Organisers: European Choral Association in cooperation with the Bulgarian Choral Union
Conductors: Donka Miteva and Marco Amherd
EuroChoir is a special choir project to promote the networking of talented young singers at the European level, and to foster the emergence of the next generation of talents. Organised every year in a different country, EuroChoir offers the opportunity to young singers to get together to rehearse a challenging program with renowned conductors, improve their vocal skills and present the results of their work in public concerts.
JOIN THE EUROCHOIR
There are many choirs in Europe, but only one EuroChoir! For over 40 years, this project has allowed singers to build a truly international network of choral friends, sharing their passion and dedication. Of course, the music comes first, with exciting (and sometimes demanding) programme to rehearse and perform in a short time frame. But you will also join the exclusive club of the EuroChoir alumni, many of them now active on the European scene, sharing stages and memories, projects and ideas across borders.
PROGRAMME
- July 4th – Arrival day (Varna, Bulgaria)
- July 5th – July 11th – rehearsal period in Varna
- July 8th or July 9th – excursion to Balchik
- July 12th – concert in Varna, part of the Varna Summer Festival
Venue: Sport Hall “Yunashki Salon”
Start: 20:00 - July 13th – trip to Sozopol and concert, part of the Solinaria Youth Festival
Venue: Solinaria Open Stage
Start: 21:00 - July 14th – free day in Sozopol; trip to Sofia in the late evening with the night train
- July 15th – recording session in Sofia
The audio recording company “Four For Music” based in Sofia, Bulgaria, will provide a special recording session for the EuroChoir - July 16th – concert in Sofia, part of the Sofia Music Weeks Festival
Venue: Central Military Club
Start: 19:00 - July 17th – goodbye time and leaving
*the programme may be subject to changes.
SINGERS
After careful considerations of all the 94 applications we received from 32 countries, we are beyond happy to announce the selected participants of the EuroChoir 2024!
The ensemble will feature 40 singers hailing from 19 different countries.
The selection process was undertaken by an international committee including:
– Donka Miteva and Marco Amherd, as the EuroChoir´s conductors
– Xavier Devillers, as representative of the European Choral Association
– Gancho Ganchev, as representative of the Bulgarian Choral Union
LIST OF SELECTED SINGERS
Soprano 1:
Alissa Neff – Switzerland
Ieva Zvejniece – Latvia
Katharina Hünger – Germany
Lieke Maier – The Netherlands
Samanta Bernāte – Dzene – Latvia
Soprano 2:
Kleer-Keret Tali – Estonia
Julie Kratzmeier – Germany
Karyna Serdiuk – Ukraine
Evelina Staykova – Bulgaria
Noa Diaz – Vidal – Germany
Alto 1:
Beatrise Vilde – Latvia
Stefania Ruseva – Bulgaria
Emily Cox – Ireland
Louisa Bächtold – Switzerland / Austria
Naemi Haab – Switzerland
Alto 2:
Marina Koleva – Bulgaria
Nele Volksdorf – Germany
Plamena Voynova – Bulgaria
Ronja Schmidt – Germany
Sofia Nikolova – Bulgaria
Tenor 1:
Alejandro Gomez de Santos – Spain
Kai Sven – Germany
Marco Ferreira – Portugal
Mario Zrakić – Croatia
Nunzio Borra – Italy / Poland
Tenor 2:
Denny Damara – Indonesia
Georgi Filipov – Bulgaria
Philipp Lischer – Switzerland
Ludwig Zettler – Austria
Yu Hang Tan – Malaysia
Bass 1:
Bernhard Riedler – Austria
Daniel Monteagudo Garcia – Spain
Donatien van Hoof – Belgium
Leo Kamps – Germany
Ronald Mendoza – Venezuela
Bass 2:
Ferenc Sipos – Hungary
Lukas Leitner – Germany
Nicki Maack – Germany
Silas Bücherer – Switzerland
Vid Leskovar – Slovenia
The jury faced the formidable task of selecting the participants, who now shoulder the significant duty of contributing to the 2024 session.
It has been recognized that those not chosen are still immensely talented. The jury advises all hopeful singers to persist in their vocal development to further their musical prowess and stage presence, and to reapply for the next year’s debut of the European Youth Choir.
CONDUCTORS
Sing with our excellent conductors
MARCO AMHERD studied conducting, organ and economics in Zurich, Freiburg im Breisgau and Toulouse. He is the Artistic Director of the Davos Festival and the Schweizer Vokalconsort and conducts several ensembles in the Zurich region. In 2024, he will collaborate with the Zurich Opera, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Zürcher Singakademie.
His repertoire focuses on the vocal and organ music of Bach, Schütz and Reger as well as compositions of the 20th and 21st centuries. Marco Amherd has won prizes at numerous international competitions (including the Bach Competition Wiesbaden, Silbermann Competition Freiberg, Kurt Bossler Competition Freiburg, and the Mendelssohn Competition Aarau). From 2016 to 2018, he held a scholarship at the German Music Council’s Conducting Forum.
Linking music, literature and socially relevant topics is particularly close to Marco Amherd’s heart. His concert programmes thus always follow a common thread, telling dramatic, humorous and at times serious stories.
DONKA MITEVA studied choral conducting at the State Academy of Music in Sofia and orchestra conducting at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. She worked with numerous ensembles in Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, South Africa, Panama, China a.o.
Donka was awarded the 1st Prize at the 7th Int. Competition for young conductors in St. Petersburg and the 3rd Prize at the 5th Int. Conducting Competition Jeunesse Musicales in Bucharest.
2007-2011 she was a conductor and choir director at the State Opera in Münster, Germany and in 2011 she was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of Collegium Musicum Berlin.
She also teaches Conducting since 2019 at the University of Arts in Berlin. Donka has made it her mission to offer guidance and support to young choral and orchestra conductors, offering them opportunities to work with the Collegium Musicum Berlin Ensembles on a regular basis.
Donka is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator and workshop leader at many prestigious international events such as the World Choir Games, European Choir Games, Grand Prix of Nations and is also a member of the World Choir Council.
As a singer Donka was a member of the European Youth Choir, the World Youth Choir and the European Chamber Choir and is very excited to be one of the conductors for the 2024 EuroChoir Project that will be hosted by her home country Bulgaria in July 2024.
APPLICATION
Who can apply?
- Young singers between 18 and 30 years old (singers over 30 are still able to apply, but priority will be given to younger candidates)
- Good sight readers ready to prepare scores in advance
- English will be the working language.
Applications for the EuroChoir 2024 end on 18 February 2024!
How to apply?
Here is your application form!
Keep in mind that you need a google account to fill in the form. Please fill in your personal information as well as submit the additional files required until 18 February 2024.
The audition for 2024’s session consists of:
- an audio recording (a capella) of the bars 1-24 for the Soprano, Alto, Tenor and for the Bass until bar 33 (with dynamics) of Johannes Brahms’s “Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen” [Score available here]
- an audio recording of a solo song (Lied / art song or folk song) of your choice. The song has to be no more than 2-3 minutes long. It can be sung a capella or with accompaniment
- an audio recording (a capella) of the following warm up exercise (your singing range), starting from suitable key for the voice:
- a photo
- [optional] letters of recommendation by your organisation(s)
- [optional] letters of recommendation by conductor(s) or teacher(s)
Please clearly name your files with LastName_FirstName_filecontent (ex: Miteva_Donka_Brahms.mp3)
Every applicant will receive an email letting them know if they have received a place in Eurochoir 2024.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to eurochoirbulgaria@gmail.com.
PRICE AND CONDITIONS
Tuition fees (per person and country)
Country groups | Indirect* Members | Non-members |
1 | €300 | €320 |
2 | €240 | €260 |
3 | €180 | €200 |
* Indirect members are members of member organisations of the European Choral Association in categories A1 and A2 (see here) or members of the Friends of the European Choral Association. The full list of country groups is found right here. In case of doubt which group your country belongs to, please contact us.
The fee includes all the activities, accommodation, travel costs during the session and meals. Scores will be an additional cost, but will be subsided and singers will keep the scores post-course.
Payment Instructions
When your application is approved (after 1 April 2024), you will receive an email with further instructions on paying your tuition fee.
F.A.Q.
We are very happy for your interest in applying for the EuroChoir 2024 session!
We appreciate your understanding that many details will only be firmed up nearer to the time of the session, and in the meantime, we hope this FAQ will help.
For any further questions, please contact the EuroChoir 2024 session organisers: eurochoirbulgaria@gmail.com
EXPERIENCE BULGARIA
How about spending two incredible weeks in Bulgaria during summertime? Enjoy the refreshing sea breeze during rehearsal days in Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea, and take a tour through the country with three concerts in three different cities. Bulgaria’s stunning landscape offers breathtaking views of the seaside, mountains, and plains. Singers will have the opportunity to perform in Varna (Varna Summer Festival), Sozopol (Solinaria Youth Art Festival), and Sofia (Sofia Music Weeks), experiencing various sites and facets of Bulgaria. You can find more information here
CONTACT
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to eurochoirbulgaria@gmail.com.