I AM A PARAGRAPH
WORLD YOUTH CHOIR FOUNDATION
Joining voices beyond borders
ABOUT US
The World Youth Choir, a non-profit programme, was created in 1989 and has since gathered more than 1.000 singers from 70 countries in almost 40 sessions. The World Youth Choir has been awarded the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace (1996-1998), and performed at the Peace Nobel Prize Ceremony and Concert in Oslo (2011). The project is powered by the World Youth Choir Foundation as the legal body behind the project, with the support of three patrons.
The “Stichting World Youth Choir “ (World Youth Choir Foundation or WYCF for short) is a foundation according to Dutch law, registered at the Chamber of Commerce in The Hague (The Netherlands) in 2010 under file number 51551837. The aim of creating this Foundation was to formalize the cooperation between the three international cultural networks which are patrons of the World Youth Choir: Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) and European Choral Association.
The European Choral Association is the biggest European choral organisation, reaching out to more than 2.5M singers of all ages in more than 50 countries.
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The World Youth Choir Foundation has three main bodies/actors:
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The Board of the World Youth Choir Foundation, composed of a maximum of 6 elected Board members (with each patron nominating up to 2 Board members) plus up to 3 ex-officio Board members (CEOs, Secretary Generals or other executive staff of the three patrons). The Board meets 2-3 times per year and their role is to take all the strategic decisions regarding the direction of the programme, procure organisers for the sessions, manage the foundation's finances and supervise the implementation of the sessions.
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The WYC Artistic Advisors, composed of 3 members (with each patron nominating one artistic advisor) and whose function is to select singers and provide support and advice in artistic matters.
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The WYC Session Manager, whose function is to implement the decisions of the board and artistic advisors, maintain communication with the singers and organisers, and accompany the choir during the session.
Beyond these bodies, many other partners are also involved for more than 30 years - including local organisers for each of the sessions, sponsors and recruiters worldwide - to provide the best opportunities and conditions for each session and concert tour. Without their support, our reach to young choral singers around the World and our ability to provide this wonderful personal and professional development opportunity to them wouldn't be at all possible.
THE FOUNDATION BOARD
Ki Adams
President (IFCM)
Ki Adams, a native of Birmingham, Alabama (USA), is an honourary research professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland where he taught in the undergraduate/graduate music and music education programs for 25 years. Keenly aware of the impact and power of professional organizations, he has held executive positions with provincial, national, and international music education organizations, including Choral Canada and the International Kodály Society. He is currently a board member for the International Federation of Choral Music and President of the World Youth Choir Foundation. Passionate about celebrating choral music and bringing choirs and singers to Newfoundland and Labrador, Ki is Founding Co-Director of The Singing Network, a collective for generating and producing a series of voice-singing-choral experiences ranging from workshops, seminars, master-classes, and dialogues to the biennial International Symposium on Singing and Song. He is Music Director and Organist at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in St. John’s.
Jan Schumacher
Artistic Vice-President (IFCM)
Jan Schumacher (*1980) is Professor and Music Director at Goethe-University, Frankfurt, and teaches conducting at the Music Academy in Darmstadt. He is conductor of award- winning ensemble Camerata Musica Limburg, which he lead in performances at ACDA National Conference, IFCM World Symposium, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and America Cantat Festival. Until 2016 he was professor of conducting at the College of Church Music, Rottenburg. Jan was chorister in Limburg cathedral and studied music education, German language and conducting. His ensembles´ repertoires ranges from Gregorian chants to world premieres, symphonic orchestra to Big Band, and vocal or electronic improvisation. Jan regulary teaches courses for choirs, orchestras and conductors and serves as jury member across Europe, USA, Japan, China, Argentina, Panama, Venezuela, Turkey, Iceland, Taiwan, Philippines, Lebanon, Cameroun and Iran. Jan is the artistic director of the German Choir Competition, under the patronage of the German Music Council. He is editor of several choral collections, working with publishers Carus, Helbling, Peters and Bärenreiter. He currently serves as a Vice-President of the International Federation for Choral Music.
Stéphane Grosclaude
Treasurer (JMI)
He was the Artistic Advisor of the World Youth Choir on behalf of JMI for 3 years and also the host of the 2019 session in France for the 30th anniversary of the choir. Currently he is a coordinator of Plate-forme interrégionale (PFI) – France which is an umbrella association for music development. He is also the representative of this association in multiple international networks: the International Music Council (IMC), European Choral Association – Europa Cantat (ECA-EC) and European Voice Teacher’s Association (EVTA).
He was the coordinator of the European cooperation project “LEO Sings! – Diversity of singing practices in Europe” and co-creator and manager of the “Singing Roadshow – Mobile vocal academy”.
Having been a professional opera singer for 10 years, and now as an amateur (in Chœur de l’Orchestre de Paris - Conductor Lionel Sow), he keeps his connection with this important part of his life as manager for different artistic projects and performing arts companies.
Silvija Pročkytė
2nd Vice-President (European Choral Association)
Silvija is choir conductor and music festivals organiser in Lithuania. Silvija studied music education and choir conducting in Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. She is a current board member of European Choral Association and board member of Lithuanian Choral Association. Silvija works as conductors assistant of two university choirs and organising numerous choir events in Lithuania.
Xavier Devillers
Board Member (European Choral Association)
Xavier Devillers is a bass-baritone, choir conductor and music teacher. Having sung himself in choirs since the age of nine, he is now co-director and conductor of Les Pastoureaux, a boys’ and men’s choir in Waterloo, Belgium. Xavier studied singing at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. He also holds degrees in musicology as well as English and German languages and literatures from Université catholique de Louvain, where he was a teaching assistant for six years. As a singer, he has performed internationally with various ensembles, most notably with Vlaams Radiokoor. In 2021, he was elected to the board of the European Choral Association.
Sasho Tatarchevski
Board Member (JMI)
Sasho Tatarchevski earned his master`s degree of choral, symphonic and opera conducting at the
Faculty of Music in Skopje. He also attended conducting master classes in New York, Rome, Berlin, St.Petersburg, Florence, Sarteano and Moscow. He has performed with the Macedonian philharmonic, the Macedonian opera and ballet, the Bitola chamber orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di ICE – Rome, “Hermitage” Symphony Orchestra, the Bitola opera, the modern music ensembles “Alea” and “ConTempora”, the Symphony orchestra of the FM, “The soloists of the FM”, the Symphony orchestra of the BSF and many other choral, chamber and symphonic ensembles. He won international prizes with various ensembles in many European countries. At the moment he works as a professor at the Faculty of Music in Skopje and conductor of the “FM Soloists” orchestra, the “Dragan Shuplevski” mixed choir, the Female choir of the Youth center and the “Pro Ars” professional choir. He makes music recordings with the FAME`S studio orchestra on a regular basis. Also, he is a jury member of several international competitions and artistic director of the International choral forum in Struga.
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Blasko Smilevski
Executive Director of JMI, ex-officio Board Member
Blasko Smilevski studied International Public Law and shortly after started working as Secretary International Relations for Jeunesses Musicales Macedonia, a position he had for 10 years. In 2000 he also became youth advisor of the Macedonia Ministry of Youth and Sport.
He was Chairman of the Youth Affairs Working Group of the Central European Initiative, member of the Stability Pact Youth Working Group 2001-2003 and member of the Youth Ministries Committee (CDEJ) of the Council of Europe 2001-2002.
In 2002 he was hired as youth policy and youth development consultant for the World Bank, working on youth empowerment programs with strong creativity, innovation and culture components in post-conflict countries and regions (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Tajikistan, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Turkey).
In the period 1994-2008 he has served Jeunesses Musicales International as Board member, Vice-President and President, collaborating and leading many non-formal education youth music projects. He was appointed JMI Executive Director in 2008 and has led this international network and its international secretariat based in Brussels since then.
Sonja Greiner
Secretary General of European Choral Association, ex-officio Board Member
Sonja Greiner is the Secretary General of the European Choral Association and a member of the Board of the World Youth Choir Foundation.
With her German father and French mother as well as her two brothers, she spent several years of her childhood and youth in Peru and Ecuador, Latin-America, and thus learnt three languages at the same time. She later spent one year in United Kingdom (as Au Pair) and one year in Metz, France (as language assistant).
After studying English, French and Spanish in Freiburg, Germany, and doing two years of teacher training, she first became the manager of the International Chamber-Choir Competition and the festival Musica Sacra International in Marktoberdorf (Germany) at the beginning of the 90ies. She later became deputy Secretary General and then Secretary General of Europa Cantat (European Choral Association – Europa Cantat since 2011).
Sonja Greiner was a member and Treasurer of both the European and the International Music Council between 2000 and 2013 and was elected Honorary Member of the International Music Council in 2015.
THE ARTISTIC ADVISORS
Burak Onur Erdem
in representation of IFCM
Dr. Burak Onur Erdem is the principal conductor of the Turkish State Choir.
Erdem graduated from Boğaziçi University Political Science & International Relations department with the Rector’s Prize. He has a master’s degree in music theory and a PhD in conducting from ITU Centre for Advanced Studies in Music. Thereafter, he finished his postgraduate degree with Prof. Johannes Prinz on choral conducting in Kunstuniversität Graz.
Erdem started the Boğaziçi University Choral Festival (KoroFest) in 2009, founded the Choral Culture Association in 2012, has been elected to the board of European Choral Association in 2015 and has been appointed to the board of International Federation of Choral Music in 2018. He served as music commission members in Europa Cantat Tallinn and Ljubljana Festivals, and acted as chair of the music commission in Leading Voices Utrecht Festival.
Erdem has led the World Symposium on Choral Music 2023 Istanbul as its festival director and continues to serve as vice-president of the European Choral Association and International Federation of Choral Music.
Victoria Liedbergius
in representation of European Choral Association
Victoria Liedbergius is the administrative director of Ung i Kor, the Norwegian Children and Youth Choir Organisation and the Norwegian National Youth Choir. Victoria has studied singing at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Brussels and the Hochschule für Music und Tanz Köln, and was a singer in the World Youth Choir from 2004 to 2007. She has also studied administration and leadership at the Musical Academy in Oslo. Victoria was a Board member of the Europan Choral Association from 2006 to 2012, and until spring 2023 a board member of the International Federation for Choral Music and President of the European Music Council.
Sasho Tatarchevski
in representation of JMI
Sasho Tatarchevski earned his master`s degree of choral, symphonic and opera conducting at theFaculty of Music in Skopje. He also attended conducting master classes in New York, Rome, Berlin, St.Petersburg, Florence, Sarteano and Moscow. He has performed with the Macedonian philharmonic, the Macedonian opera and ballet, the Bitola chamber orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di ICE – Rome, “Hermitage” Symphony Orchestra, the Bitola opera, the modern music ensembles “Alea” and “ConTempora”, the Symphony orchestra of the FM, “The soloists of the FM”, the Symphony orchestra of the BSF and many other choral, chamber and symphonic ensembles. He won international prizes with various ensembles in many European countries. At the moment he works as a professor at the Faculty of Music in Skopje and conductor of the “FM Soloists” orchestra, the “Dragan Shuplevski” mixed choir, the Female choir of the Youth center and the “Pro Ars” professional choir. He makes music recordings with the FAME`S studio orchestra on a regular basis. Also, he is a jury member of several international competitions and artistic director of the International choral forum in Struga.
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THE MANAGEMENT
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Joana Costa
Session manager
Joana is the World Youth Choir's Session Manager and the main point of contact for singers, recruiters, organisers and the general public in regards to operational matters of the World Youth Choir session. She managed the WYC Alumni Session 2023 (Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary), the WYC Alumni Session 2024 (Canada) and the WYC Summer Session 2024 (Germany, the Netherlands and Italy) with the Bundesjugendorchester (BJO). Besides managing the World Youth Choir session, Joana is a singer and a vocal teacher, based in Brussels. Joana participated in the YEMP (Young Event Management Program) 2021, organized by the European Choral Association connected to the Europa Cantat Festival, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is the former Project Manager of Lisbon Choral Conducting Masterclass, a project she has created and managed for 4 years. She worked as Operations Manager in World Choral EXPO 2022, Lisbon. She is a member of the Youth Committee of the European Choral Association and is part of the Fellowship Programme by the European Music Council.