Adjudicators

Mr Leon Tong (Hong Kong)

Mr. Leon Shiu-wai Tong is an internationally renowned treble choral conductor, who devotes himself on promoting choral exchange between Chinese and western chorus. Mr. Tong is frequently invited as conductor and adjudicator in many international choral festivals. He has made a number of circuits and presented workshops over the world. Throughout these thirty years, Mr. Tong engages in school and children music education. Choirs under his conducting achieve remarkable results in various inter-school and international choral competitions.

Mr. Tong had been the Music Director and Principal Conductor of Hong Kong Children's Choir for seventeen years. He is now the Vice-Chairman of the International Ferderation for Choral Music, World Children Choir Commission (IFCM), Vice President of China Association of Children's Choral Music, President of Hong Kong Treble Choir's Association, Music Director and Principal Conductor of Guangzhou Children's Palace Choir, President of Asian Youth Choir Council, Artistic Director of Hong Kong Treble Choir, Artistic Director of Guangdong Province Experimental Secondary School Choir, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the First and Second International Children's Choir Festival, China, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Second World Children Choir Festival, Honorary Artistic Adviser for the Circuit made by Vienna Boys' Choir in 2001, Jury of the Second International Choir Olympics and Fourth Festival and Competition "Isola del Sole" held in Italy in 2001.

Ms Jennifer Tham (Singapore)

Jennifer is best known as the Conductor of the Singapore Youth Choir (now the SYC Ensemble Singers), an ensemble she has led since 1986. Together they have earned local awards and international trophies; and a reputation for refreshing, highly artistic work that explores and redefines the choral music idiom. A composer by training, Jennifer has been active in the education of young choristers and listeners on contemporary choral repertoire. She believes that the student chorister is the future of choral music in Singapore, and through her work in schools, hopes to infuse young singers with her own enthusiasm for music and the expressive medium of voice.

Jennifer was Artistic Director of the Asia South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music (Singapore, 2001) and on the Artistic Committee for the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music (Japan, 2005). She was guest conductor and clinician at the Japan Choral Association Junior Chorus Festival (2004), the 2nd Symposium on Church Choral Music (Indonesia, 2005) and the 1st Karuizawa Choral Festival (Japan, 2005) and will be giving workshops at the International Seminar for Children's and Youth Choir Conductors in Mainz, Germany, next year. She served on the jury of the 8th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdorf (Germany, 2003), and at The Busan APEC Choral Festival & Competition (Korea, 2005).

Jennifer is an inaugural recipient of Young Artist (Music), awarded by the National Arts Council.

Mr Jonathan Velasco (Philippines)

Velasco is one of the most sought after choral conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in the world today. He joined the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers under Prof. Andrea Veneracion in 1981, and became its assistant choirmaster later on. In 1989, he started his studies in Choral Conducting at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule under Martin Behrmann, finishing with distinction. He was a member and assistant conductor of the World Youth Choir, and for its 1996 summer session became the first Asian to be principal conductor.

Velasco conducted the symposium choir at the Asia-South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music in Singapore on August 2001. He was part of the international jury during the 2^nd Choir Olympics 2002 in Busan as well as the 3^rd Choir Olympics 2004 in Bremen, and has been invited to be a member of the jury in several European and Asian choral competitions.He recently gave a lecture on Southeast Asian Choral Music at the World Choral Symposium in Kyoto, Japan. He is a consultant for the Polyfollia festival in France, and is a member of the artistic committee for the 2008 World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Velasco joined the faculty of the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music in 1993, and was appointed Dean of Studies in 1995. He currenty heads the Choral Studies Department. Furthermore, he conducts clinics in Manila as well as in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Velasco currently conducts the Ateneo Chamber Singers, the Miriam College Glee Club and the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music Chorale.

Mr Christo Burger (South Africa)

Christo Burger, born in Kempton Park (Johannesburg, South Africa) studied at the University of Pretoria and obtained degrees in B.Mus, B. Mus (Hons Performing arts) Cum Laude and M.Mus: (Performing arts) majoring in conducting.

His first exposure to choir music was as a chorister in school choirs and in the East Rand Youth Choir and later at the University of Pretoria Camerata under the batons of highly acclaimed proff. Petru Graebe and Johann van der Sandt. Under their batons, he was a assistant conductor which in 2001 won the 38th International choir competition in Spittal an der Drau, Austria. He was also assistant conductor and soloist during the choir's guest performance at the 2002 World Choral Symposium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Christo was the conductor of the University of Pretoria Youth Choir from 2001-2004. In 2004 the choir was the runner up in the Mixed Youth Choir category winning a gold medal at the Third Choir Olympics in Bremen, Germany. Christo is currently the conductor, vocal clinician, choir and orchestral arranger of the Pretoria Boys High Choir and Symphony orchestra. In 2004 the Pretoria Boys' High Choir won their category, with a gold certificate at the annual ATKV National South African choir competition, APPLOUS.

As a clinician, Christo regularly presents choral and vocal workshops in various colleges around South Africa. He is also acclaimed as an adjudicator of international and local competitions and Eisteddfods. In November 2004 he was invited as a guest conductor and adjudicator of the 14th International Festival of Advent and Christmas music competition in Prague, Czech Republic.

In June 2005 Christo attended master classes at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, USA, under the leadership of Judith Clurman (Director of choral activities, Juilliard school), Jameson Marvin (Director of choral activities, Harvard University), Ann Howard Jones (Director of choral activities, Boston University), Thomas Cabaniss (composer and animateur for the Philadelphia Orchestra) and the composer Eric Whitacre (Los Angeles).

Mr Meng Da Peng (China)

Mr Meng Dapeng, People's Rebublic of China Grade 1 Conductor, graduated with outstanding results from Beijing Teacher's University, Music Faculty in 1983 under the tutelage of renowned Conductor Mr Nie Zhong Ming. Currently the Artistic Director and resident conductor of Central Radio Youth Choir, he's also a member of the IFCM conductors' committee and counsel member of the China's Children Music Committee.

Meng have successfully toured Asia and Europe with his choirs and was invited as representative of China's conductors in many international choral event introducing the choral scene, development and choral music of China. He was also on the organising committee of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd National Children Choir Festival.

Meng have also adjudicated in the 2002 Beijing International Choral Festival, 2004 International Choral Competition held in Sweden and 2005 National Youth Singer Competition held in China. He was one of the invited Conductor in the recent World Children Choir Festival, 2005 held in Hong Kong. The festival title Songbridge is co-presented by the International Federation for Choral Music.