Workshop A
Conductor: Daniel Mestre (Catalonia)
1714: Europe and Catalonia musical connections
Workshop B
Conductor: Basilio Astulez (Bask Country)
Music for women voices with choreography
Born in Igualada (Catalonia), Daniel Mestre studied at the
Escolania de Montserrat and at the Conservatories of
Badalona, Barcelona (Violin, Piano, Singing), Universitat
Autònoma de Barcelona and at the Konservatorium der Stadt
Wien, where he obtains his degree on Conducting with
distinction, conducting the Bratislava Symphonic Orchestra at
the Viennese Konzerthaus.
Born in 1975, Basilio Astulez graduated in Fine Arts from the University
of the Basque Country and studied music at Vitoria-Gasteiz. He trained
as a conductor at the Euskal Herria Choral Federation, along with
other courses and seminars in Spain and Europe, where he learnt from
conductors like J. Duijck or J. Busto.
He has been conductor of the Cape Town Opera Chorus (South
Africa), Orquestra Simfònica Gèrminans, Coro de la Orquesta
Ciudad de Granada, Choir Fòrum Vocal, assistant conductor of
the Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana and at the
Gran Teatre del Liceu and he has conducted several choir and
orchestras from his country and overseas.
He teaches at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu, where he
conducts regularly its choir, orchestra and opera productions,
and at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, where he
teaches conducting and conducts its Opera Atelier.
He has recorded for the label Columna Música and for the
Austrian, South African, Spanish and Catalan radios.
www.danielmestre.com
From 1994 to 2005, he taught Choral Singing at the Alegría-Dulantzi
Music School in Álava and was the conductor of the Aiala Abesbatza
women’s choir there. Between 1996 and 2004, he was also the
conductor of Alaitz Abesbatza in Vitoria-Gasteiz and won numerous
international and national awards with this choir, including the 2000
Choral Singing National Grand Prix. In 1999, he founded Vocalia
Taldea, the women’s chamber group, and which has also taken
leading international awards (Tolosa, Torrevieja, Maasmechelen,
Arezzo, Tours, Cork...).
He teaches Choral Singing at the Leioa Municipal Music Conservatory
and founded the Leioa Kantika Korala youth choir in 2000 and the SJB
mixed choir in 2007. This recently-founded choir school has over 200
singers aged between 7 and 20 and has already won many Spanish
and European awards (Tolosa, Torrevieja, Gorizia, National Grand
Prix...) As the conductor of these choirs, he has recorded 12 records
toured several times in Europe and America, and worked with leading
soloists, orchestras, directors and groups.
In 2008, he received the special award for the best director at the 49th
C. A. Seguizzi International Festival in Gorizia, (Italy) for his work
conducting Leioa Kantika Korala. In 2009, he also received the special
award for the best conductor at the 38th Florilège Vocal de Tours in
France for his work with Vocaia Taldea.
He currently teaches Choral Conducting for educational institutions,
universities and different choral federations in Spain (the Basque
Country, Asturias, Murcia, Malaga, Alicante...) and is frequently asked
to be a member of the jury for different competitions and to run choral
singing courses and seminars in Spain and abroad (Mexico, Italy,
Estonia, France, Belgium, Greece...).
Workshop C
Conductor: Saeko Hasegawa (Japan)
Asian Music
Born in Tokyo, Saeko Hasegawa graduated from the high school
attached to the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and
continued her studies in vocal music and choral conducting at Clark
College, U.S.A.
Upon her return, she has been directing The Little Singers of Tokyo
(LSOT), one of the most prestigious and long standing choirs in Japan.
From 1972 she was Music Director taking after her father Shinichi
Hasegawa, founder of the choir for 30 years, and is now Artistic
Director of the Choir. She has been consistent with LSOT’s basic
philosophy to increase the repertoire of Renaissance choral works, and
to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary Japanese works. To
date, the Choir has made 31 overseas concert tours, winning First
Prize in the Children’s Choir division at the international choral
competition sponsored by the European Broadcasting Union.
She is also engaged in lecturing both in Japan and abroad, and as
adjudicator for NHK’s music competition and Japan Choral Association
(JCA)’s competitions. In 2005, she was Chair of the Artistic Committee
at the “7th World Symposium on Choral Music” in Kyoto which ended
in great success. In 2011, she conducted Asia Pacific Youth Choir
(APYC)’s first concert, a project officially recognized by the
International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM). And in March 2013,
she conducted the APYC concert in Dallas, Texas at the American
Choral Director’s Association (ACDA)’s opening concert, contributing
to the enhancement of choral music in Asia.
She is currently Artistic Director of the Little Singers of Tokyo.
Professor at Tokyo Junshin Women’s College. Executive Director of
the Japan Choral Association. And Vice-President of IFCM, re-elected
in 2011, for which she has been Board member since 2002.