International Conductors

James Litton
U.S.A.

Diane Loomer
Canada

Robert Sund
Sweden

Jaroslav Krček
Czech Republic

2^nd International Boys and Men's Choral Festival
PARTICIPATING CHOIRS
 

American Boychoir - The American Boychoir’s rich sonorities, musical sophistication, expressive power and innovative programming have established its reputation as the United States ’ premier concert boys’ choir and one of the finest boychoirs in the world. Its members – boys in grades 5 through 8 – come from around the country to pursue a rigorous academic and musical curriculum at The American Boychoir School, the only non-sectarian residential boys’ choir school in the country. The student body reflects the ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of the United States, and graduates are eagerly sought by the finest boarding schools or are frequently placed in advanced courses in hometown public schools. The School offers rolling admissions throughout the year and holds auditions for interested boys after each concert. Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1937, The American Boychoir has been located in Princeton, New Jersey since 1950. www.americanboychoir.org
 

American Boychoir Alumni Chorus - The American Boychoir Alumni Chorus, directed by Dr James Litton, was created in response to alumni who desired an opportunity to sing together at the same level of excellence as when they were young choristers. The first rehearsal of the Alumni Chorus was held in March, 2005, and the choir has since become an integral part of the Boychoir community. Now in its third full season, the Chorus includes over 45 alumni from six decades who travel from as far south as Virginia and as far north as Newport, VT to participate. www.americanboychoir.org/alum_chorus.html
 

BONI PUERI - The Czech Boys Choir was founded in 1982. Since then it has become one of Europe's most notable musical bodies. The choir is a part of the newly opened Boni Pueri choir school under the patronage of the Czech Ministry of Education. It has 350 members and has given more than 2500 concerts all over Europe, America and Asia, made eight records of its own and taken part in 19 others (Supraphon, EMI, BMG, ArcoDiva etc.). Boni Pueri performs with eminent artists, such as José Carreras. It makes recordings for TV and radio and performs with important ensembles and orchestras all over the world. It makes regular tours of the USA (Grace Cathedral San Francisco), Japan (Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Hall), South Korea (Seoul Arts Centre), Great Britain, the Netherlands (Concertgebouw Amsterdam, De Doelen Rotterdam), Denmark, France, and Italy (Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore Bergamo) etc. Boni Pueri is a cultural ambassador of the "European Federation of Choirs of the Union". www.bonipueri.cz
 

Chor Leoni - A rich full-bodied sound, innovative programming, technical precision, meticulous intonation, and versatility coupled with an ever-present musical curiosity and commitment to the creation of new Canadian choral works are qualities that have catapulted Chor Leoni to national and international fame since its founding by Diane Loomer, C.M. in 1992. Whether it be a sombre moment of reflection during a Remembrance Day performance or a joyful turn of comedic phrasing at a Summer Solstice show, Chor Leoni is renowned for reaching across the footlights and transforming the performance from ‘concert’ to ‘conversation.’ The lions live up to their name as they fearlessly move between musical genres, always aiming to communicate, engage, and entertain. Engendering tears of emotion, peals of laughter, and gasps of awe from their audiences, Chor Leoni prides itself on its ability to perform in many languages and styles, always sung with fresh energy and poise. www.chorleoni.org
 

St Michael’s Choir School - St. Michael’s Choir School was founded in 1937 by Fr. John Edward Ronan to facilitate the training of a boys’ choir for St. Michael’s Cathedral. The official name of the school at the time was “Cathedral Schola Cantorum.” On May 17, 1955, St. Michael’s Choir School was accorded an affiliation with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome -- only six other Choirs and Choir Schools in the world share this privilege. In 1987, the Choir School completed an astounding fifty years of service, and in recognition of this milestone, Mr. Art Eggleton, the mayor of Toronto at the time, declared June 15, 1987, as the official St. Michael’s Choir School Day. St. Michael’s Choir School was formed from humble beginnings as a privately run institution. In 1967 a partnership was formed with the Toronto Catholic School Board that is still in existence today. From the very beginning the school has provided parishes in the Toronto Diocese and beyond with organists, cantors, conductors, and professional singers. www.smcs.on.ca
 

Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus - Founded in 1939 by Metropolitan Opera tenor Eduardo Caso, the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus is dedicated to providing boys in the community an enriched educational experience through the study and performance of choral music. As a 67-year-old institution, the Tucson Boys Chorus has an established international reputation based on traditional boys choir repertoire and the unique emphasis on ballads and folksongs of the southwestern United States. Lending exceptional stability to the Chorus, the current director, Dr. Julian Ackerley, is only the fourth director in Chorus history. He has provided the artistic and administrative leadership for the organization as a full-time director since 1980. Under his direction, the Chorus has performed in numerous prestigious venues, with tours and performances spanning five continents. Most recently, the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus was honored with the distinction of being named National Anchor Choir (Treble) for AmericaFest 2000. www.boyschorus.org
 

Tucson Arizona Young Men's Ensemble
 

Amabile Treble Concert Choir - The Amabile Boys Choirs were founded in 1990 by musical directors Carol Beynon and Bevan Keating. The aim of the choirs is to give boys and young men with special musical abilities and interests the opportunity to perform in challenging choral literature. The Treble Concert Choir is a group of advanced singers between the ages of 10 and 14 with unchanged voices. This ensemble rehearses once per week for two hours and performs regularly in concert and on tours. Choristers remain in this choir until their voices change after which they move automatically into the Amabile Young Men's Ensemble (AYME). www.amabile.com
 

Amabile Young Men’s Choir - The Amabile Young Men's Ensemble performs TTBB repertoire written for male chorus. Singers in this choir have changing or changed voices and may be in senior elementary school, high school, post-secondary education or working. The senior or post-secondary school members act as mentors and role models to the younger members and play a leadership role in the performance, organization and structures of the choir. www.amabile.com
 

Primus Men's Choir - Primus is the newest ensemble of the four choirs in the Amabile Boys' & Men's Choirs. It consists of postsecondary members of the AYME who have demonstrated excellence in performing ability as well as dedication to the choir. The group performs a wide variety of repertoire, ranging from early Renaissance to jazz; from traditional folk music to barbershop. The members of Primus are actively involved in selecting their own repertoire, arranging or composing repertoire for the choirs, making musical decisions, and often perform without a conductor. www.amabile.com
 

The St. John’s Boys’ Choir - founded in 1981 by Br. Paul Richards, continues the tradition of enabling boys to express themselves through music, and provides an environment that nurtures and encourages creativity. Members of the choir represent home, public, and private schools in more than 15 communities around Central Minnesota. The choir performs approximately fifty concerts per year which include a repertoire of sacred, classical, folk, and Broadway music. They have toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean and have hosted the prestigious AmericaFest International Festivals at St. John's Abbey five times. www.sjbchoir.org
 

Estonian National Opera Boys' Choir - The Estonian National Opera Boys’ Choir was founded in 1971 and is directed by Hirvo Surva. The main concert choir is supported by two training choirs for the younger boys, so that altogether around 140 talented young singers study vocal music in the choir. The main concert choir works on the principal of a classical mixed choir (men’s and boys’ voices); boys whose voices have broken are encouraged to remain in the choir and carry on singing as tenors and basses. The activities of the choir include concert tours, singing camps, competitions and other joint activities. The choir is justly proud of its role in introducing and promoting Estonian music to audiences both at home. www.hirvosurva.com
 

Poznan Boys' Choir - One of the most famous European boys’ choirs has been operating in a new form since September 2003 as a cultural institution upon the initiative od the Mayor of the city Poznań. The ensemble itself dates back to 1945. The Poznań Boys’ Choir has given over 2200 concerts in many countries all over the world and has taken part in numerous prestigious musical festivals and performed, inter alia, in such famous places as Carnegie Hall, The Berlin Philharmonic, The Vienna Musikverein, The Berliner Dom, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Gewandhaus in Leipzig. The ensemble has released many recordings and performed at the world premieres of significant masterpieces of contemporary composers. The choir is run by Jacek Sykulski, a composer and conductor. The choir closely co-operates with the Poznań Choir School, founded in 1957, which educates young choristers. This institution, the only one with such a profile in Poland and modeled after the schools of Thomanerchor and Wienersängerknaben, constitutes a prospective educational base for the ensemble. www.pchch.pl
 

Bratislava Boys Choir - The Bratislava Boys’ Choir has been part of the Slovak artistic scene since 1982. Its founder is Magdaléna Rovňáková, ArtD. Initially named the Boys’ Philharmonic Choir and consisting of sopranos and altos, the group performed in oratorios and cantatas, and gradually built its own repertoire. In 1988, it became an independent ensemble and the boys, whose voices had changed, returned as tenors and basses. Today, the group is part of a private music school with about 80 students aged 7 to 28. Singing throughout Slovakia and beyond, they captivate audiences in European cities (Berlin, Budapest, London, Moscow, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna…), the United States (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco…), Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto), and Japan (Osaka, Tokyo…). The Bratislava Boys’ Choir has appeared in television films, cooperated with motion picture companies (Hallmark, Miramax…), and has recorded seven CDs. www.bchz.sk