Jury

Svanholm Singers Composition Award is judged by an international jury with broad experience of male voice choral music, comprised by composers as well as choral conductors with merits in composition and arrangement:

Robert Sund

Robert Sund sings, plays, arranges, composes and conducts. His multi-faceted gift has given him a prominent position both on the Swedish and the international scene.

He was for many years artistic director and conductor of the mixed choir Allmänna Sången and the male choir Orphei Drängar (OD) and he founded and was the leader of both the women`s choir La Cappella and the youth choir Uppsala Musikskolas Kammarkör. Since 2004 he has also directed the Robert Sund Chamber Choir. As singer he has been a member in Eric Ericsons Chamber Choir and the legendary Kvintetten Olsson.

For 17 years he has been teaching conducting and ensemble leadership at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. He is in great demand to lead courses for both choral singes and conductors in Scandinavia, Europe, the USA, South America, Africa and Asia. He has been guest conductor all over the world, from the Radio Choirs in Vienna and Stockholm to the Coro Nacional in Cuba and he has also conducted the WYC 1994 and 1997. He has been workshop leader at several World Symposia and he is a guest lecturer and a diligent jury member at choral competitions and festivals worldwide.

Sofia Söderberg Eberhard

Sofia Söderberg Eberhard has been the conductor of the Svanholm Singers since 2001. She studied singing, piano, organ and choral conducting at the Malmö Academy of Music and Baroque cello at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. Sofia has established herself as a distinguished choral conductor, and worked as chorus master at Malmö Opera during 2007–2010.

Sofia has been awarded numerous prizes for her conducting, e.g. at VIII Orlando di Lasso Choir Festival in Rome, Italy (2000), Hora Cantavi in Poland (2002), the Fourth International Madetoja Competition in Lahti, Finland (2005) and in the 45th Seghizzi Concorso Internazionale di Canto Corale, Gorizia, Italy (2006). In addition, her interpretations have been recognised with a number of honours.

Matti Hyökki

Matti Hyökki is professor in choral conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, and one of Finland’s most distinguished choral conductors. He was the conductor during 1980–2010 for the renowned male choir YL, and conducted the Finnish National Opera Choir during 1992–1995. Matti was appointed artistic director for the the opera choir of Nyslotts Opera Festival in 2008.

He has conducted more than 120 premieres of new choral works and has made 50 recordings that span a wide range from contemporary works to the complete output for male voice choir of Finland’s most prominent national romantic composers.