“OREYA”

     Zhytomyr academic choral capella “Oreya” was founded atthe end of 1986 on the basis of the Zhitomir Music College named after V.S. Kosenko choir under the support of regional Music Societyandthe City Palaceof Culture by Alexander Vatsek - Ukrainian conductor, choirmaster.

 

        Since 1990 “Oreya” has won 9 Grand – Prix and 40 first places in international choir competitions and festivals in different countries.

    28 choral singers make up one of the most original Ukrainian mixed choirs.
    In 1997 the President of French Festival of choirs – prizewinners Vaison la Romaine MarcelCorneille, evaluated the choir in his speech in such a way: "This is one of  fourthebest choirs of the world that I ever heard."

And in 2009, Kelly Park, artistic director of the First International Choral Festival in Inchon (South Korea), said: "This team sets new world standards of choral singing and is the best ambassador of Ukraine over the years“.

 

"Grand – Prix"

2014 – 62 International Polyphonic Competition "Guido d'Arezzo" in Arezzo, Italy 

2011 – 43th International Choir Competition in Tolosa, Spain

2008 – 9th International Choir Competition in Maribor, Slovenia

2007 – Ukrainian Competition of chamber vocal forms and choral collectives named after Borys Lyatoshynskyi in Kyiv, Ukraine

1999 – International Choir Competition named after Johannes Brahms in Wernigerode, Germany

1998 – International Choir Competition in Montreux, Switzerland

1996 – International Choir Competition in Lindenholzhausen, Germany

1995 – 24th International Choir Competition in Tours, France

1993 – 5th International Choir Competition in Meinhausen, Germany

 

 


 

Alexander Vatsek (*1955)


Choirmaster, Сonductor, Vocal Teacher, Adjudicator, Workshop Leader and Arranger

Founder: 1986 – “OREYA” Zhytomyr Municipal Folk Choir Cappella

1996 – “GAUDEAMUS” University Brno choir

Won:

Grand Prix – 10 times : 9 timeswith ‘’Oreya’’: 1993 in Meinhausen,                   

 1995 in Tours, 1996 in Lindenholzhausen, 1998 in Montreux, 1999 in Wernigerode, 2007 in Kyiv, 2008 in  Maribor;  2011 in Tolosa; 2014 in Arezzo.                                          

 with “GAUDEAMUS” choir 1x IFAS Pardubice (2002)

First places: - 44,  40 with “Oreya” and 4 with “GAUDEAMUS”

Jury member:II, III and IV World Choir Games, which were held in Pusan (South Korea, 2002),Bremen (Germany, 2004), Xiamen (China, 2006), and also on prestigious international choral competitions in Tolosa (Spain), and Marktoberdorf and Wernigerode (Germany), Riva del Garda (Italy),Artek (Ukraine),Bergen(Norway),Tallinn(Estonia)


Symphonic projects:France, Germany, Rumania, Ukraine, Czech Republic


Workshops:Canada, Italy, Germany, Latvia, Czech Republic, France, Ukraine, Spain, Moldova

In 2006 the president of 35th International Choral Competition in Tours (France) Christian Balandras has published for the Ministry of Culture of France the analysis of 50 choral competitions for the period 1995-2005, in which he acknowledges  Alexander Vatsek, as one of the 20 best choral conductors in the world.

Titles:

1990 - honorable member of culture of Ukraine

1994 - honorable member of art of Ukraine

1996 - awarded by the State Award named after I. Ohienko

2008 - awarded by “Order of Merit” III degree

2009 - awarded by the Academic Council of the National Tchaikovsky Music Academy the Order" For Outstanding Achievement in Music "

2009 - the honorable professor of  Zhytomyr State Universityof Culture and Art.

The founder, artistic director and main conductor of the choir “Oreya”.

Adviser of the Music Comission Europa Cantat, Intercultur, IFCM.

 

 Prominent Events and Awards in the history of “Oreya”

2016 - In June Oreya was invited to take part in the performance of an outstanding choral symphony

           by S. Rachmaninov "The Bells", which took place in Tel Aviv Participants: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,

Soloists: 
             Viktoria Yastrebova, soprano 
             Sergey Semishkur, tenor 
             Alexander Vinogradov, bass 
             The Gary Bertini Israeli Choir Conductor: Vasily Petrenko

2015 – As the winner of the 62th International Polyphonic Contest “Guido d’Arezzo” in Arezzo,

Italy(2014) , “Oreya” was the finalist at European Grand- Prix in Tours, (France) in May 2015.

2015 – in May “Oreya” took part in 14th International Chamber Choirs Contest in Marktoberdorf, Germany.

             Participants: South Korea, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, Latvia, USA.

          - third place in the category “Mixed Choirs “ 

          - prize of the audience 

          - special prize for the best performance of sacred music

2014 - 62 International Polyphonic Competition "Guido d'Arezzo" in Arezzo, Italy

          - Historical period C - from 1800-to 1920 - 1 prize

          - Historical period D - from 1920 - to nowadays - 1 prize

          - Section  8- Festival of Choral Folk Music - 1 prize

          - Section 2- Mixed Choirs - 1 prize

          - Section 7 - "Arezzo Colours' Prize Festival - 1 prize

          - Grand Prize

2013 - In May “Oreya” took part in the 8th International Festival Choralies in Chateauroux(France) and had a great success in performing the best pieces of classical, folk, ancient and modern music in its own interesting and original way.

2013 - In July “Oreya” was the participant of  2 festivals :

-        the 16th Festival de Musique inVaison La Romaine(France ).

 Participants: the winner of European Grand Prix – Vokalna  Akademija Ljubljana  from Slovenia, conducted by Stojan Kuret,  the winner of Grand Prix in Tours – Harmonia Ensemble (Tokio,  Japan) and others.

“Oreya” had 8 concerts in the Southern part of France, presenting its program with great success.

-        the Festival of prizewinners of international choirs’ competitions in Vaison La Romaine (France), where “Oreya”  was honoured to open the Festival and had a magnificent performance at the presence of the audience of about 6000 people.

2012 - As  the  winner of the 43th   International  Choir contest in  Tolosa (Spain) “Oreya” was the finalist  at  European Grand- Prix in Maribor(Slovenia) in April 2012.

2011- In October “Oreya”  took   part  in  the 43th   International  Choir contest in  Tolosa (Spain).  Participants: Sweden, Germany, Spain, Italy , Russia , USA, China and others.                

     -  first place in the category  “Folklore “ 

     -  first place in the category  “Polyphony “                   

     -  prize of the audience   (the audience gave 99% of their voices for one choir for the first time in the history of the contest)   

     -  Grand- Prix

 2011 -  The Second Dresden Festival The Workshop of the New Music. ”The  New Music Network” is a development  program  of The Federative Republic of  Germany  Cultural  Foundation and  Mr. Bernd Neumann  the  Cultural  Minister of  Sachsen, is a  headmaster  of this organization.

        The  one week  work of the Dresden Chamber  Choir  and  the  Choir  Cappella ”Oreya”  in the choir  workshop  included the premiere  of the choir piece “Quixx” by Hans  Joachim  Hespos , one of the most  famous   modern  composers  of    Germany.

2009– The first music festival in Incheon (South Korea),where “Oreya” was invited as one of the best choirs of the world.
Participants: male quintet "Amarcord" from Germany, a youth choir from Indonesia (conductor Aida Svenson) professional choir and Kansas City and Phoenix (USA)cond. Charles Braffy and 3 professional choirs from Korea.

2009 - project "Kaddish" (3rd Symphony)  by Leonard Bernstein, Aachen (Germany).                                                                                                                   

Participants: Chamber Choir of Tel Aviv and the best German choir 2006 - "Carmina Mundo”, chamber choirs from Tallinn and the Netherlands. Aachen Symphony Orchestra, conductor - Marcus Bosch.

2008- III World Fair of choral singing in Saint Lo (France).                          

Artistic Committee of the "Polifoliya" has invited the choir  “Oreya”(24 singers) as one of the 12 best choirs in the world  along with the Choir Academy of Music, Stockholm (Sweden) "Nordic voices”, chorus master Co Matsushito of Tokyo (Japan), chorus master Denisha Szabo from Debrecen (Hungary).

2008 - 9-th International Choir Competition in Maribor, Slovenia
          - Grand Prix.

2007 - International Choir Festival "Millennium Place, Music for Peace" Valencia, Spain.
- Participation in the project ”Dona nobis pacem”  , composed by

 Ralph Vaugham Williams (1872-1958)                                                                                            

- Participants: University Choir of Sant Yago (Spain), University Choir Valencia (Spain), choir “Studio Vokale “  from Karlsruhe (Germany).

2007 – All-Ukrainian Competition of chamber choirs named after                  B. Lyatoshynskyi Kyiv, Ukraine.

         - Grand Prix

2007 – International Choir Competition “Habaneras” in Spain, Torrevieja
          -The second place in the category “Polyphony”

2006 – 35th Florilege Vocal de Tours, France
         -The first place in the category “Polyphony”
         -Special prize from Ministre de la Culture for the best for the best interpretation of works by F. Poulenc and           Debussy.
         - Jury Prize for best performance and the best pronunciation among foreign choirs.

2005 - International Choir Festival in Legnano, Italy
“Oreya” was invited for the second time as one of 5 best choirs of the world at that time, as their experts estimated.

2004 The 3-rd World Choir Olympics in Bremen (Germany)

“Oreya” was invited as exemplary choir.
- Participation in the project "Choral Fireworks" with 4 mixed choirs and Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra,  “Dohnanyj Orchestra Budafok “, conductor
-  Recital in one of the finest acoustic halls in Europe Die Glocke in Bremen

2003 – 7th International Choir Competition in Maasmechelen, Belgium
- The first prize in the category “The mixed choirs”
- The prize of the public

2003 – 49th International Habanera Choir Competition in Torrevieja, Spain
- The second prize in the category “Polyphony”

 2003 – The 22th international world festival of the Orthodox music in Hajnowka (Poland)

- The second prize

2002 – 4th International Choir Competition in Miltenberg, Germany
- The first prize in the category “Folk”
- The second prize in the category “Classics”
- The prize of the public

2001 - 36th International Festival "Bratislava Cantat”(Poland)

2001 – International Choir Competition in Lindenholzhausen, Germany
- The first prize in the category “The mixed choirs”

2000 - The performance of  “Requiem” D. Verdi in Geneva and Le Sentir Montreux (Switzerland)

 1999 – 31st International Choir Competition in Tolosa, Spain
- The first prize in the category “Folk”
- The second prize in the category “Polyphony”

1999 – International Choir Competition named after Johannes Brahms in Wernigerode, Germany
- The first prize in the category “Mixed choirs”
- The prize of the public
- Grand Prix

1998 - International Choral Competition, Montreux, Switzerland
 - Grand Prix

1998 - International Choral Festival in Bochum (Germany).
- Grand Prix

1998 –the International Choral Festival in Rottenburg (Germany).

1997 –Festival of prizewinners of international choirs’ competitions in Vaison La Romaine (France)

1997 - Festival, Bornemous, UK

1996 –the International Choir Competition in Lindenholtshauzen (Germany).
- The first prize in the category “Mixed Choirs”
 - The second prize in the category “Women’s Choirs”
- The prize for the best performance of the folk music

- Grand Prix

1996 – the international festival in Legnano, Italy

“Oreya” was invited as one of 5 best choirs of the world.

1995 –the Festival in Bochum (Germany).

The press called “Oreya”  “the choir of the  European extra-class”.

1995 – 24th International Choir Competition in Tours, France
- The first prize in the category “Mixed choirs”
- The first prize in the category “Women’s choirs”
- The prize for the best interpretation of the French music
- The prize of the public

- Grand Prix

1995 – 2nd International Choir Contest in Zwickau, Germany
- The golden diploma in the category “Mixed choirs”
- The golden diploma in the category “Women`s choirs”
- The prize for the best interpretation of the music of the XX century

1995 – 31st International Contest in Montreux, Switzerland
- The diploma with the “Excellent” mark in the category “The mixed choirs”

1993 - 5th International Choir Competition in Maynhauzen, Germany
- The first place in the category “Classics”
- The first place in the category “The mixed Choirs”
- Grand Prix

1993 – 3rd International Choir Contest of chamber choirs in Marktorberdorf, Germany
- The first place in the category “Women’s choirs”

1992 - The 24th International Choir Competition in Tolosa (Spain).
- The second prize in the category “Women’s Choirs”
- The third prize for the folk music.

1991 - 21th International Choral Competition named after G. Dmitrov in Varna, Bulgaria
 - 1st place in category "Mixed Choirs"
 - 1st place for best performance of the Bulgarian music
 - Alexander Vatsek has got the special prize as the best conductor of the competition.

1990 - 14th International Choral Competition named after Bela Bartok in Debrecen, Hungary

 - Prize for best performance of folk music

1989 - 1st Ukrainian Choir Competition named after M. Leontovich, Kyiv, Ukraine
 - 1st place in category "Mixed Choirs"

 

Contacts:

Alexander Vatsek
Conductor / Artistic Director

  +38 097 889 59 91

+38 093 580 4845

+38 0412 43 84 58 – secretary

E-mail:alexander@vatsek.com

 

 

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