Lithuanian choral conductor, composer and music pedagogue, Vaclovas Augustinas is the chief conductor and artistic director of Vilnius Municipality Choir. In 1993, her participated in the Congress of Choirleaders in Väjö, Sweden as guest conductor.His works are regularly performed in Lithuania and abroad at various festivals, concerts venues and choral competitions and in 2010 he was awarded the Lithuanian National Arts and Culture Prize. In 2014, he was appointed Head of the Composition Department of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
The Brit Award and Double-Classic Brit Award-winning Welsh composer, Paul Mealor has been described as ‘the most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias (the New York Times, 2001). Born in St Asaph, North Wales, Paul was voted as the nation’s favourite living composer during the 2012 UK National Radio Station, Classic FM’s Hall of Fame. He has been a Professor of Composition in the University of Aberdeen’s Music Department since 2003. He is President of Ty Cerdd – Wales’s National Centre for music; Vice-President of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod; Patron of the Welsh Music Guild and Honorary President of the International Choral Festival Wales.
Bernie Sherlock is a Lecturer in Music at Dublin’s DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, having previously lectured for many years in the School of Music at Trinity College Dublin. She has been Artistic Director of the Association of Irish Choirs’ International Conducting Summer School since 2008 and she is the representative for Ireland on the World Choir Council. Since 2007 Bernie has been musical director of the Culwick Choral Society with whom she has prepared and conducted many of the great works from the repertoire for large choir. Her award-winning chamber choir New Dublin Voices is a consistent prize-winner at major competitions around Europe. Bernie’s extensive conducting experience spans a wide range of choirs, and she has an international profile as an adjudicator, workshop leader, teacher of conducting and of aural training.
Norweigan pianist, singer and conductor, Maria Gamborg Helbekkmo is professor emeritus at Bergen University College, where she used to teach choir conducting, piano and solo voice. Helbekkmo has gained wide recognition as a musician and a teacher, and is especially known for her work with the female choir Voci Nobili. She has been the artistic director of Bergen Philharmonic Choir, and in 2000 she was in charge of Voice of Europe, a collaborative project between the European Cultural Cities. As a pianist she has given several recitals and has performed with numerous notable orchestras. She has toured with both the Norwegian and Swedish Concert Academies and has worked for many years as a freelance musician for the Norweigan Boradcasting Company; making music programmes for children.