Vytautas Miskinis – Lithuania
Vytautas Miškinis is the Artistic Director of the Ažuoliukas Boys’ and Men’s Choir, Professor of Choral Conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and President of the Lithuanian Choral Union and renowned composer. He graduated in Choral Conducting from the Lithuanian Academy of Music in 1976 (conducting class of Prof. H. Perelšteinas). He began his career in Ažuoliukas at the age of seven as a vocalist, and continued as Artistic Director from the age of 25. All the achievements of the choir from 1979 have been due to Mr. Miškinis’ leadership. For several years he conducted the Kaunas State Choir and Vocal Ensemble Museum Musicum. With the choirs he has won prestigious prizes at numerous national and international competitions – in Marktoberdorf, Gorizia, Varna, Maribor, Tampere, Mainhausen, Nantes. Currently Mr. Miškinis is an Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the All-Lithuanian Choir Festival. Vytautas Miškinis has led choral performances in Europe, Canada, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Singapore, and the USA. A number of compositions for choir with Symphonic Orchestras have been conducted by Vytautas Miskinis. He has also lectured and held seminars on Music Education and conducting in Lithuania and abroad – in the Czech Republic, Korea, Latvia, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Singapore and the Ukraine. He has participated in numerous national and international choral events as composer and advisor. He has led workshops and has been a Member of the Jury at International Choir and Choral Composition Competitions worldwide. Vytautas Miškinis has composed about 400 religious motets a cappella, 18 Masses, Magnificat, Cantatas, Musicals and about 400 secular songs , which are performed by choirs throughout Lithuania and the rest of Europe. Lithuanian and foreign choirs have recorded his compositions on CD. Many compositions for children’s choirs are published in Lithuania and a couple of religious compositions also in France, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Japan, Latvia and the USA. V. Miškinis has several times been awarded prestigious State and Government Prizes such as Honoured Artist of Lithuania, the Prize for Culture and Art, Order of Grand Duke Gediminas, Medal of Duke Žygimantas Augustas. In 2002 as a composer he was nominated “Author of the Year”. In 2010 Carus Verlag Publishing House, Germany, recorded the CD “V.Miškinis Portrait“ (Consonare Choir),Hyperion in UK published the CD “The Time is Endless” (choir of Royal Holloway University).
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Rv_5KXPrE_U
Theodora Pavlovitch – Bulgaria
THEODORA PAVLOVITCH is a Professor in choral conducting and Head of Conducting Department at the Bulgarian National Academy of Music. She is also a lecturer at Sofia University. Her artistic career started in 1986 when she worked as choir-master of the Bulgarian National TV-choir contributing to many TV-programs, live concerts and recordings. In 1991 she became conductor of the Sofia Chamber Choir called upon her teacher Prof. Vassil Arnaoudov. With this choir she won prestigious awards at international competitions, took part in many high-level international festivals, in TV and radio-programs, concert tours in 22 countries. Since 2005 Theodora Pavlovitch is a permanent conductor of Classic FM Radio Mixed Choir performing different styles of music in a collaboration with Classic FM Radio Orchestra. In 2007/2008 she conducted the World Youth Choir, honoured by UNESCO with the title Artist for Peace, recognizing the WYC’s success as a platform for intercultural dialogue through music. Prof. Theodora Pavlovitch is frequently invited as a member of Jury-panels at a number of international choral competitions, as a conductor and a lecturer at prestigious international events in 25 European countries and Russia,USA, Japan , China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel. In 2005 she led a Master class for choral conductors in the program of the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan.
For her artistic achievements, Prof. Theodora Pavlovitch has been awarded:
– Golden Century – a special Prize given by the Ministry of Culture of Republic Bulgaria (2016);
– Prize “The Hearth of Sofia” given by the Sofia Municipality and the
Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science (2016);
– Golden Lyre given by the professional Union of Bulgarian Musicians ( 2012);
– Golden Book of the Council of the European Scientific and Cultural
societies (2012);
– Special Prizes of the Bulgarian Choir’s Union and Classic FM Radio.
