The jury of the 20th edition of the Festival
- ProfTit, DSc Elżbieta Wtorkowska – Chair of the Jury
- Professor of Arts in the artistic discipline of conducting, since 2020 serving as Rector of the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz.
She is also a lecturer and academic director of the Postgraduate Studies in Choral Conducting and Voice Emission at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, and from 2004 to 2024 served as the vocal consultant for the “Opera Nova” Choir in Bydgoszcz.
Additionally, since 1993 she has been a lecturer at the Choir Conductors’ Study for the Polish Diaspora within the Polish Choral Academy in Koszalin, where since 2002 she has conducted the Polish Diaspora Conductors’ Choir “Ojczyzna.” She has led seminars and choral workshops for Polish choir conductors in Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and the USA, and has also conducted workshops in England and Scotland, Spain, Australia, and Mexico.
In 1981 she founded the “Canzona” Girls’ Choir in Murowana Goślina, and in 2001 the Women’s Choir “Canzona-Absolwent.” She currently directs the women’s ensemble, while providing artistic and academic supervision for the girls’ choir led by Dr. Adrianna Wtorkowska-Kubińska. With the “Canzona” choirs, she has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Finland, Austria, Ukraine, England, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece, Malta, Israel, Norway, and the USA.
She is the founder and artistic director of the International Choral Festival in honor of Fr. Edmund Szymański in Murowana Goślina, held annually since 2007.
He serves as a juror at choral competitions and as a lecturer at seminars for vocalists, teachers, and choral conductors both in Poland and abroad.
ProfTit, DSc Jolanta Szybalska-Matczak- Graduate of the Faculty of Music Education at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław and of Postgraduate Choral Conducting Studies in Bydgoszcz, she has been teaching at her alma mater since 1991, training students in areas including choral conducting. Since the same year, she has been associated with the “Feichtinum” Choir, serving successively as assistant, deputy conductor, and artistic director (2005–2014). In 2000, she founded the Vocal Ensemble, now operating at the Wrocław Academy of Music as the Chamber Choir “Senza Rigore.” With this ensemble, she has won numerous accolades, including the Grand Prix at the Johannes Brahms International Choral Competition in Wernigerode, Germany (2019), the Grand Prix at the International Choir and Orchestra Competition “Birstonas Cantat” in Lithuania (2018), the Grand Prix at the Rybnik International Choral Festival in honor of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (2014), the Grand Prix at the National Festival “Songs of the Sea” in Wejherowo (2008), and the Grand Prix at the Łódź Choral Festival “Cantio Lodziensis” (2003).
From 2008 to 2012 she served as Vice-Dean and subsequently as Dean of the Faculty of Music Education, Choral Studies, and Church Music (2012–2020). She currently serves as Head of the Department of Choral Conducting and Chair of the Discipline Council for Musical Arts. In 2014, her extensive contributions were recognized by the President of the Republic of Poland with the title of Professor of Musical Arts. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the honorary badge Meritorious for Polish Culture, the Silver Cross of Merit, the Bronze Medal Gloria Artis, as well as individual awards for Best Conductor at the National Festival of Religious Songs “Pater Noster” in Strzepcz (2024), the International Choir and Orchestra Competition “Birstonas Cantat” in Lithuania (2018), the 12th International Choral Competition “In…Canto sul Garda” in Riva del Garda, Italy (2017), and the 10th Rybnik International Choral Festival in honor of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (2014).
- ProfTit, DSc Anna Olszewska
- Graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Białystok Branch, Faculty of Instrumental and Pedagogical Studies, in the conducting class of ProfTit, DSc Bożena Sawicka and voice emission class of ProfTit, DSc Cezary Szyfman; also a graduate of the Postgraduate Choral Conducting Studies at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, and holder of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań in the guitar class.
- She conducts research and teaching at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Białystok Branch, Faculty of Instrumental and Pedagogical Studies, Music Education, and Vocal Studies. She is the founder and conductor of the Białystok Women’s Choir at III Liceum Ogólnokształcące in Białystok, the Women’s Chamber Choir “Iuvenes Corda,” and the Białystok Teachers’ Choir “Magistri Cantantes,” and also directs the Choir of the Paderewski Music School Complex in Białystok. These ensembles consistently achieve top placements in choral competitions and festivals in Poland and abroad.
- Since 2015, she has also served as curator of the nationwide program Choral Academy – Singing Poland, co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage, and Sport, under the academic supervision of the National Forum of Music. She is the creator and artistic director of the National Sacred Music Competition Nadzieja w Chórze in Tykocin.
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- DSc Ewa Rafałko
- Ewa Barbara Rafałko has collaborated with the choirs of Białystok University of Technology, the Białystok Branch of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, the Białystok School of Finance and Management, and the Chamber and Organ Music Foundation Choir in Hajnówka. She served as artistic supervisor and member of the ensembles Vis Maior and the vocal octet Gaudium, with which she recorded the widely acclaimed album Kolędy na Trzeci Dzień Świąt.
Since 2011, she has served as conductor and artistic director of the Children’s and Youth Choir of the Opera and Philharmonic Podlaska. Under her direction, the ensemble has given numerous concerts, participated in oratorio works, performed in staged productions, released the innovatively arranged album Świąteczne życzenia, and performed the passion-themed Stabat Mater, Panie Ty widzisz… composed by Marcin Nagnajewicz.
Her artistic achievements also include numerous vocal recitals and performances as a soloist in oratorio works. She frequently serves on juries for choral competitions, soloist auditions, and chamber ensemble evaluations. She conducts numerous vocal and methodological workshops, including in stage voice techniques.
Ewa Barbara Rafałko has been honored with many distinctions, including awards for Best Conductor at choral competitions, the Chairman of the Białystok City Council Award for her overall achievements, the honorary badge of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Meritorious for Polish Culture, and the Gold Medal for Long Service awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland. She is also a laureate of the “Teacher of the Year” poll. -
- Dr. Justin Smith
- Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Queens University of Charlotte, where he conducts two choirs, directs the opera program, and teaches courses in music history, conducting, and film music. At Queens he holds the prestigious Noble Faculty Fellowship. For six years, he was the Director of Choral Activities and holder of the Joseph Naumes Endowed Chair in Music at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. In 2020, he founded the Royal Voices of Charlotte. In its short existence, he has led them to national and international acclaim, performing at the national conference of the National Collegiate Choral Organization and winning first place at both the Kathaumixw Festival in Canada and the Preveza Festival in Greece. Dr. Smith is also the director of the Portland Phoenix Chamber Choir in Portland, Oregon, winning awards at choral competitions in Ireland, Italy, and Latvia and appearing by invitation at the Northwestern conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He holds a DMA in Choral Conducting from the Moores School of Music, University of Houston, with additional degrees from Wesleyan University and the University of Oregon.
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- Dr. Solon Kladas
- In 2005 he gratuated with a Master of Arts from the Pedagogy School of Charles University in Prague in Music Pedagogy, Choral Conducting, Scool Pedagogy a Psychology. In 2014 he received a Ph.D in Music Pedagogy, Theory and Choral Conducting from the same University. He has taught Choral singing at the State Conservatoire of South Czech Republic and at Charles University in Prague. During the period 2004-2007 he ws the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Prague Male Choir and guest conductor of the Prague Mixed Choir. He has conducted major works in the Czech Republic with the Prague Mixed Choir Smetana, Jakoubek and Anna Michna Mixed Choirs. At the same time he has conducted the Professional Posádková Hudba orchestra of Prague, the Student Orchestra of Prague, the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra of Žilina in Slovakia, the State Philarmonic of Samara in Russia a.o. Since 2005 he regularly conducts the JH Symphony Orchestra of Czech Republic. Since 2006 he has revived the Mixed Choir of Yermasoyia Municipality and is its director ever since. Apart from his artistic activity as a conductor, Solon has been professor and choir conductor at the Department of Music and Dance of the University of Nicosia and the Department of Education Sciences of the European University Cyorus (2006–2015). Since 2006 he is a professor and choir conductor at the Music School of Limassol, having given numerous major concerts in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. He distinguished himself with his choirs at International Choir Competitions (Prague, St. Petersburg), while also participating in international musicological conferences abroad as a speaker. His musicological works have been published in the Czech Republic. Since 2014 Solon is conductor and Artistic Director of ARIS choir Limassol.
- ProfTit, DSc Jan Borowski
- Conductor, pedagogue, and music culture promoter. He graduated from the Faculty of Music Education at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, studying conducting under Prof. Jan Wojtacha, and completed Postgraduate Studies in Voice Emission at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. He is a faculty member at the Institute of Conducting at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań.
He founded and has conducted, among others, the Choir of the Primary School in Rudzica, the Women’s Vocal Ensemble of the Municipal Cultural Center in Rudzica, and the Choir of the University of Bielsko-Biała (formerly the Academy of Technology and Humanities in Bielsko-Biała). With these ensembles, he has performed in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Macedonia, Germany, Canada, Croatia, Spain, and Italy. Under his leadership, his choirs have won over 100 awards at Polish and international festivals, including fourteen Grand Prix prizes.
He has recorded seven CDs, including Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest (Polish premiere) and Missa de Maria a Magdala by Paweł Łukaszewski (world premiere). For the latter, he received the Orphée d’Or – Grand Prix du Disque Lyrique awarded by the French Académie du Disque Lyrique, two nominations for the Fryderyk Awards in the categories of Album of the Year: Contemporary Music and Outstanding Recording of Polish Music, and the Choc de Classica from the French music magazine Classica.
He has been individually honored with a conducting award eleven times and has received 30 other distinctions and decorations, including the Stanisław Moniuszko International Award for outstanding contributions to the social music movement, the Golden Badge with Laurel Wreath for social activity and services to the Polish Association of Choirs and Orchestras, the honorary badge Meritorious for Polish Culture, and the Bronze Medal Gloria Artis – Meritorious for Polish Culture.
He serves as a juror at choral festivals and is a member of the artistic council of the International Choral Festival and Competition Cançó Mediterrània in Lloret de Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
