JURY
JAN VAN DER ROOST
president of jury
Belgium
Jan Van der Roost was born in Duffel (Belgium) in 1956. He studied at the Lemmensinstituut and at the Royal Conservatoires of Ghent and Antwerp (Belgium), where he qualified as a conductor and a composer. Besides being a prolific composer, he also is very much in demand as an adjudicator, lecturer, clinician and guest conductor: his musical activities took him to over 50 countries while his compositions have been performed/recorded around the world. His list of works covers a wide variety of genres and styles, including e.g. two oratorios, a children’s opera, a cantata, a symphony and some smaller works for symphony orchestra, a guitar concerto, clarinet concerto, trumpet concerto, cello concerto, clarinet concerto, a solo piece for saxophone and chamber orchestra, a double concerto for two clarinets and strings, a concerto for three trombones and orchestra, works for string orchestra, choral music, chamber music, … and numerous works for wind orchestra, brass band etc. Many of these compositions have been broadcast on radio and/or television and/or have been recorded on CD. To the many prestigious performers, having played/sung/recorded his music belong (a.o.): St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra (RU), Vancouver SO (CA), Simon Bolivar SO (VE), Chicago SO (brass section – USA), Polish Radio Choir, Slovakian Radio SO, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg, Tokyo Philharmonic (J), Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, The King’s Singers (UK), Janacek Philharmonic (CZ), Sofia Soloists (BG), Salzburger Solisten (AT), Philharmonic Choir Kosovo, Lviv Philharmonic (UA), Milano Classico Chamber Orchestra (I), … and many more. He exclusively composes commissioned works with commissions coming from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Norway, Japan, the USA, Singapore, Canada, Sweden, Kosovo, Spain, Taiwan, Colombia, Finland, Croatia, Switzerland, Hungary, the UK, …
https://www.janvanderroost.com/en/
SZABÓ FERENC
Hungary
Hidas Frigyes Award winning conductor, clarinet teacher. He has been the Conductor of the Tatabánya Festival Wind Band since 1991. He has been the head of the wind instrument department of Egressy Béni School of Arts of Komárom and the conductor of Egressy Wind Band since September of 1992. Since 1998 he has been teaching at the Faculty of Music of Széchényi István University and founder conductor of Győr Symphonic Band which won several national and international competitions. Many of their CD recordings have been successfully presented around the world and got first place at classical music competitions. Since 2007 he has been the head of the Hidas Frigyes International Conductor Course of Győr and a regularly invited conductor of the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra since 2008. Since May of 2015 he has been the president of The Hungarian Association for Symphonic Bands, Ensembles and Majorettes (MaFuMaSz). Since 2019 he has been the teacher of wind conducting at the Faculty of Arts of Széchenyi István University. He is a recognized guest conductor of wind bands and symphonic orchestras and invited teacher at music courses in Hungary and abroad.
https://zene.sze.hu/szabo-ferenc-gyor-symphonic-band-muvesztanar
DR. HABIL. SZABÓ ISTVÁN
Hungary
Chartered percussion chamber player. He got his teacher degree at Liszt Ferenc Faculty of Music at the University of Debrecen, his percussion teacher was József Vrana. In 2011 he got his qualification of Doctor of Liberal Arts at Liszt Academy. He worked as a music teacher in the music school of Kisújszállás (1989-1990) and Kodály Zoltán Vocational School of Music of Debrecen (1990-1993). Since 1993 he has been teaching percussion, chamber music, methodology, didactics and repertoire knowledge. Since 2003 he has been college associate professor, since 2015 a college professor. Between 2010 and 2012 he was an instructor in the Bartók Béla Institute of Music of the University of Miskolc. Since 2000 hehas been teaching percussion at the Summer Academy of Young Musicians. Between 2005 and 2018 he was the head of the Brass and Percussion Department and the main organizer of the Meeting and Competition for Brass and Percussion. Since 2018 he has been the leader of the percussionist subprogram of the Doctorate Course of Liszt Academy. Since 2018 he has been a member of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. Since 2012 he has been a college professor in Slovakia, founder of the advanced percussion course at Academy of Arts of Besztercebánya (Banská Bystrica). Since 2019 he has been the leader of the percussion doctorate program at the Academy. Between 1984 and 2003 he was a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Debrecen. Between 1983 and 1993 he was a member of the Percussion Ensemble of Debrecen, since 1993 he has been the leader of the percussion ensembe of the Music Department. Between 1999 and 2003 he was the leader of the Talamba percussion ensemble. Since 2004 the Music Department’s percussion ensemble has been known as SONUS. Each year, his students are winners and are on the list of prized participants of the National Brass and Percussion College Competition.
https://music.unideb.hu/hu/node/54
BEKKER GYULA
Hungary
Gyula Bekker’s career as a musician has already taken him all around the world. After finishing his university degree as a french horn soloist at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music he worked with the Debrecen Philharmonic Orchestra. In his late twenties he settled his life in Balmazújváros where he started to teach young children at the local music school. Establishing a small band was his first step on the way to become a professional conductor. A few years later he graduated with the highest honour at the University of Music in Debrecen as a conductor. Since then he has been the director of the Bekton Concert Band wherewith Bekker has received the top prize in numerous competitions in Belgium, Germany, Hungary or Poland where he also won the Grand Prix of the Best Conductor.
He has been awarded the Cultural Award of Balmazújváros, Bartok-Pasztory Award, Bocskai Award and in 2014 he has received the Silver Medal of Honor from the President of Hungary.
Recently he has been working as the conductor professor of the University of Music in Debrecen and leading the Wind Band Alliance of Eastern Hungary.
https://music.unideb.hu/hu/node/592
