Saint Sister

INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

Chantage, England

Conductor: James Davey Chantage, directed by James Davey, was formed in 1999 and quickly established itself in London as a stylish and energetic young chamber choir. It is now one of the UK’s leading amateur choirs, drawing its singers from all over the country and from all walks of life.

Winners of the Grand Prix at the Malta International Choir Festival in 2015 and BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition in 2006, Chantage released a top-selling Christmas CD with EMI in 2008, recorded live with Elbow at Abbey Road Studios in 2009, and is frequently featured on Classic FM and BBC radio and TV (including a stint as the ONE Show’s ‘Complaints Choir’). The choir made its debut at the BBC Proms in 2014, premiering Meld by Benedict Mason, rated by The Guardian newspaper as being in the top 10 Classical performances of the year.

Collegium Vocale, Norway

Conductor: Ketil Jule Bjørnstad Belsaas Collegium Vocale is one of the leading mixed voice amateur choirs in Norway and was founded in 1971. Ketil Jule Bjørnstad Belsaas has been the choir’s conductor since 2010. Although the choir has its rehearsals in Hamar, its 30 members are drawn from all over the region. The choir’s repertoire ranges from church music to contemporary, folk and popular music. In recent years the choir has achieved excellent results in national and international competitions, including gold medals at Musica Mundi, Malta (2009), Riva del Garda, Italy (2013) and the International Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf in Germany (2007). In the 2012 Norwegian National Competition of Choir Music the choir received two gold diplomas and it was awarded a further two gold diplomas in the 2015 National Competition. Collegium Vocale performs with professional Norwegian and international soloists. The choir is also engaged as a festival choir and as a seminar choir for students of choir music.

INTERNATIONAL CHOIRS

Eller Girls’ Choir, Estonia

Conductor: Külli Lokko

Eller Girls’ Choir was founded in 2010 when a music studio was set up in Heino Eller Tartu Music College. Its singers are all aged 14 to 19 and study at high schools in Tartu or at Heino Eller College. The choir’s current members have been singing together since November 2016. Some of the conducting students of Heino Eller College, Karina Kivikas, Kai-Ly Remmelkoor and Jaanus Karlson, work with the choir as choir masters and assistant conductors. Taking part in international competitions has been an important part of the choir’s activities, alongside concerts at school and in Tartu. In 2013, the choir won 1st prize in the youth category of Malta’s International Choir Competition. In 2015, it won 1st prize in the youth choir category and 2nd prize in the sacred music category at the International Canta al Mar Competition in Spain. The choir was also awarded a special prize for best performance of the competition for its interpretation of ’Peace upon you, Jerusalem’ by Arvo Pärt.

Freamunde Vocal Ensemble, Portugal

Conductor: Sílvio Cortez

Freamunde Vocal Ensemble was established in October 2004. Directed by Maestro Sílvio Cortez since then, it recorded its frst CD in 2007. Its repertoire is diverse and carefully selected by the maestro, and the choir particularly enjoys singing folk music. In addition to numerous performances in Portugal, Freamunde Vocal Ensemble has participated in festivals in Spain, Italy, Norway and Greece. At the Cantonigròs International Music Festival, Barcelona (July 2008) the choir was awarded 6th place and went on to win the Vivace International Choir Festival in Hungary (August 2008). It also took part in the III International Choir Festival in Randers, Denmark (August 2009) and the 16th International Choral Festival in Provence, France (July 2011). It has performed a number of large-scale works, including Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Fauré’s Requiem and, most recently, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis at the opening concert of the 2013 Days of Music at Belém Cultural Centre. It has also appeared on the TV programmes Câmara Clara and Portugal no Coração.