Jury

Javier Busto

Basque Country/Spain

He has been choral conductor of several choirs in Valladolid and the Basque Country and has received numerous awards at important choral competitions in Europe. His works have been published in USA, France, Japan, Spain, Argentina, Germany, United Kingdom, and Sweden. He is frequently invited as jury member to choral competitions worldwide, like to Antalya (Turkey), Arezzo (Italy), Debrecen (Hungary), Hamar (Norway), Maasmechelen (Belgium), Maribor (Slovenia) Mérida (Venezuela), Montserrat (Cataluña), Neerpelt (Belgium), Riga (Latvia), Singapur, Split (Croatia), Takarazuka and Tokyo (Japan), Tolosa (EH), Tours (France), Verona (Italy), Yeosu (South Korea), Argentina. Mr. Busto has been also invited to conduct and run workshops in many countries such as China and Venezuela. He also was invited to the IV World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney, Australia, 1996 and to the 8th World Choir Games – Riga, 2014.

Robert Sund

Sweden

Robert Sund is an internationally known conductor, composer, arranger and singer from Sweden. He has been artistic director of very famous Swedish ensembles and teacher of Choral Conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm for 17 years. He has been member of the jury at choir competitions in Europe, Israel, Asia, South America, USA and Canada. Mr. Sund has also conducted many choral ateliers in Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Asia. He has also been invited to conduct prestigious groups all around the world such as The Radio Choir in Vienna and the National Choir of Cuba and has also been Guest conductor of the World Youth Choir (supported by the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat, among others) in 1994 and 1997. Robert Sund has also conducted at many international choir festivals like the IFCM World Simposia on Choral Music. He has also been awarded as choral conductor by many educational, cultural and public institutions in Sweden.

Zimfira Poloz

Canada

Zimfira Poloz is an internationally respected conductor, jury, adjudicator and clinician from Kazakhstan, where she founded the first Choir School. She has been awarded in several opportunities obtaining the Honoured Representative of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Hamilton’s V.I.P award and the Leslie Bell Prize Award for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Art Council. As a choral conductor and pedagogue, she has been invited to many countries like Norway, Switzerland, South Korea and Venezuela among others. She teaches ‘Vocal Pedagogy for Young Choirs’ at the University of Toronto and is Artistic Director of the Hamilton Children’s Choir (HCC) and Young Voices Toronto. Under her leadership, the HCC has won numerous Grand Prize Awards at top choral events. She was invited to the América Cantat 8, in Bahamas. She collaborates writing articles for choral magazines. In 2017 the HCC was honoured to perform at the American Choral Directors Association’s National Conference, in Minneapolis.

César Alejandro Carrillo

Venezuela

César Alejandro Carrillo is a very well-known composer, arranger and choral conductor from Venezuela. He has a wide creative work with more than twenty awarded compositions in several competitions. He has been awarded National Composition Prize (1982, 1991), Composition Mayor’s Prize (1984, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2000), among others. Many of his choral arrangements and original works have been recorded and performed by prestigious groups from Europe and America. He has performed concerts in Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, United States, Puerto Rico, Portugal, France, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary. He was conductor (1999-2012) of the Orfeón Universitario from the Central University of Venezuela, National Artistic Heritage, He is conductor of Cantarte, Antiphona and Bola Negra. Mr. Carrillo is professor of choral conducting at the Simon Bolivar Music Foundation (El Sistema).

Ana María Raga

Venezuela

Founder President of Aequalis Foundation, she is a Venezuelan choral conductor, pianist, and lecturer with published compositions by Hinshaw Music and A Coeur Joie. She has been invited as a clinician, workshop leader and adjudicator to many countries in North/South America, Europe and Asia and has also been guest conductor of prestigious groups such as the Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir and the World Youth Choir (2009), among others. Raga has been awarded as choral conductor, composer and pianist in Venezuela, Hungary and the United States. As a Teacher trainer, she is member of the “Música para Crecer” Program (CAF Development Bank of Latin America) and Professor of Choral Conducting at the UNEARTE (University of the Arts). In addition to her educational interests, she is Artistic Director of Aequalis Aurea, ArsPraxis and the Choral Project of Humboldt School and has been Associate Conductor of the Schola Cantorum of Venezuela for more than 20 years.