Music Pedagogy Department of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, where she studied conducting with Marko Vatovec and Sebastjan Vrhovnik, from whom she graduated "summa cum laude". She works as an accompanist and assistant conductor in the Megaron Chamber Choir. Since 2016, she has been regularly involved in leading musical activities at the St. Stanislaus Institute and in the organisation of the Slovenian Children's Choir. In the 2019/20 season, she participated in the project of the Ljubljana Glasbena Matica Children's choir "African Animal Paradise" as an assistant conductor. In 2019 she took over the leadership of the Davorin Jenko Chamber Male Choir. She won 2nd place in the 2nd International Aegis Carminis Competition in the category of Choirmaster of Youth Choirs and a special mention for her good pedagogical approach.
- Special award for the best performance of the obligatory composition in the Qualifications Andrej Makor: Jadrničarji (Srečko Kosovel)
Liang Sheng-Kai
B CATEGORY - CHILDREN'S CHOIRS CONDUCTORS
Participants:
Jakob Ivačič (Slovenia)
Uroš Jurgec (Slovenia)
Maša Prah (Slovenia)
Hyonah Song (South Korea-Estonia)
Marianna Setti (Italy)
1. AWARD
- Special award for the best performance of the obligatory composition Ambrož Čopi: Skozi noč srebrno hitita (Srečko Kosovel)
Hyonah Song (1986) is currently based in Estonia. She leads EAMT choir of Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and works as a concert master in the conducting class. She studied choral conducting at the Korea National University of Arts with Prof. Martin Behrmann and Prof. Hongsu Kim, obtaining her master’s degree with Summa cum laude. While continuing her doctoral studies in Korea, she left for Estonia. She studied with Prof. Toomas Kapten at the Estoniam Academy Music and Theatre, graduated cum laude. When she was a student, she received a Dora scholarship from the European Union, and was also a merit scholarship student at academy. She was selected and performed at the Choral Conducting Competition held by Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the opera ‘Der Mond’ she served as assistant conductor won the Artist of the Year Award. Externally, she conducted a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Estonia and South Korea. She has also conducted many choirs. One of them is the Rapla mixed Choir (Estonia), where she was assistant conductor and soloist.
2. AWARD
Marianna Setti (1995) discovered music at a very early age. She graduated from the Guido d'Arezzo High School for Choral Conductors and from the University of Verona with a degree in Modern Languages. She is currently studying choral conducting and choral composition at the F. A. Bonporti Conservatory (Academy of Music) in Trento, as well as Renaissance and Baroque singing. Marianna conducts the Castelbarco Children’s Choir in Avio (TN) and the Anthea Women's Choir in MoriBrentonico (TN); she is assistant conductor of the Castelbarco Polyphonic Choir and also carries out teaching projects in schools. She sings in the professional group Continuum Ensemble and in the chamber choir of the F. A. Bonporti Conservatory.
3. AWARD
Jakob Ivačič (2001) completed his secondary music education at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Maribor, where he graduated in piano in the class of Professor Tatjana Dvoršak in 2020. In the last two years of his secondary education he also furthered his knowledge with Professor Robert Ožinger, under whose tutelage he participated in the Temsig competition in the jazz chamber ensemble discipline in his third year, where he and his duo took third place. During his studies at the Conservatory, he attended seminars of renowned jazz and classical musicians such as Marko Črnčec, Nataša Veljković, Renato Chico, Žan Tetičkovič, Emet Cohen, Russell Hall, Petra Onderuf and Gary Graden. From October 2020 Jakob continues his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in the class of Professor Johannes Prinz, where he is studying choral conducting.
- Special award for the promising young conductor
Maša Prah
