The first edition of the International Masterclass for Choral Conductors “Sacred Music Today” has taken place from 11 to 15 September 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. The teachers were Gary Graden, conductor of S:t Jacobs Chamber Choir and Mikael Wedar, conductor of S:t Jacobs Vocal Ensemble

For the first time the Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden, with the Patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture, offered an International Masterclass for Choral Conducting. The aim was to prepare choir conductors to tackle contemporary sacred music works.

The participants were exposed to the essential skills for professional choral work and given the opportunity to gain practical experience with different world-class ensembles.
 

The masterclass consisted of four days of seminars, worship services, and practical studies in choral conducting (see the detailed program below).

The organization had accepted 9 active students, chosen by Mattias Wager, Gary Graden, Mikael Wedar and Marcello Filotei, artistic secretary of the masterclass, to study and perform with two choirs of the Cathedral Parish, namely S:t Jacobs Chamber Choir (www.sjkk.se) and S:t Jacobs Vocal Ensemble (www.sjve.se), both award winning choirs and leading ensembles in the field.

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The nine students who had been selected to take part in the International Masterclass 2019 for Choral Conductors  “Sacred Music Today” were:

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Jun Lee, USA
Brian Stevens, USA 
Marta Pilar Hernando, Spain 
Juan Ignacio Noroña, Argentina 
Eirin Beate Åserud-Løvlid, Norway 
John Morrow, USA 
Dimitri Arnauts, Belgium 
David Pérez Fernández, Spain 
Kristina E. Bogataj, Slovenia

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