Jury

He is conductor, composer, pianist. He graduated from Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, Faculty of Conducting and Music Education, where he attended to Professor Janusz Stanecki’s conducting class. Piotr Jańczak is the founder and the conductor of the “Canto” Interschool Choir, the Men’s Choir and the “Canto” Chamber Choir. All of them have been functioning in the Community Centre in Wyrzysk. These groups have won over 60 international and national choir contests. Many musical compositions of Piotr Jańczak are admired all over the world and they even have been played as compulsory during many prestigious international choir contests. These contests took place in: Venice, Rome, Bonn, Riva del Garda, Neuchatel and Helsingborg.

In 2009 Piotr Jańczak took the doctor’s degree in musical art and artistic conducting. Currently, he is an academic worker at the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz. He also works for the Community Centre in Wyrzysk.

In 2016 he received degree of doctor habilitatus. Composer “Missa Film Stetinum” for symphony orchestra, male choir and solo TI, TII, Baritone, Bass. The premiere took place on 31 January 2016 at the Szczecin Philharmonic. Juror of international and national choral competitions.

Was born in Riga. He studied music first in Jurmala School of Music, after that at the Emils Darzins College of Music. In 1989, he graduated from the Latvian Music Academy composition class under Adolfs Skulte (as an elective he learned symphonic conducting), and in 1996 earned his master’s degree at the Latvian Academy of Music under Juris Karlsons. During his studies, he began to teach harmony and composition at the Jurmala School of Music. Presently he is a professor Ventspils Music School. His other sphere of work is involved with the organ and liturgy. Rihards Dubra was the organist at the Riga Our Lady of Suffering Church, and, as of 1999, he is the cantor of the Riga St. Mary Magdalene Church. The basic genres of the composer’s creative work are large-scale genres for voices with accompaniment, choir music, organ music and symphonic music. Irrespectively of his genre choice, Dubra’s basic creative interests turn to sacred music. “As the belief is the only purity in this world, I cannot see anything better, only to write sacred music,” the composer comments on his creative activities. The composer’s activities at St. Mary Magdalene congregation in Riga and singing in the group Schola Cantorum Riga from its very beginning give inspiration for his creative work. The basis of Rihards Dubra music style is the unification of minimalism and neo-romantic tunes with the intonation, form and philosophy of Gregorian, Medieval and Renaissance music. “My music often is meditative; I like to stop a moment and to check it for some time. It is not possible in life, but music lets manage the impossible – light, longing and eternity speak to us feeling every moment…” Rihards Dubra’s music has been performed in several countries of the world: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland, England, France, Austria, Italia, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, USA and others. Teaches in Music School in Liepaja.

Prof. Vytautas Miškinis is the Artistic Director of the Ažoliukas Boys’ and Men Choir, Professor of Choral conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and President of the Lithuanian Choral Union. With the choirs he has won prestigious pries at numerous National and International competitions.

Vytautas Miškinis has composed aprox. 350 religious motets a’cappella, 15 Masses, Magnificat, Cantatas, Musicals and approximately 400 of secular songs, which are performed by choirs throughout Lithuania and the rest of Europe.

He was born in 1968. He began his music studies at the first and second degree State Music School in Olsztyn in the violin class. He graduated from the Music Academy in Gdańsk at the department of choral conducting. In the years 1991-2000 and 2016-20017 he worked with the Chamber Choir “CONTINUO” in Sopot, and in the period 2004-2009 with the choir of the State Higher Vocational School of Elbląg. In the years 2000-2012 he was the president of Gdańsk branch of the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras (PZChiO), and also a member of the PZChiO General Board in Warsaw. Decorated with the Golden Honor Award of PZChiO. He also performs as a pedagogue and symphonic conductor, conducting the orchestra of the Second Degree State Music School in Gdańsk (from 2007 to today) and academic classes in choral conducting (in the years 2009-2016 the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz). Currently, he is a professor at Gdańsk University of Technology and the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz at the Department of Conducting, Jazz and Music Education

He has performed on many national and international stages (Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Macedonia). He took part in 32 national and 22 foreign choir competitions and festivals where he received a total of 55 awards and distinctions (3 Grand Prix, 3 prizes for the best conductor of the festival, 11 first places, 13 gold diplomas).
He is an author of many publications on orthodox music, a speaker at scientific conferences, a juror at national and international choral competitions, among others he is a was a jury member at the “RAINBOW” International Festival and Choir Competition Saint Petersburg (Russia). His artistic and scientific interests include religious music, baroque music, contemporary music and music sociology.

In 2023, he received the title of Professor of Art awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland.