Born in Bologna, Italy, Andrea Angelini began his piano studies as a child, at the Lettimi School of Music in Rimini. He later graduated from the Frescobaldi Conservatory of Music in Ferrara, as a Bachelor of Music. Particularly interested in piano teaching, he studied with Rita Ferri and Alexander Lonquich. After gaining a Master in Choral Conducting in 1992, he studied music therapy with Professor Cremaschi of Milan University. His interests led him to the choral field, and he gained a Bachelor degree studying Liturgical Music at Modena and at the International Art Academy in Rome with Fulvio Angius. He also studied organ at Pesaro Conservatory of Music. Since 1988, Andrea Angelini has conducted many concerts with the Carla Amori Chamber Choir, in Italy and abroad. In 1995 he was named Director of the Alessandro Grandi Chorale, the Rimini Community Choir. He conducted this choir in several performances in major venues such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome - where he was able to meet Pope John Paul the Second - and in Milan Cathedral. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional group Musica Ficta Vocal Ensemble. He has also conducted the Lithuanian Jauna Muzika Choir, the Latvian Ave Sol and the Tudor Consort from New Zealand. Mr. Angelini is the Artistic Director of the Voices from America International Music Festival held annually in Rimini each spring. He is also the Artistic Director and member of the Jury of the Marcello Galanti International Organ Competition. He has been a member of the Jury of many International Choir and Organ Competitions. He frequently leads choral workshops in Italy and abroad. He is the artistic director and one of the tutors at the Rimini International Choral Workshop, where he teaches with Peter Phillips of the Tallis Scholars. His professional memberships include the Artistic Committee of AERCO (Regional Association of Choirs), FENIARCO (National Italian Federation of Regional Choral Associations), ABCD (British Association of Choral Directors) and RCO (The Royal College of Organists). He is also a regular reviewer for the press. He is the Chief Editor of FARCORO, the Choral Magazine of the Regional Choir Association and of ICB, the Choral Bulletin of IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music).He has written numerous transcriptions for choirs and chamber ensembles. His transcription of Faure's Requiem is published by Gelber Hund Verlag of Berlin, who have also published a book of pieces for organ and violin, edited by Mr. Angelini. For the American CanticaNOVA Publications, he has prepared transcriptions of important Renaissance Motets.

Giorgio Parolini - President of the Jury - Italy

Giorgio Parolini, born in 1971, received diplomas in Piano under the direction of Luisella Minini, organ and organ composition with Enzo Corti and harpsichord with Mariolina Porrà. He continued his studies in organ with C. Stella (Spanish Music), H. Vogel (North German Music), P. Planyavsky, K. Schnorr, J. Van Oortmerssen, L. Ghielmi, L. Lohmann (J.S. Bach), R. Saorgin (French music of the Classic period), M.C. Alain (C. Franck), L. Rogg (J.S. Bach, Romantic and modern organ music), F. Delor (F. Couperin, P. Du Mage, J. Alain). In September 1994 he was admitted to the organ and improvisation class of Lionel Rogg at the Superior Conservatory of Music of Geneva where, in 1996, he won the prestigious "Premier Prix de Virtuosité". In 2001 he attended the courses at the Teatro alla Scala Academy for Orchestra Musicians in Milan. In 1992 he won the XVI Edition of the National Organ Competition in Noale (Venice), in 1997 he was the only Italian organist admitted (after an anonymous pre-selection round) at the 2nd Edition of the International "Ville de Paris" Organ Competition, in 1998 he was finalist at the First Edition of the National Harpsichord Competition "G. Gambi" in Pesaro and in 2000 was the only Italian organist admitted (again after a pre-selection round) to the International Organ Competition in Odense (Denmark). As soloist he plays regularly in Italy, Europe and the United States: he has been invited to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the National Cathedral and National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, to the Cathedrals in Copenhagen, Magdeburg, Minden, Fulda, Ulm, Toledo (OH), Orléans, Bordeaux, St. Malo, Barcelona, the Eglise la Madeleine in Paris, St. Thomas Church - New York, Fourth Presbyterian Church - Chicago, Hallgrimskirkja - Reykjavík, Odense Organ Festival (Denmark) and his recitals are unanimously praised by the public and critics. Contemporary music is important in his wide repertoire: in April 2009 he gave the world’s first performance of Eugenio Maria Fagiani’s “Veni Creator Spiritus”, he has also given first performances of pieces composed by Lionel Rogg and Denis Bédard. He also co-operates with the “CantiCorum” Choir conducted by Maestro Vincenzo Simmarano, with several instrumental ensembles and instrumental soloists. In 2006 he recorded Mozart’s Fantasia KV594 for a DVD produced by Musicom for Banca Intesa, in 2008 his recital at the Cathedral in Barcelona was recorded by Radio Catalunya, and his concert activity has been the subject of the program “The colours of the organ” transmitted by the Vatican Radio in 2004. He teaches Theory, Solfeggio and Organ at the Civica Scuola di Musica in Cinisello Balsamo (Milan). From 1995 to 1998 he has been head organist of the Musical Chapel of Monza Cathedral, since 1999 he has been head organist at the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia in Milan.

Colin Mawby has been involved with music all his life. Born in 1936, he spent his formative years living and breathing church music at Westminster Cathedral Choir School in London. His talents were recognised by the Master of Music, George Malcolm, and from the age of 12 he assisted him with his huge load of fifteen choral services a week by playing the organ. Colin spent three years at the RCM studying with Gordon Jacob. During this time he also learnt a lot studying outside the College with Adrian Boult and working with Malcolm Sargent. After this he became first Assistant, and then Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. In his years there he brought the Cathedral Choir to new prominence, with many appearances on the BBC as well as commercial recordings. The Choir was renowned for its clear - instantly recognisable - sound, and thrilling performance. Wishing to broaden his repertoire, Colin Mawby moved to Ireland to be Choral Director at Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE). He was later appointed Artistic Director of Ireland's National Chamber Choir, and is now their Artistic Director Emeritus. He has worked with many other music groups, notably the London Mozart Players, the Wren Orchestra, Pro Cantione Antiqua, the Belgian Radio Choir and the BBC Singers, and has performed before the Queen of England at St.Paul's Cathedral, President John F. Kennedy at Westminster Cathedral, and no less than two Popes at St.Peter's Basilica in Rome. Colin Mawby has written extensively for choirs, often providing music for special occasions or at short notice. His Haec dies, for example, was written and rehearsed on a train journey across Europe, prior to its prizewinning perfomance in Italy! He has written twenty-four masses, five song cycles, a very large number of settings for choir, two children's operas and a children's Christmas cantata. A good few of these pieces started life as commissions, from Westminster Cathedral in London, Liverpool Cathedral, RTE Ireland, The Royal School of Church Music in England, The Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, USA, and Grace Church, New York, among others. His famous Alleluia which is sung all over the world was commissioned by the European Federation of Pueri Cantores. Just recently Colin wrote a piece for the Requiem of Cardinal Basil Hume of Westminster, and a Fanfare for the opening of the Helix Concert Hall at Dublin City University. And he won Top Honors in the 2002 Waging Peace Through Singing competition in Oregon, USA for his Prayer of Forgiveness. Colin Mawby has also worked with the written and spoken word - on BBC Radio 3, for Hans Keller and Basil Lam, and the UK-based newspapers and journals The Guardian, The Times, The Tablet, and The Listener. An entire chapter of the important British Organ Music of the Twentieth Century: The Composers, Their Music, and Musical Style by Peter Hardwick is devoted to Colin's organ music. His music is published by Kevin Mayhew, Oregon Catholic Press, Carus-Verlag, the Gregorian Institute of America, EurArte, the Royal School of Church Music, Edizioni Carrara, Faber Music, Chappell, and Edition Ferrimontana. CDs of his music have been released by Warner Classics, EMI, Teldec, Hyperion, Oregon Catholic Press, Black Box, and Kevin Mayhew. Colin Mawby's Ave Maria was recently recorded by The Celtic Tenors on their CD So Strong; his Ave verum can be found on the Teldec CD Ave Maria alongside Placido Domingo, Sarah Brightman, Herbert von Karajan, Jose Carreras and Leonard Bernstein; and Psalm 23 has become enormously popular since it was chosen by Charlotte Church for her bestselling CD Voice of an Angel. To hear some of Colin Mawby's music, you'll find his Modern Medieval Carol and other Christmas Carols here at Oregon Catholic Press, and Alleluia, Christus resurrexit at www.Musicanet.Org where it was chosen as Musica International's Favourite Piece of the Month for November 2002.   

Organist and harpsichordist Anna Kuchina was born in Moscow in 1979. She began her piano studies at the age of six under the guidance of E. I. Nikolaeva. After completing her primary education, Ms. Kuchina continued her artistic endeavours in piano and musicology at the Music College of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she also began to develop a keen lasting interest in the field of historical performance, in particular on the harpsichord. In 2005 she graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, receiving full marks as a harpsichordist (in the class of Olga Martynova) and organist (in the class of Prof. Alexej Parshin). She attended summer academies and master-classes under the direction of such important musicians as Christopher Stembridge, Carol Terry, Patrick Ayrton, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Jesper Christensen, Trevor Pinnock, Bob van Asperen, Davitt Moroney and Christina Schoernsheim. Ms. Kuchina has participated in several international piano, harpsichord and organ competitions, winning second prize at the International Competition for young pianists in Dinan (France) at the age of 14.  In 2004 she won first prize at the Marcello Galanti International Organ Competition. In 2005 she was granted a two-year scholarship to study historical organ with maestro Lorenzo Ghielmi at the International Academy of Music in Milan, where she perfected her skills. From 2006 until 2008 Ms. Kuchina served as organist at S. Alessandro's church in Milan. She has taken part in many different organ festivals, including “Le Voci della Città” and “Cantantibus Organis” in Milan, The Festival of Cortona (Tuscany), Loreto (Loreto Sanctuary) and Aosta. Ms. Kuchina performs organ and harpsichord actively as a soloist, as well as as a chamber and orchestra player in Moscow and Western Europe (Italy, Germany, England and Belgium).

Paolo Oreni was born 1979 in Treviglio (Italy). At the Musical Institute "Gaetano Donizetti" in Bergamo he studied Organ and Organ Composition with Prof. Giovanni Walter Zaramella. In 2000 he began to study at the Luxemburg National Conservatory (Prof.Jean-Jacques Kasel), winning the first prize of the international competition "Prix interrégional-Diplôme de Concert" in 2002. He studied with Jean Guillou at the famous organs in the Tonhalle in Zurich and at St. Eustache, Paris, on a grant from the "Stiftung für Internationale Meisterkurse für Musik", also having lessons with Jean-Paul Imbert and Francesco Finotti. After winning several international competitions, he received scholarships in Italy (Municipality and "Cassa Rurale" Bank) and from the Ministry of Culture in Luxemburg to help him continue his promising studies. June 2004 he was finalist and winner of a Mention at the prestigious International Competition of the "Ville de Paris", where 60 international organists competed. As a soloist with around 100 concerts each year, he performs in the most famous organ festivals in Italy (Trento Philharmonics, Bergamo Alfredo Piatti Concert Hall, Mahler Music Week, Italy Musical Youth, Cathedrals of Bergamo, Cremona, Cuneo, Fabriano, Genova and Merano; Bologna- Franz Liszt Institute, Bolzano, Firenze, Milano, Napoli, Padova, Vicenza, Parma…), Switzerland (Tonhalle Zurich…), Germany (Audimax Bochum, Dortmund Concert Hall; Cathedrals of Bamberg, Essen and Fulda; Berlin, St. Josef at Bonn-Beuel, Köln, Frauenkirche in Dresden, St.Lambertus and Johanneskirche in Düsseldorf, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Himmerod, Munich, Stuttgart…), Luxembourg (Cathedral, Conservatory Concert Hall, Bridel, Dudelange, Esch…), Austria (Graz, Bruckner-Organ at St. Florian-Linz, Salzburg, Wien…), France (Cathedrals of Le Havre, Oloron Sainte Marie and Lescar; in Paris: Notre-Dame’s Cathedral, St. Eustache, American Church, Temple des Billettes, St.Roch, St. Severin, Auditorium Olivier Alain etc; Organ Street in Lorraine, Issoire Abbatiale, Alpe d’Huez, Clermont-Ferrand, Dunkerque, La Ciotat...), Sweden (Stokholm, Tyresö…), England (Cathedrals of Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Rippon, Sheffield…), the Netherlands (Den Haag...), and Denmark (Dom of Aalborg, Randers, Skagen…). In 2007 he will play in the USA, in Asia and in Oceanie. He also performs chamber and symphonic music with the Teatro Alla Scala's Philharmonic Orchestra-Milan, Gruppo Fiati Musica Aperta, Bergamo Orchestra Stabile "Donizetti", Paris Youth Orchestra, Bozen Haydn Orchestra, Zurich Symphonic Orchestra and others. Recently he began to give Masterclasses for Improvisation and Interpretation in Munich.