2026 Oct. 22 - Oct. 25
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A place where we come
together through music
The Busan International Choir Festival sings of harmony and peace by uniting cultures through music.
We share emotions and stories through choir while respecting each other and harmonizing diversity.
Jury
President of the Jury
Anton Armstrong USAThe 2023-24 season is Anton Armstrong’s 34th year as Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, marking him as the longest tenured conductor in the ensemble’s storied 112 year history.
He is the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, becoming the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served on the faculty of Calvin University and led the Calvin Alumni Choir, Calvin Campus Choir, the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and the St. Cecilia Youth Chorale.
He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois (MM) and Michigan State University (DMA).
He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. Dr. Armstrong currently serves as Chair of the National Board of Chorus America and has returned to serve on the National Board of The Choristers Guild.
Jury
Marcin Tomczak PolandProf. Marcin Tomczak -conductor, adjudicator, academic teacher. In 1999-2005 Vice -Dean of Choral Conducting Department, 2005-2012 elected for Vice-Rector for student`s and artistic affair. Since 2016 director of Choral and Oratorio Conducting Institute in Stanislaw Moniuszko Music Academy in Gdansk. In 2012-2021 professor at Postgraduate Study of Choral Conducting and Voice Production in Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz(2012-2021).
Since 1992 an artistic director and conductor of the Gdansk University Academic Choir. With this group he toured Poland and abroad performing in Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Equador, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, France, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, South Korea and China.
A laureate of many main prizes and Grand Prix`s in the leading national and international choir competitions (Wien- Austria 2000; Busan- South Korea 2002; La Valetta-Malta 2003; Xiamen-China 2006;Vilnius-Lithuania 2010, 2014; Ohrid- Macedonia 2014; Barczewo- Poland 2016; Firenze-Italia 2017;Canco Mediterania -Catalonia 2018; Daugavpils-Latvia 2019), Bandung – Indonesia 2021), individual conductor’s awards (Poland 1999,2016; Korea- 2002, Czech Republic-2005,2008), national distinctions, university and Pomeranian region awards: twice nomination– Pomeranian Artistic Award, laureate of the Mayor of Gdansk’s Award in culture “Splendor Gedanensis” (2005). As a conductor he led many orchestras as: Polish Baltic Philharmony, Koszalin Philharmony, Polish Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonia Varsovia”, Academic Orchestra of Gdansk Music Academy and Bremen University.
He cooperated with world famous artists as: Krzysztof Penderecki, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jan AP Kaczmarek /world premiere of “Freedom Cantata” 2005; world premiere of Symphony “Emigra” 2017/, Jannis Xenakis, Ennio Morricone, Jean Michelle Jarre, Leszek Możdżer - world premiere of “Missa Gratiatoria”.
Is being invited as a jury member of international and national choral competitions in Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Macedonia, Slovakia, Romania and Poland. Giving workshops for choir conductors in Poland, Germany, Macedonia, Romania and South Korea / Seoul, Jeju Island/.
Since 2006 an Artistic Director and the President of the Jury of International Choir Festival Mundus Cantat Sopot.
Jury
Susanna Saw MalaysiaSusanna Saw is an active music educator promoting music and choral education in Malaysia.
She obtained her Master in Music Education (Choral Focus) from Westminster Choir College, U.S.A. She is currently a choir director at the Faculty of Music at the University of Malaya (UM), Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) and the Adjunct Professor at the Taylor’s University.
In 2007, Susanna established the Young Choral Academy in Kuala Lumpur, a venue for choral lovers to learn more about vocal and choral education. She was instrumental in bringing the Kodály Teachers’ Training Course to the Southeast Asia region to improve the standards of classroom music teaching.
She organised numerous events to promote music and choral education. During the pandemic, Susanna organized monthly Kodály Online Hangouts, bringing together music educators from around the world to learn, sing and stay connected. The hangout session is in the hybrid format now, keeping in touch with the active music educators globally.
Susanna is also the Founder and Director of the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod (MCE), which organised various symposium, national and international choir festival since 2002. From 2007, Susanna has been regularly invited by INTERKULTUR, Germany, to be a member of the jury for the Asia Pacific and World Choir Games. She has been appointed a member of the Working Committee for the Asia-Pacific Choral Council, under the auspices of the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM), as well as at the Asian Choral Association (ACA).
Susanna is also an active speaker at various music education events, promoting effective music teaching in the 21st century. She is currently the Vice- President of the International Kodály Society, and the World Youth and Children Choral Artists’ Association. She is also serves on the Advisory Board of INTERKULTUR and CHORALSPACE, Germany.
Jury
Dr. Shin-Hwa Park South KoreaDr. Shin-Hwa Park is an endowed chair professor at Hansei University and professor emeritus of the College of Music at Ewha Womans University. He is the former president of the Korea Church Music Association and president emeritus of the Korea Federation of Choral Music. He serves as the artistic director of the KyungNam International Choral Festival, a member of the World Choir Council, and a broadcasting host for FEBC FM.
He conducts the Ewha Chamber Choir, the Hansei University Concert Choir, and the Young-Nak Presbyterian Church Choir, which consists of 150 members. He also served as conductor of the Ansan City Choir for 25 years.
Dr. Park received his D.M.A. in Choral Literature and Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder. Since 1996, his choirs have produced 122 CDs. He is frequently invited to serve as a judge at international choral competitions, and in 2023 he became an artistic director of the World Choir Games.
In 2019, the Ansan City Choir performed at the ACDA National Conference in Kansas City and also appeared at the 6th, 10th, and 11th World Symposium on Choral Music under his direction. Dr. Park received the Korean Christian Arts Award in 2020; the Grand Prize in Music at the 35th Korea Artistic & Cultural Awards in 2022 for his contributions to Korean choral music; the University of Colorado Distinguished Choral Alumnus Award in 2021; and the Yonsei University Alumni Award in 2023.
Jury
Dr. Tonghie Park South KoreaConductor Tonghie Park studied Voice (BA) at Chongshin University and earned a Master's degree in Church Music in Church Music (MACM) from Seoul Theological University.
He then moved to the United States and received both his Master's degree (MM) and Doctorate (DMA) from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He studied under Professor Hoon-cha Chai and Dr. Earl Rivers, and joined many masterclasses to deepen his musical understanding.
In Cincinnati, Dr. Park sang as a bass member of the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, the city's only professional choir. After moving to Los Angeles, he founded the choir ‘Choraleum’ and was active as its Music Director.
Before studying abroad, he worked as the Associate Conductor for The Chorale in Korea, where he learned choir management and concert planning. This was a key experience that helped shape his career path in choral music.
Through these roles, he brought a wide variety of high-quality music to the public. He led major projects such as the "Masterpiece Choral Series," original choral-musicals, and large-scale Korean pieces including The Han River and Song of Arirang by Jun-hee Lim, as well as Oesol's Song (dedicated to the Korean linguist Choi Hyeon-bae).
Along with his performance work, Dr. Park is passionate about teaching younger musicians. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at Hansei University, and currently teaches conducting techniques and musical interpretation at Dankook Graduate University and Dongduk Graduate Women's University.
He also serves as a Board Director for the Korean Choral Directors Association (KCDA) and the Korea Church Music Association (KCMA), and conducts the Yebon Choir at Saemoonan Presbyterian Church.
