The Collegium Vocale Bad Homburg (and as part of it Hochschulchor Sankt Georgen) was founded in 1992 by Helmut Föller and currently consists of about 30 singers from Bad Homburg and the surrounding area. The choir's repertoire focuses on the vocal a cappella tradition from the Renaissance to the late Romantic period as well as classical modern choral literature. The choir has performed, among other things, in a production of the Hessischer Rundfunk for the 150th birthday of the Frankfurt composer Anton Urspruch, as well as at the Limburg Kreuzfest, the Katholikentag in Mainz and the Nacht der Musik in Bad Homburg. Concerts as part of the Bad Homburg organ festival Fugato also complement the choir's musical spectrum. Concert tours have so far taken it to Hungary, Andalusia and Rome. In 2017 and 2023 (together with Hochschulchor Sankt Georgen), the choir joined forces with the Olive Branches Choir Bethlehem and the Schmidt's Girls College Choir Jerusalem to perform Karl Jenkins' "Mass for Peace" and „Stabat mater“ at Dormitio Abbey in Jerusalem.

Helmut Föller was born in Bad Homburg in 1958. He received his first organ lessons from Prof. Rosalinde Haas in Frankfurt. At the University of Mainz he studied church and school music, Catholic theology and musicology. Conducting courses with Helmut Rilling in Frankfurt and Stuttgart complemented his musical-practical education. With a dissertation on the topic "BACH - Verarbeitungen eines Motivs in der Orgelmusik des 19. Jahrhunderts" he received his doctorate in 2000. From 1982 to 1992 he was organist and choirmaster at St. Leonhard in Frankfurt, and from 1992 to 2002 organist and district cantor at St. Marien, Bad Homburg. Since 2000 he has been teaching church music at the Philosophisch-Theologischen Hochschule Sankt Georgen, and since 2002 he has been a full-time lecturer and adjunct professor of church music at Sankt Georgen and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt.

With an established reputation for high-quality singing, The Village Singers’ success is underpinned by its culture of combining fun with learning. From their humble beginnings in a village pub, their highlight’s include: The Menin Gate and Ypres Cathedral 2014 where they performed Sir Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, and Paris in 2017 where they performed Faure’s Requiem in La Madeleine. Five years ago The Village Singers were in Carnegie Hall with DCINY performing Symphonic Adiemus, celebrating Sir Karl’s 75th birthday. This evening they are delighted to be returning to Carnegie Hall and continue what is fast becoming a new tradition.

Rachel grew up in a musical family and enjoyed a broad range of orchestral, ensemble and choral experiences throughout her childhood. A qualified classical vocal coach, Rachel stepped onto the podium as a choral conductor in 2011. Combining her leadership skills with her musicianship, she has built a loyal following with audiences enjoying concerts which blend sacred and secular elements, all of which are performed with musical precision. Increasingly she programmes major chorus-orchestra concerts and underpinned by Rachel’s infectious enthusiasm for music-making, she celebrates bringing people across the community together to experience the transformative power of music.

The Karl-Rehbein School has specialized in music for many decades. This can be seen in its large variety of musical ensembles, which include a symphony orchestra, wind band, brass band (big band), childrens’ choir and students’ choir, resulting in a very active concert life. The school choir is distinctive as not only students sing in the students’ choir but parents, teachers and former students also sing, too, as friends of the choir. Singers aged between 12 and 80 appear on stage – a wonderful intergenerational activity! In addition to regular Christmas and summer concerts, the choir also performs its own concerts and appears in large school musical theatre productions.

Frank Hagelstange was born in Goettingen, Germany in 1963. He has worked at the Karl-Rehbein School in Hanau, teaching music and religious studies, for 30 years. He has already directed two of Karl Jenkins’ works, “Adiemus“ and “Requiem“ with the school choir, which also includes an adult choir comprising teachers, parents and former students. The Hanau choir has already performed “Requiem“ in New York in 2017, as a guest of DCINY. In addition, the Karl-Rehbein School has performed “Misatango“ by Martin Palmeri, “Dido and Aeneas“ by Henry Purcell, “The Chichester Psalms“ by Leonard Bernstein and a “Jesus Christ Superstar“ medley. In his role as school musical theatre director, Frank Hagelstange has staged the musicals “Fiddler on the Roof“ and “Oliver“, as well as the comic opera, “La belle Hélène“ by Jacques Offenbach. “Chess, the Musical“ is planned for 2025. Frank Hagelstange can also be heard as a tenor soloist, his most recent performance being “The Christmas Story“ by Heinrich Schuetz.

Grand Union Community Choir is a highly-regarded, non-auditioned, all embracing choir in which any adult who wants to sing is welcomed and valued. Singers do not have to be able to read music or have any prior musical experience, they just need be willing to participate fully in the rehearsals. Being able to sing and perform together allows us to make memories and share our love of singing with others. The choir performed in Carnegie Hall in 2018 with DCINY and its singers are delighted to be performing here again in 2024, either for the first or second time.

A graduate from Durham and Cambridge Universities, Susan taught in Devon and Bedfordshire before joining Bedfordshire's Music Service in 2003. Passionate about the benefits of singing she was an Area Leader for the National Programme Sing Up; a Wider Opportunities Vocal Trainer for Trinity Guildhall and eventually headed up Central Bedfordshire's Music Service and Education Hub until December 2017. A member of the Association of British Choral Directors since 1994 Susan directs several choirs including the Grand Union Community Choir of whom she is very proud. This is her second visit to Carnegie Hall with singers from the Choir.

The Mosaïque Musicale Malouine choir has been in existence since 1988. Created with an exclusively artistic and cultural purpose, its objective is to promote classical and lyrical choral singing. Every year since its inception, the choir performs in several shows in Brittany. The team places special emphasis on the advancement and enrichment of musical culture through the practice of singing and the performance of various works. When planning their programs, the focus is on the creation and staging of original sacred and lyrical works from all repertoires. The MMM choir has had the pleasure of presenting Bizet's Carmen, Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice, Offenbach's La vie Parisienne, Bach's Passion according to Saint Matthew, Brahms's German Requiem, and most recently Karl Jenkins's Stabat Mater. This major work will be the subject of a tour scheduled for the spring of 2024.

Isabelle Ginet-Besnard: Born into a family of musicians and lyrical artists, Isabelle began her studies in 1978 at the age of 7, in classical dance and musical education at the Romans sur Isère Conservatory( France ) .Concurrently, she studied piano with Adam Wibrowsky in Grenoble ( France ), eventually becoming his private student. As a young pianist, she participated in international sessions in Grenoble ( France ), the Holland Music-Sessions (The Netherlands ), and Zameck Ksiaz ( Poland ), where she received instruction from John Perry, Maria Del Pico Taylor, and George Delerue. In 1988, she joined the Alkmaar Conservatory ( The Netherlands ). Isabelle further honed her skills in lyrical singing under the guidance of Nicole Fallien of the Comédie Française in Paris, as well as Gabriel Bacquier and Michelle Command. As a result of this unique journey, Isabelle made her debut on stage with an operetta and lyrical singing troupe. Starting in 2012, Isabelle took on the role of directing various musical works including : J.S. Bach's "The Passion According to St. Matthew," Gluck's "Orpheus and Eurydice," Brahms' "German Requiem," Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," Sir Karl Jenkins' "Stabat Mater." Since 2015, she has regularly organized a summer workshop on the Emerald Coast (Brittany) for vocal and early music, collaborating with tenor Peter Udland Johannsen and harpist and soprano Arianna Savall. She serves as Artistic and Musical Director as well as Choir Conductor for Mosaïque Musicale Malouine and the Dinard Choir. In 2019 ,she founded the women's choir "Kalon-Maouez" with a rather more eclectic style. In the same year ,Isabelle participated in Laurent Voulzy's "Cathedral Tour" during the concert season at the Mont-Saint-Michel. She was then invited, along with some of her students from Kalon-Maouez, to the jubilee of the Alma-Mater Choir for a concert at the Capella in Saint Petersburg. In 2020, during the COVID lockdowns, she was selected to participate in the Virtual Choir 6, directed by Eric Whitacre (USA), for the title "Sing Gently." In 2021, she performed for the artist Alan Stivell at the Interceltic Festival in Lorient. In 2022, she served as the vocal director for the musical "Surcouf, King of the Corsairs." She also joined the teaching team at BarokOpéra. In 2024, a tour is planned in Brittany, featuring six concerts of "Stabat Mater" in tribute to Sir Karl Jenkins and marking his 80th birthday.

The Pennsbury High School Choral Music Department is composed of seven choirs spanning grades nine through twelve and is composed of nearly three hundred students. The choirs have traveled and performed all over the world and have worked with outstanding conducts such as Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt. The choral department includes four academic choirs, two auditioned after school ensemble, a three-level Music Theory Program including AP Theory, and Music Technology courses. Four staff persons from varied backgrounds team-teach ensembles and classes within the department. In addition, The Pennsbury Community Chorus is an ensemble comprised of eighty adult singers in the Bucks County area who rehearse and perform at Pennsbury High School. Many of the singers have ties to the Pennsbury School District.

Mr. James D. Moyer has been teaching at Pennsbury HS for 25 years. During this time he has led the PHS choirs to major performances in both the US and Europe. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the University of Oklahoma. He is also the co-author of the widely used choral music textbook "A Conductor's Guide to Choral/Orchestral Repertoire" published by GIA Music. Lindsey graduated from Pennsbury High School in 2001 and earned a B.S. in Music Education, a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Lebanon Valley College, and a master's degree in Choral Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also served as Choral Director and Music Theory Teacher at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Virginia from 2005-2014. She was honored to be named "Teacher of the Year" in 2010. Lindsey Strauss is currently serving as a Choral Director at Pennsbury High School where she directs several choirs, is the Music Director for the Annual Spring Musical Production and is the Artistic Director of the Pennsbury Community Chorus. She resides in Yardley, PA with her two sons Benjamin and Jackson.

KlangKunst Choir The cultivation of choir-singing, singing together, working hard on great and magnificent choral works as well as the performance of choral concerts are the core mission of the KlangKunst Choir. Founded 2002 by Andrea Fessmann the association offers projects for non-professional singers. Since then successful concert performances on various stages took place. The choir is specialized on the famous „Carmina Buran“a by Carl Orff, especially in the Benediktbeuern monastry, where the Carmina Burana are originated -also under the patronage of Orff's widow Liselotte Orff. The repertoire includes „Mathew Passion“ by J.S. Bach, „Requiem“ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, „A German Requiem“ by Johannes Brahms or Monteverdi „Verspers“. One of the most spectacular performances was the world premiere of „Weihnachtsoratorium in JAZZ“: a grooving version of Bachs „Christmas Oratorio“ by Stephan König, electrifying the audience when- and wherever performed, for example at Munich Residenz, the Thomaskirche Leipzig and Gewandhaus Leipzig. The choir went on concert tours abroad to Granada, Andalusia/Spain and Venice, Italy and is very happy to sing in Carnegie Hall, New York.

Andrea Fessmann´s passion is choir music. She studied voice and conducting a the Highschool for Music and Theatre, Munich, where she is now working as an Alexandertechnique teacher. She is a member of the Bavarian Radio Concert Choir, where she has had the opportunity to work with the most famous conductors in the world. Together with the “Laetare” ensemble (voice, soundstones, dulcimer and Jazz-cello) she is giving concerts internationally. Andrea Fessmann is a rare, authorized specialist for Carl Orff´s "Carmina Burana", conducting and performing this work in signature venues, such as in the Monastery of Benediktbeuern, where the lyrics originated. She has performed many renowned oratorios such as Handel:„Messiah“, Brahms: "A German Requiem", Bach: "St. Matthew Passion", Mozart: "Requiem", Bach/König: "Grooving Christmas - Christmas Oratorio in Jazz", as well as specialized programs including "Magic Venice: Polychoral Music from San Marco". The concerts have taken place at remarkable venues including the Munich Royal Residence, Granada Cathedral (Spain), Verona Cathedral (Italy), Gewandhaus (Netherlands) and Thomaskirche (Leipzig). Andrea Fessmann is a faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. She has been awarded cultural prizes, such as „Tassilo“ in 2021.

The Singgemeinschaft Salzkotten is a mixed choir of 70 singers, founded in 1974 by Hamburg music professor Wolfgang Hochstein. He set himself and the choir the task of performing demanding choral literature from all musical eras and styles. Concerts and performances on official occasions, such as the musical accompaniment of radio services, are as much a part of the program as choir trips to nearby foreign countries. Next year, 2024, the choir will be 50 years old and we look forward to celebrating this with a performance at Carnegie Hall along with Karl Jenkins 80th birthday.

Thomas Rimpel studied organ, choral conducting and School Music at Hochschule für Musik in Detmold. His main occupation is as director of studies and deputy principal at Evangelisch Stiftisches Gymnasium Gütersloh. In addition to teaching music and history, he is also cantor at ESG. As an organist and as a member of various vocal ensembles, Thomas Rimpel gives concerts in the East Westphalian region. For over 25 years he has been the musical director of Singgemeinschaft Salzkotten and has developed this choir into a powerful concert choir. It is a special concern of his to perform works that are not part of the standard repertoire of other choirs in the region.

VOENA Children's Choir is a Bay Area non-profit organization founded in 1994 with a mission, "uniting the world with children's voices." They are a vocal multi-ethnic musical experience with the beat of drums from Africa and Ireland. Founder/Director, Annabelle Marie, is a believer in using world music with all the colors of the different languages to educate children who then become curious about countries and learn to start to think beyond borders. Ambassadors for peace, they have sung 5 times at The White House for Presidents Clinton and Bush, the great American poet Dr Maya Angelou, and represented the US at the World Expo in Japan. In 2018, by special invitation, they were flown to Abu Dhabi to sing for the Crown Prince. Ms Marie won the Jefferson Award for community enrichment with her innovative no-audition policy, accepting all children who have desire, believing that children are capable of educating their "ear" for music. She has further helped children embody their music through a technique she calls "physical singing," teaching how to "feel" music more deeply for soul connection. 1500+ lives have been changed over the span of the choir's founding, many of whom have gone on to teach future generations coming through the choir as well as supporters of the organization through their careers as community organizers, health professionals, doctors, entrepreneurs, computer programmers, tech marketers, and professional musicians.

ANNABELLE MARIE In addition to forging new ground as a composer, arranger, vocalist, violinist and pianist, Annabelle is Founder/Director of the world famous children's choir, VOENA. Ms Marie studied voice with Barbara Streisand's vocal coach, violin with Dr. William Barbini, receiving her Masters in Music as well as the Jefferson Award. Presidents Clinton and Bush and The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi have been highlights of many of Annabelle's performance opportunities.

Johannes Brahms Chor Hamburg loves - of cause - performing Brahms. We also sing other peaces of music From Bach to Händel and Mozart, and we are fond of modern compositions, eg. we had the premiere of Juri Dadiani’s wonderful "Missa Sacratissimi Cordis Jesu" in Laeiszhalle in Hamburg on September 3rd 2016. Every year we have a so called „Arkadenhofkonzert“ for all our friends to habe a good start into christmas-time. We are especially proud: September 1st 2023, in a time of war in Ukraine and in a lot of other places in the world we performed Karl Jenkins „The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace“ in the KZ-Memorial Place of Neuengamme - a message for peace on a „World-Anti-War-Day“ and on a place, where we are remembered to „Never forget“.

Kazuo Kanemaki, born in Tokyo, started with being first horn player of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He changed to Hamburg, Germany, in 1977 to study musicology and conducting. From 1982 he worked with several orchestras and choirs, e.g. sinfonie orchester berlin, Hamburger Camerata, Göttinger Symphoniker, Tokyo Philharmoniker, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphoniker, New York concert artists “Junge Stimmen Rußland“. A breakthrough was in March 2017 with Carl Orffs „Carmina Burana“ in Vienna with an Orchestra Community of Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, soloists of Wiener Staatsoper and choirs from Japan and Wien. He participated in Jinan, China, with his chamber choir „Chorensemble Goethe“ and as a lecturer at the international Choir festival 2019. Germany`s president Gauck honoured Kanemaki in 2015 for his international work of musical encounter and international understanding.

There are currently 40 men and women singing in the Lutherkantorei Bad Harzburg: music professionals alongside dedicated amateurs, experienced choir singers accompany talented beginners. The singers come from Bad Harzburg (Germany) and the surrounding area. The choir organizes its own activities. Behind the scenes, the members take care of ticket sales and public relations, workshop evenings and tour planning, catering and organization. The Bad Harzburg choir gives at least two concerts a year, sings in many church services in the Lutheran parish and regularly goes on concert tours.

Karsten Krüger (born in 1969) studied church music in Hanover. He passed his ‘A’ examination in 1996 and took up the position of cantor at the Lutherkirche in Bad Harzburg in the same year. This position is still associated with lively concert activities in the areas of oratorios and a capella works (choir), organ concerts and popular music (youth choir and band). As a conductor, he has performed all of Johann Sebastian Bach's oratorios, numerous cantatas and major works by Verdi, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Fauré, Boulanger, Stravinsky, Britten, Hindemith, Mozart, Verdi, Orff and many others.

Chor Capriccio was founded in 2013. It is a mixed choir with 60 Singers. In 2019 the choir performed The Armed Man and in 2023 Requiem and Gloria from Sir Karl Jenkins in Bad Kreuznach. The choir took part in a concert project DCINY for the firt time in January 2023. Now Chor Capriccio is pleased to be taking part in the performance of The Armed Man again and to honor Sir Karl Jenkins´80th birthdy.

Birgit Ensminger-Busse has studied economy and Music /classic voice in Mainz and Stuttgart. In 2001 she graduated an additional training in church music. Since 1995 she is working in solo performances, voice-coaching and conducting choirs. She is also a representative for culture and music in the political level. With her familiy she is living in Bad Kreuznach, a town near Frankfurt.

Sheppard Academy of Vocal Arts (SAVA), based in NYC, is a home for singers of all levels. Classes, workshops, and individual lessons provide training, development, and support for successful careers in music, while maintaining a safe, supportive, non-competitive environment of community and professionalism. With an emphasis on healthy vocal technique and all aspects of musicality, SAVA students work professionally on Broadway, TV and film, concerts, regional theatres, clubs, and recording contracts for those studying songwriting and composition. SAVA Singers have performed in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, City Center, and have recorded music for the W.H.O.

Bettina Sheppard is a Welsh/American composer, performer, and arranger of music for classical, film, theatre, commercial, and dance pieces. Specializing in vocal and choral music, she is the founder and Artistic Director of Sheppard Academy of Vocal Arts (SAVA). Performances include theatre, classical choral, the swing jazz trio, Satin Dolls (founder), Celtic/Afro band and recording (Solus) under her Welsh name, Brythonwen. NYC-based, with graduate degrees in classical composition and media/film scoring, her compositions have been performed internationally. Sheppard is on faculty at City College of New York, CUNY, and is author of the book, The Everything Singing Book.

The Lorilee Singers is an ensemble comprising members from Canyon Lake Choraleers, Angel City Chorale, Temecula Valley Master Chorale and The Colony Chorus, under the dynamic direction of Lorilee Bajema.

Lorilee Bajema holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Trinity College London and is a sought-after Director, Conductor and gifted music teacher. She has performed with the prestigious Bach Ensemble, Halle Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Verbier Festival and has recently toured Italy with award-winning Angel City Chorale. Lorilee uses her infectious spirit and excellent musicianship to uplift, educate and inspire.