CONDUCTORS

Helene Stureborg graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Church Music in 1990 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Choral Conducting in 1993 at the Royal University College of Music. She studied conducting with professor Gustaf Sjökvist, professor Eric Ericson and professor Kjell Ingebretsen.

Since 1990 Helene has been working as a conductor and music teacher at the Stockholm's Musikgymnasium. In 1994 she became the conductor of Kongl Teknologkören at the Royal Institute of Technology and held that position until December 2002 when she became the conductor of the Stockholm´s Musikgymnasium Chamber Choir. The choir has won several prices at competitions abroad, is often invited to festivals and is highly respected. In 2011 she started Helene Stureborgs Chamber choir which won the Cork International Choral Competiton in 2016. The two choirs are often engaged together in larger concerts and have sung with Andrea Bocelli, Ennio Morricone, Chess in Concert and others.

Helene has also been teaching choral conducting at the Royal University College of Music between 1996 and 2014, and between 2014 and 2017 she was a member of the Artistic Council

Helene Stureborg

Council of Statens Musikverk. Helene is frequently engaged to work with the Swedish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson chamber choir and other choirs and also works as conducting teacher and choral pedagogue at varying courses. In October 2017 she was appointed Choir Conductor of the Year by Gehrmans Musikförlag and the Swedish Choral Conductors Association.

Jonathan Velasco

Jonathan Velasco is a much sought after choral conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the world today. He studied at the University of the Philippines College of Music and at the Berliner Kirchenmusikshule in Germany. He was a member and assistant conductor of the World Youth Choir, and, for the 1996 summer session, became its first Asian conductor.

Velasco regularly holds choral clinics and workshops all over the world. Together with his choirs, he has won first prizes in choral competitions in Maribor, Cork, Marktoberdorf, Tolosa, Torrevieja, and Riga. He has also been a member of the jury in prestigious choral competitions in Europe and Asia. He currently conducts the Ateneo Chamber Singers.

Velasco is an adviser to the board of the International Federation for Choral Music, and is the Philippine representative to the World Choir Council. In 2008 he was elected the first President of the newly formed Philippine Choral Directors Association.