INTERNATIONAL WEEK FOR PEACE

John Rutter is an English composer and conductor, associated mainly with choral music and active internationally for many years. His larger choral works, Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions, are widely performed around the world, and many of his shorter pieces such as The Lord bless you and keep you, For the beauty of the earth, Look at the world, and All things bright and beautiful have become ‘standards’. He has composed or arranged many Christmas carols. He established the Collegium record label in 1983 as a vehicle for recordings with his professional chamber choir the Cambridge Singers, and they have made over fifty recordings. He has enjoyed a long association with Clare College, Cambridge – first as student, then Director of Music, later as parent, and recording producer for their renowned choir.

Nicol Matt is the founder and Artistic Director of the Chamber Choir of Europe, the World Choir for Peace and the International Week for Peace Hanover. Almost one hundred CDs with award-winning recordings of highly demanding vocal, orchestral and instrumental works document his sophistication as an artist, these include recordings with renowned labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Hänssler Classic and Berlin Classics. He regularly receives invitations to perform at established international concert series. As producer Nicol Matt developed and initiated many new projects for the international TV and music industry, to support choirs and a cappella singing worldwide. As lecturer and judge he is regularly invited to international choir competitions, festivals and universities, to teach during workshops and master-classes for conductors and singers around the globe. He also has active partnerships with contemporary composers such as Morten Lauridsen, Sir Karl Jenkins, John Rutter and many more.

I will bring you to the stage Brewer International, a global player founded in 2004, was developed with one purpose in mind: To find, develop, and deliver the most exciting vocal talents to the professional world of music and performance. Our guiding belief: “I will bring you to the stage.” So you wanna be famous? My belonging to the upper echelon of the music business has its advantages. “So you wanna be famous?” I ask my singers. And then I tell them the truth. That truth being that most times it is a very lonely business; it has been known to break even the best of them. I tell them two things about it: I tell them that it is one of the most thrilling rides they will ever have the opportunity to experience. Although thrilling, it can be an unforgiving and cruel business. It takes a disciplined mind and well balanced spirit to survive the power plays. And still they want in. “Don’t dream your life. Live your dream” David Lee Brewer

Stefan Kölsch is a brain scientist and bestselling author recruited by UiB in 2015 as a Toppforsk (excellent research) Professor. His main research fields are neuroscience and experimental psychology. He is known for highly interdisciplinary work, co-authoring publications with neurologists, immunologists, psychiatrists, physicists, philosophers, musicologists, literary scholars, and psycholinguists.  Stefan Kölsch is also a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig (Germany), and at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. 

Voice performance coach Kirsten Schötteldreier brings a powerful and playful awareness to vocal health with her holistic method of singing. “Sing with your heart” - increase your heart energy and physical condition for more authentic and joyful singing, opening the window into singing without restrictions and fear. Kirsten Schötteldreier not only is a vocal technique, energy and stage performance coach for young talents, but also works intensively with opera stars from Vienna, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan and Bonn.

Thomas Hampson, America’s foremost baritone, hails from Spokane, Washington. He has received many honors and awards for his probing artistry and cultural leadership. He enjoys a singular international career as an opera singer, recording artist, and “ambassador of song,” maintaining an active interest in research, education, musical outreach, and technology. Comprising more than 150 albums, his discography includes winners of a Grammy Award, five Edison Awards, and the Grand Prix du Disque. Through the Hampsong Foundation which he founded in 2003 he employs the art of song to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Julia Lagahuzère, works as General Director for Opera for Peace. She is also artistic consultant to the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo, Norway. Julia has a passion for finding and helping to nurture young talent, and established a concert series in order to strengthen relations between the QSMIC and the top international young artist programs; notably in collaboration with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She has previously worked at the San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera and Opéra de Limoges, and most recently as the highest international level as Deputy Casting Director for Opéra National de Paris in the two theatres of Opéra de Bastille and Palais Garnier. She is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, a musicology scholarship recipient at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a Master’s degree in Opera and Visual Performing Arts from King’s College London in collaboration with the BBC Proms.

Jennifer John is based Liverpool in the UK has been at the forefront of choir development and working with voices from diverse communities for over 30 years. She is committed to providing accessible vocal training for all people and believes in singing for social change. Jennifer has recently won 2 awards for her recent virtual choir project, Love Sings which was created during Lockdown.                                                                                                                 •   Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards 2020 •   Association of Independent Musicians “Local Hero” awards 2021 https://www.jenniferjohnmusic.com/

run the Academy for Singing and Health. As singers and music therapists, they are spirited singing activists, CD, book and film authors and founded Singende Hospitals e. V www.healingsongs.de

Simone is a qualified music therapist and alternative practitioner for psychotherapy. She is also an author and coach in the field of palliative medicine with a focus on music therapy. For over 20 years she has focused her work in areas of dementia and palliative care. As a user of Dementia Care Mapping, multiplier for the dementia balance model © and specialist book author, she currently works as a guest speaker and coach. She guides in the development of interdisciplinary teams in care at home and abroad and advises employees on how to deal with their singing and speaking voice. She is the 2nd chairwoman of the Singing Hospitals network. In her specialist books and seminars, the effect of singing on body, soul and spirit is of particular importance.

Qualified music teacher, qualified pianist, composer, vocal artist and coach for voice development and improvisation with 25 years of teaching experience (courses and circle song events throughout Europe – including at music colleges and theatres, psychological and medical institutes, as management training and at congresses). Many years of experience in teaching psychology, mediation, systemic therapy & sound healing. www.johannaseiler.com

Freelance singer, 3rd board member of Singing Hospitals network. Singing teacher, choir coach, choir leader of senior singing groups, patient singing groups in the psychotherapeutic context, as well as evening class lecturer, and further training seminars for educators and educators and in companies.

Certified jazz singer, singing teacher, vocal coach for choirs, speaker, certified Conflict counsellor based on the approach of positive psychotherapy by Prof. Dr. medical N. Peseschkian, cert. Facilitator of Virtues-Project e.V., certif. Singing director in hospice work and in facilities for psych. sick people. www.angelika-goers.de

Mr Caplin received his education as a singer, conductor and choral pedagogue at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. He is frequently engaged as guest conductor and clinician, and as adjudicator in competitions. Mr Caplin specializes within the psychological/pedagogical aspects of choral leadership, coupled with the traditional perspectives of choral conducting and the overall running of a choir including all aspects. This focus is fundamental in his book on choral leadership that was globally published in 2017 – ”The Learning Conductor”. Another speciality is the cross field between classical and rhythmical singing and conducting. His publications include a number of compositions, arrangements and CD recordings (Cantando Music Publisher, Stavanger and at Musikk-Husets forlag, Oslo.) He has received international recognitions for his leadership of the following choirs : The Lund University Male Choir (prominent male choir from University of Lund, Sweden, World Choir Champions, Shaoxing 2010), Chamber Choir Collegium Vocale (Norway), Oslo University Male Choir (World Choir Champion, Xiamen, China 2006). He presently conducts the internationally renowned Defrost Youth Choir, and is artistic leader of and singing member of the vocal group Nordic Blue.

Oksana Sukhetska - founder, choirmaster, artistic director and conductor of the mixed «Molodizhnyi Kamernyi Khor (Youth Chamber Choir)», choirmaster, artistic director and conductor of the student women’s choir «Yunist (Youth)», senior lecturer at the Department of Musicology and Vocal and Choral Arts, Faculty of Arts, Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. Laureate of All-Ukrainian and International competitions.

Michael Joseph Barrett is the conductor of the University of Pretoria (Tuks) Camerata and a Senior Lecturer in Choral Conducting in the Department of Music. He was a member of the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir from 1992 to 1997. He obtained the degrees BMus in Performing Arts (cum laude) in 2005 and MMus (Performing Arts) in 2008 specialising in choral conducting, both from the University of Pretoria. From UNISA, he holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCE) and a Performance Licentiate in Singing, both received in 2008. In 2017, Michael completed his Doctorate of Music Degree (Performing Arts) in Choral Performance through the University ofPretoria. Michael’s choirs have won numerous national and international awards, as well as choral competitions all over the world, including Grand Prix of Nations (Latvia 2017), The 8th World Choir Games (Latvia 2014); St Petersburg Choral Competition (Russia 2013); Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (Wales 2012); Krakow International Advent Choral Competition (Poland 2012); Europe and its Songs (Spain 2010); and the International Youth Music Festival (Slovakia 2010). In 2017, the Tuks Camerata was invited to perform at the World Choral Symposium in Barcelona, Spain. The choir has released four CD’s, all that were nominated for a South African Music Award for best classical album. Michael is an active composer and arranger. His music is internationally published by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and Walton Music and his arrangements of traditional South African Music are especially popular. He is regularly invited to give workshops on South African Choral Music (both traditional and western) and to adjudicate choral competitions both nationally and internationally. Michael is also the Executive Director and Co-Producer of “Capital Singers”, South Africa’s largest community choir project.

Choir conductor of the Year 2021 - Bengt Ollén We in Sofia Vokalensemble are incredibly proud that Bengt has today been named choir conductor of the year 2021! "Today is a day of joy when I have been awarded the scholarship" Choir Conductor of the Year "by the Rosenborg-Gehrman Foundation and the Swedish Choir Leaders' Association. (Föreningen Sveriges Körledare). I am proud and happy and feel very honored," says Bengt. Congratulations Bengt! The full motivation below: "Choir Leader of the Year is a person who, through his great love for and knowledge of both music and people, has greatly contributed to consolidating Sweden's position as a choir nation to be reckoned with. Through a long work in the service of choral music, this year's Choir Leader has maintained a playful and curious approach to choral work and thereby always presented new thinking and current choral experiences - important for both performers and recipients. This year's Choir Leader has established himself as a strong choir personality both nationally and internationally; partly through great success with his own ensemble in various prestigious international competitions, partly through all his assignments as a guest teacher, workshop leader and jury member worldwide. This year's Choir Leader is an ambassador for Swedish choir music, something that all collaborations with composers show. This year's Choir Leader has, with his permissive attitude and great faith in his singers, contributed to the renewal and development of Swedish choir singing. Several generations of young choir singers have been guided through the mysteries of choral music by this dedicated educator. "

Stefan Littmann is a songwriter, composer and keyboard player/pianist from Hannover. Besides working as a live keyboard player for bands such as Strom&Wasser, Joachim Witt and RABEA, he is part of the team at the recording studio Institut für Wohlklangforschung. His musical career started, as most do, playing his mother’s pots and pans and the recorder before he had the first piano lessons at the age of 6. The fascination with music and especially keyboard instruments has remained with him ever since. As a graduate of the Hamburg Conservatory Popkurs and member of countless bands and ensembles, he has been working as a freelancer since 2015. In 2022 he will compose the music for the stage play Ja sind wir denn noch zu retten..? about the forest dieback in the German highland area Harz. With his band Strom&Wasser he will host the environmental protection project Die Rebellion der Gärten, that includes a tour with nearly 100 concerts, lectures and workshops all around Germany. Completing this kind of activism in music, he will participate in the World Choir for Peace Day, offering a workshop and creating an anthem of peace.

Alexander Koller is one of our guest conductors. His choral existence began in Wels, Austria towards the beginning of the 80s. Wolfram Stelzer Children’s Choir Wels, Choir of the Pichl Main School of Music, Choir of the Linz School of Music, Steinhauser Singkreis, Jeunesse Choir Linz, Chorus sine Nomine Vienna, World Youth Choir, Vienna Chamber Choir, Renaissemble, Company of Music, Chamber Choir of Europe, … # chorsingenistgeil Performing contemporary choral music in all its nuanced facets and to captivate young people is one of Alexander Koller’s passions. Hard-Chor Linz, Linz Singakademie, choir of the musical Borg Linz, Vocalmania and the Upper Austrian State Choir, … # conductor Fascinated by the pure, harmonious beauty of the human voice, Alexander Koller lives and works as a choir director, singer and teacher for vocal music.

As well as being a professional singer Norbert works as a music therapist. He will explain the interactions between the body, soul and music and how we can use this to activate our self-healing powers. With insights from psychoneuroimmunology (how psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems interact), music medicine, music therapy, vocal teaching and psychosomatics, Norbert conveyed the great potential that singing has in our lives. It can improve our communication with others and thus shape relationships as well as activate our "body's own pharmacy".

Graduate psychologist, psychiatric psychotherapist, graduate music teacher, 1st chairwoman of Singing Hospitals network. Clinical work from 2004-2018 in the field of psycho-oncology / psychosomatics. She developed a theoretical-methodological foundation of "healing singing", which she has been passing on in seminars and lectures since 2007. Winner of the Hilde Ulrichs Foundation for Parkinson's Research 2018. Own practice.

Jamie studied Music at the University of York and undertook the vocal performance Masters programme at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with distinction He is Baritone & Vocal Percussionist for the 5-time Grammy award winning group The Swingles and co-founder of the Stay at Home Choir, a 24,000 member global choir, with conductor Tori Longdon. In 2021 Stay at Home Choir won the RPS Inspiration Award. After leaving the Royal Academy of Music, Jamie worked closely with Gareth Malone as an arranger and vocal coach for his two shows, The Naked Choir and Gareth’s Best in Britain, going on to join Gareth in his choir ‘Voices’ for a UK tour and subsequent recordings. As a singer Jamie has performed at the BBC Proms, Shakespeares Globe, and as a soloist at The Barbican for The Britten Sinfonia Voices, and sings at the Tower of London Chapel Royal. He has appeared on numerous film soundtracks as a session singer with London Voices and Audio Network.

Tori Longdon studied at Durham University and the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded a distinction for her MA in Choral Conducting. She now directs a number of ensembles around London including the Covent Garden Chorus, and holds the post of International Music Director for the Alpha Choral Courses in Shenzhen, China. ​ Tori is a conductor for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and is the co-founder of the 23,000 strong Stay At Home Choir, together with Swingles baritone Jamie Wright. Tori is currently an on-screen conductor for Songs Of Praise on BBC1, as well as an adjudicator for their competitions including ‘Young Choir Of The Year’ and ‘Young Chorister Of The Year’. She appeared on BBC2 as a judge on two series of the ‘The Choir’ with Gareth Malone. She has written several articles for ClassicFM’s online magazine, lectured for the Artist Development course at the Royal Academy of Music in London and interviewed some of Classical music’s most famous names, including Marin Alsop, John Rutter, Sir Karl Jenkins, Cecilia McDowall, Sir James MacMillan and Christopher Tin.

Poetisch, witzig, politisch aktuell und musikalisch auf dem Höhepunkt ihres Schaffens, fliegt Suli mit ihrer Musik die ganze Familie ins Weltall und zurück. Von Rock über Folk, Swing und Samba bis zu Reggae. Sie ist die Heldin der Kinder in Grundschulen, die Lieblingsliedermacherin engagierter Eltern und die Frau, die Prinzessin Lilifee getroffen hat. Die einzige Frontfrau einer Rockband in der deutschsprachigen Kinderliederlandschaft singt laut: »Ich hab die Schnauze voll von rosa!«

Dr. André Lee ist Juniorprofessor für Musikphysiologie und Musiker-Medizin an der Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Er studierte Medizin an der Ludwig-Maximilians- und der Technischen Universität München. Nach seiner Tätigkeit als Assistenzarzt in Hamburg promovierte er im Jahr 2009 an der Neurologischen Klinik und Poliklinik des Klinikums rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München und wechselte daraufhin als wissenschaftlicher und ärztlicher Mitarbeiter an das Institut für Musikphysiologie und Musiker-Medizin der HMTMH. Von 2014 wirkte er erneut am Klinikum rechts der Isar, wo er 2020 seinen Facharzt für Neurologie erhielt. André Lee ist seit seiner Kindheit aktiver Musiker: Als Violinist spielte er in kammermusikalischen Ensembles und diversen Orchestern, zuletzt als Konzertmeister am Münchner internationalen Orchester (MiO).

Der 69-jährige Hellmuth Scheems (HCIG) ist bereits seit seiner Jugend schwerhörig. Im Jahr 2009 entschied er sich zu einem Cochlea-Implantat auf der rechten Seite, da ein Hörgerät nicht mehr ausreichte. Zwölf Jahre später tauschte er auch im linken Ohr das Hörgerät gegen ein CI. Die Cochlea-Implantate ermöglichen ihm nicht nur ein besseres Sprachverständnis: Da er schon immer gern Musik gehört hat, hat er viel Zeit investiert, auch mit zwei CI‘s wieder Musik hören zu können. 

Gemeinsam mit Aktion Kindertraum ist Elena Kondraschowa Initiatorin des Pilotprojekts „Aus der Stille in den Klang“. Die Musikwissenschaftlerin, Musikpädagogin und Konzertviolinistin wurde am Tschaikowsky Konservatorium ausgebildet und verfolgt seit über 40 Jahren eine rege solistische und pädagogische Karriere. Ihr Interesse an der Arbeit mit hörgeschädigten Menschen in Zusammenhang mit Musik begann schon als Kind, da ihre Schwester ertaubt war. Im Jahr 2016 gründete sie den Verein „Aus der Stille in den Klang“, der hörgeschädigten Kindern Geigenunterricht ermöglicht.

Seit 2009 leitet Dr. Barbara Eßer-Leyding das Cochlear Implant Centrum „Wilhelm Hirte“ in Hannover. Bereits seit 1992 arbeitet sie als Hör- und Sprachtherapeutin mit Menschen mit Cochlea-Implantaten. So war sie am Aufbau des Cochlear Implant-Nachsorgeprogramms in München beteiligt sowie in verschiedenen Positionen bei einem Hersteller für Cochlea-Implantate und einem Hörgerätehersteller tätig. Nach ihrem Studium der Psycholinguistik, Psychologie und Sprachheilpädagogik promovierte sie über „EARS – ein Hörprüfverfahren für Kinder“.

Malin Kumkar ist Musikvermittlerin mit Schwerpunkt auf kooperative Konzepte und innovative Projekte. Sie absolvierte ihren Bachelor „Elementare Musikpädagogik“ an der HfK Bremen und den Master Künstlerisch-Pädagogische Ausbildung im Fach Violoncello an der Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Sie hat einen Lehrauftrag an der HMTMH inne und ist als Musikvermittlerin tätig, u.a. für das ensemble reflektor. 

Nach Studien der Fächer „Medienkomposition“ sowie „Heilpädagogik - Inklusive Bildung und Begleitung" (BA) absolviert Tabea Zimmermann seit Oktober 2021 den Studiengang Musiktherapie im Master an der Theologischen Hochschule Friedensau. Seit Januar 2020 ist sie als Musiktherapeutin am Cochlear Implant Centrum „Wilhelm Hirte“ tätig. Sie spielt Akkordeon, Harfe, Gitarre, Klavier und Ukulele.