Conditions for Your Compositions

Competing composers must adhere to the following conditions:

• The submitted piece must be composed for a capella male voice choir, 4 to 8 parts, along with optional solo parts.
• The length of the piece must be between 3 and 5 minutes.
• Any lyrics for the piece must have been written by a female or non-binary author.
• Lyrics must be written in either English, German, French or Latin.
• The lyrics of a submitted piece must deal with at least one of the following subjects: peace, freedom, equality of mankind, or contact/meeting with nature.

(You can find the fully detailed rules of the competition in the application form.)

The competition will be judged by an internationally acclaimed jury with broad experience of choral music, comprised of composers as well as choral conductors with merits in composition and arrangement. The decision of the jury is final and cannot be appealed against.

Jury

Hans Lundgren

Hans Lundgren, the chairman of the jury, is former director musices (head of music activities) at Linköping University. He studied conducting under Professor Eric Ericson and holds a Master's degree from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Hans Lundgren is an experienced conductor, singer and composer. He retired from his position at the university in 2014.

Ulrika Emanuelsson

Ulrika Emanuelsson is a Swedish composer, conductor and singer educated at Malmö Academy of Music at Lund University. She has a double degree in Eurythmics and Singing, as well as a Master’s degree in Composition. Ulrika has won several awards for her choral compositions, both in Sweden and internationally. Ulrika has been the artistic leader of Carolinae Röster since 2003 and has won multiple gold medals at International Choir Competitions. She is currently also conductor of the girls’ choir Koritsia, and this year, she is teaching third-year ensembles at the Lars-Erik Larsson Upper Secondary School in Lund. Ulrika is a board member of both the Swedish Composers organisation and the Swedish Choral Conductors organisation. In 2022, Ulrika was awarded a grant from the Madeleine Uggla foundation for her contributions to Swedish society through her achievements in choral music, and for helping those in need through her founding of Choral Aid.

Christina Hörnell

Christina Hörnell succeeded Hans Lundgren in 2014 and served as director musices at Linköping University for nine years. In this role, she was also the conductor of the Linköping University Male Voice Choir and the Linköping University Chamber Choir. She studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and holds Master’s degrees in Church Music and Conducting. Christina Hörnell was chorusmaster at the Royal Opera in Stockholm for two decades and at the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra for four years. She has conducted the Stockholm Academic Choir and the choir at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. She is a skilled organist, pianist, singer and conductor. In 2014, Christina Hörnell was awarded H. M. The King's Medal for her achievements at the Royal Opera. She stepped down as director musices at Linköping University in late 2023 to take on the role of chief executive officer and artistic director of Malmö Opera.

Bo Ejeby

Bo Ejeby is a prominent music editor specialising in choral music at the publishing company Ejeby Förlag, where he and his two daughters publish sheet music and books on music. He is a trained music teacher and an experienced chorister, having sung in some of the finest choirs in Gothenburg. He is dedicated to publishing the music of our time.

Jakob Grubbström

Jakob Grubbström, born in 1986, was educated at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the School of Music in Piteå, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. His primary studies were in choral conducting under Erik Westberg, Neil Ferris, and Sarah Tennant-Flowers. He has also participated in masterclasses with, among others, Patrick Russill, Paul Brough, Adrian Partington, and Alice Farnham. Jakob has worked with numerous choirs and orchestras in both the United Kingdom and Sweden – including the East of England Singers, Nottingham Festival Chorus, and Stockholm University Choir. In 2016, he founded Cantores Amicitiae Vocal Ensemble, which has toured and recorded for radio in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Sweden. In 2022, Jakob became the conductor and artistic director of the Stockholm Chamber Choir. Since autumn 2023, he has held the position of director musices at Linköping University, where he serves as artistic director and conductor of the Linköping University Male Voice Choir and the Linköping University Chamber Choir.

Karin Oldgren

Karin Oldgren was trained as a church musician and a choral and orchestral conductor at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. She has held long-term positions as a church musician in various parishes in Stockholm, most recently at Engelbrekt Parish, where she founded Hjorthagens Kammarkör and Hjorthagens Vokalensemble in 2016. Since 2022, Karin Oldgren has served as organist at St Petri Church in Malmö, where she is the artistic director of the St Petri Youth Choir (SPUK) and Petri Sångare. Since autumn 2024, she also teaches at the Malmö Academy of Music. In 2016, Karin Oldgren was awarded the Cecilia Prize by the Diocese of Stockholm, and in 2019 she was named Choral Conductor of the Year by the Swedish Choral Conductors’ Association and the Rosenborg Foundation.