Josip Štolcer Slavenski Male Voice Choir – Čakovec, Croatia

The „Josip Štolcer Slavenski” Choir was founded in 1975 and was named after the most renown Croatian composer, great son of the city, in 1982. Through the years, and under the conductor-ship of Senka Bašek-Šamec, more than 500 members have been singing in the mixed choir. Within the ensemble, the male-voice sections formed a separate choir as well, in 1984 – and they are the invitees of our festival this year. Recently the male choir gained a good reputation on an international level as well, having awarded the Silver and Golden Linden-blossoms of the 2008 and 2009 International Male Choir Competition in Petrinje. Besides playing a significant role in the cultural life of Čakovec, the male chorus introduced the treasures of the Croatian choral literature in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy and Estonia. The „Josip Štolcer Slavenski” Male Choir is conducted by Damir Rodiger.

Male Voice Choir Janko Kersnik – Lukovica, Slovenia

The choir in named after renowned Slovenian writer, known for his stories about »rokovnjači« (street brigands) and it was founded forty years ago. It cherishes genuine and authentic Slovene folk music and cooperates regularly with the choirs of the neighbouring countries.


With Igor Velepič, the new conductor, the choir has successfully coped with new original projects and filled up with the energy of the youth.

Male Voice Choir Echo – Grudziądz, Poland

The choir was founded in 1925 and has been performing successfully ever since. ,,Echo” has been taking part at National Choral Competitions many times, and fascinate the festival-audience of The Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Hungary as well. The choi gives 30 concerts a year, introducing its wide-range repertoire built up from early to contemporary music, sacred and secular compositions. Jerzy Cieślak – graduated from the Bydgoszcz Academy of Music - has been the conductor of “Echo” since 1991, constantly improving the choir’s level of singing. Most of above mentioned national and international successes are due to his tireless efforts on this field.

Gaudeamus Male Voice Choir of the Riga Technical University – Latvia

This year the choir celebrates the 50th anniversary of its foundation. The rich and colourful –dominantly a cappella - repertoire of the choir covers an exceptionally wide range from traditional Western European and Latvian classics through folk songs arrangements to contemporary pieces. Gaudeamus has made numerous recordings for the Latvian National Radio and released several CDs. Through the decades, the choir has given more than 800 concerts in over 20 countries around the world. Since 1989, the choir has also participated in several international choral competitions (Italy, France, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, US, China) where they have earned several prizes and awards In 1996 Ivars Cinkuss became Artistic Director and for the past decade Gaudeamus has been the leading male choir in Latvia. Mr Cinkuss graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music, and completed his studies in the Westminster Choir College. Specialized in early music, he is a sought after guest conductor, singer, vocal instructor and lecturer.

Poliskören Stockholm – Sweden

The Police Choir of Stockholm was founded in 1919 by singing-enthusiast policemen. Recently the choir consists of about 35 men. In the year of 1950 the Police Choir initiated the Nordic Police-singers’ Assembly held in every 4th year in the Nordic capital cities. Therefore, they have travelled extensively to their Nordic neighbours, but also farther away such as The United States and St. Petersburg. The Police choir is also singing in events arranged by the Swedish Police Force. The choir’s main goal is to give the audience a wide musical experience through the broad range repertoire of church music, modern secular pieces, folk songs and others. Through the decades, excellent conductors – such as Eric Ericson - had worked with the choir. The recent conductor, Erik Wadman studied piano and organ as well as conducting with Eric Ericson, and well-known in his homeland as a composer as well.

Hungarian Railways Engineering Rolling Stock Repairers’ Male Voice Choir, Szolnok – Hungary

The choir – as a workers’ chorus - was founded in 1875, and except for the war-periods, has been active in the choral scene of its home-town as well as of Hungary. Through its long history, several excellent conductors had worked with the choir, including the most influential Buday Péter, who had led the choir for over 40 years. Since 1995, the recent conductor, Mrs Juhász-Zsákai Katalin has been responsible for the ever increasing artistic niveau , The Male choir plays an exceptionally active role in Szolnok, organizing the nation-wide choral events of the Rail choruses - besides its concerts in town and in the county as well as abroad. The choir is proud of its prizes and awards, among of which the prestigious “Silver Pelican” of Szolnok and the Csokonai Prize of the Ministry of Education and Culture excel.

Zengő Folk Music Group, Pécs – Hungary

We explore the forms of traditional music and culture valid for the present day. In our music-making we aim to combine authentic performance and contemporary sound. The audience is often invited to dance at our post-concert "dancing-house", joining in as active participants in the performance itself as it was at the beginning of all art. During the past 20 years, we have produced several recordings, both audio and visual. Besides accepting the invitation to international and Hungarian festivals, we also collect folk tunes, arrange them and even teach authentic folk music.

Ore Miners' Concert Wind Band, Pécs – Hungary

The Band has been playing an important role in the music life of Pécs since its foundation in 1957, its spring and autumn concerts as well as the summer promenades being very popular. Szabó Ferenc has been leading the band since 1991, and very soon after, in 1994 the ensemble won the first prize of the Siklós International Competition for Bands.
The group regularly takes part at professional qualifying concerts in Hungary as well as abroad. In Burgenland, 1998 they performed with "Merit", while in 1999, at the National Qualification for Bands, they were bestowed the title of "Festival Band", both in the category of Concert Band and also as a Show Band. The Ore Miners Concert Brass Band has been taking part in the European and World Convivial Wine Song Festivals from the very beginning.

The brass arrangements of Szabó Ferenc have been highlights with the united festival-choirs as well as with audiences ever since.

Symphonietta of Pécs – Hungary

The institutional reconstruction of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003 opened up new prospects to the musical life of Pécs and the region; it was a major step making the concert season and the repertoire complete. It is unprecedented in Hungary that two orchestras work in one institution: the Concert Orchestra of 73 members and the Symphonietta of 22 members.
The Symphonietta of Pécs - as a chamber symphonic orchestra - plays an important role in the musical productions of the National Theatre of Pécs. Due to 45 years opera performances at the National Theatre of Pécs the chamber orchestra raises the artistic level of the theatre performances by its rich repertoire and preparedness. The Symphonietta of Pécs is greatly involved in the musical education of children and young people in the region by giving 52 concerts peryear for them in the towns of the three counties. In its future plans symphonic concerts will prevail.
The excellent artists and its structure enable the orchestra to present rarely performed pieces, wherein the instrumentation is between chamber symphonys and symphonic concert orchestras. Having such an orchestra is the guarantee to introduce high musical values as well as the joy of liveconcerts as an everyday experience in smaller or bigger towns of the region.

Concertmaster is László Gergely.

Pannon Volán Bartók Béla Male Choir, Pécs – Hungary

The choir was founded in 1945, originally as an all-male workers chorus. Lakner Tamás has been conducting the ensemble since 1980. The "Béla Bartók" Male Choir - having ever increasing number of young singers beside the more matured voices - has achieved remarkable successes, marked with not less than 30 prizes of national and international choir competitions and festivals. In July 2006, winning their category, they became Olympic champions of the 4th Choir Olympics in China. The chorus often performs in oratorios, co-operating with the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra. The "Bartók Béla" Male Choir has several recordings, among which the one, presenting all the male choir compositions by Kodály Zoltán, was released in 2005, as a world-premiere, by Hungaroton Classics. They have toured throughout Europe, as well as in Canada, the USA, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
The choir serves as the host ensemble of the European and World Convivial Wine Song Festivals.