European GP for choral Singing 2012

Komorni zbor Oreya, Ukraine

conductor Alexander Vatsek
(winner of Certamen Coral de Tolosa – Tolosa 2011, Basque Country/Spain)

The choir Oreya was founded by Alexander Vatsek in Zhytomyr, Ukraine in 1986 as an amateur municipal choir. In its 25-year history, Oreya participated in many international contests and festivals, having won 31 first prizes over the years, as well as 8 Grand Prix events, the most recent in Tolosa last year. Consisting of 28 singers, one of the most original Ukrainian mixed choirs introduces the idea of choral theatre on the stage through various elements and experiments, which enable the choir to adapt their vocal and general interpretation to different genres. Oreya’s extensive repertoire includes compositions ranging from the 12th to the 21st century, among which are over 500 pieces of Ukrainian folk and church music, modern Ukrainian and world music, as well as some of the best masterpieces of western music. The choir also aspires to perform their music in a new and fresh-sounding way.

Alexander Vatsek, a Ukrainian-Czech choirmaster, conductor, choral and vocal teacher, obtained his degrees from Music in Vinnytsya, and Conducting in Odessa. An Honoured Artist of Ukraine, Vatsek is a member of various international organizations, juryman at prestigious international choral contests, and has led a number of master classes at home and abroad. He was appointed the choir consul of Ukraine and Czech Republic by the International Olympic Choir Committee for the period from 2004 to 2008. Besides Oreya, Vatsek is also the founder of the best students’ choir in Czech Republic of 2002, Gaudeamus from Brno, and a prize-winner of many international choral competitions.

Programme:
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548–1611): JESU DULCIS MEMORIA (Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Bernard de Clairvaux)
Choral Public Domain Library

Sergej Rahmaninov (1873–1943): NINE OTPUŠČAEŠI (All-Night Vigil)
Musica Russica

Tatiana Vlasenko (1977): KOLJADA (Ukrainian folksong)
Manuscript

Yevhen Savchuk (1947): DA ŠČO NA GORI IMBER (Ukrainian folksong)
Manuscript

Viktor Stepurko (1952): DIVO DIVNEJE 
Manuscript

Hyowon Woo (1972): GLORIA (Ordinarioum missæ)
choruscenter.Korea

Pärt Uusberg (1986): KYRIE (Ordinarioum missæ)

Sebastian Iradier (1809–1865)/Manuel Massoti Little: LA PALOMA
Union Musical Española

Albert Hammond, Mike Hazelwood/Peter Knight (1917–1985): I’M A TRAIN
Hal Leonard Corporation

Nikolaj Rimski-Korsakov (1844–1908)/Ward Swingle (1927): FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE (from the Opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan)
Swingle Music