The jury of the competition
Georg Grün
(Germany)
President of the Jury
Georg Grün is considered to be one of the most sought-after international choral conductors and specialists for choral sound.
He founded the KammerChor Saarbrücken in 1990 and has been its artistic director ever since. He has won the most important international and national choir competitions. He gives concerts at numerous renowned music festivals, and he regularly produces CDs in collaboration with Saarländischer Rundfunk, Carus and Rondeau Productions.
From 2000 to 2013 he held a professorship for choral conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim. In 2012, he joined the University of Music Saar as a professor and became artistic director of the BachChor Saarbrücken. He works as a guest conductor and guest professor, juror and tutor at international masterclasses for choral conducting worldwide.
In 2025 he was appointed artistic director of the ICCC festival Marktoberdorf.
Zsuzsanna Gráf
(Hungary)
Zsuzsanna Gráf is a Liszt Award-winning conductor, and a recipient of the titles Artist of Merit and Outstanding Artist.
She earned her degree in music from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, majoring in choral conducting and piano.
For decades, she has worked to high acclaim as a conductor and guest lecturer at universities and international festivals around the world. She has led numerous Kodály seminars and conducting masterclasses in Europe and worldwide.
In collaboration with the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music and the Kodály Institute, she established a model class within the Városmajori Secondary School, which, as a representative musical workshop of Hungarian public music education, became a practical innovator of the Kodály method. She is currently a faculty member at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music’s Special School for Exceptional Young Talents.
As a performing artist, she has nurtured her choir, the Angelica Girls’ Choir, into a world-renowned ensemble. Since its inception, the ensemble has given nearly 400 full-length concerts in Hungary and abroad. The choir is a regular participant in international festivals and has won first place in numerous international competitions. As a conductor, she places special emphasis on presenting the works of contemporary Hungarian composers.
Tristan Caliston Ignacio
(Philippines)
Tristan Caliston Ignacio is a distinguished Filipino conductor and pedagogue whose career spans nearly three decades of artistic leadership. As the founder and conductor of Imusicapella, he has transformed a parish-based ensemble into an internationally recognized choral institution. Under his artistic direction, the choir has earned twelve Grand Prix titles in major international competitions, including a victory at the European Grand Prix.
He has received multiple international Best Conductor Prizes in Gorizia, Debrecen, Lindenholzhausen, and Marktoberdorf. As an adjudicator, he frequently serves in numerous national and international competitions worldwide.
He is a recipient of the Gawad Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo, the highest cultural honor of the Province of Cavite.
In addition to his work with Imusicapella, he directs four other ensembles, including the Choir of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, reflecting his ongoing commitment to excellence, pedagogy, and the development of choral art across various institutions.
Csaba Somos
(Hungary)
Csaba Somos is a Liszt and Rubányi Award-winning conductor, an Artist of Merit and a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Civil Division).
He served as the chief conductor of the Hungarian Radio Choir, and since 2016, he has been the artistic director of the National Choir, and he is a professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. He frequently serves as a jury member at music competitions and festivals. He is the co-chair of the Hungarian Choirs and Orchestras Association (KÓTA).
He served as music director at the Csokonai Theatre in Debrecen and later at the National Theatre in Pécs. As a guest conductor, he has performed with numerous Hungarian symphony orchestras and professional choirs, and has been invited to several countries in Europe, as well as to Japan and China.
His artistic career focuses equally on vocal and instrumental music. He considers passionate interpretation to be his guiding principle, emphasizing a compelling musical impact that goes beyond mere professionalism.
Philippos Tsalahouris
(Greece)
Philippos Tsalahouris is one of the most prolific and active Greek composers of his generation. His over 150 works include six symphonies, the opera “Julio Caesar” and three one-act operas, string quartets, several concertos and concertinos, several choral works and incidental music for many plays.
His compositions have been performed to great acclaim around the world: in addition to European countries, they have also been presented in Uruguay, the United States, and Taiwan. His music is programmed by all the major symphonic and choral groups of Greece at all the major festivals and many events abroad.
He taught for fifteen years (1991-2005) at the Drama School of the Art Theatre Karolos Koun. He has been teaching at the Athens Conservatoire since 2004. He is currently the music director of the Athens Conservatoire.
In December 2008, he received the Papaioannou Prize of the Academy of Athens for composers.