Grażyna Brodzińska (Poland)
Chair of the Panel of Judges, Honorary Guest of the “Vistula Sounds” Festival.

The First Lady of the Polish Music Scene, known and admired by tens of thousands of fans across the world. With perfection in every move and gesture, Grażyna Brodzińska amazes spectators with her voice, elegance and temperament. Offering listeners the highest levels of vocal performance, Brodzińska’s repertoire covers classical pieces, musical gems, as well as world hits in a variety of musical genres. She could be seen and heard in many leading roles in operettas, musicals and musical comedies, including as Hanna Glawari in “The Merry Widow” by F. Lehar, Sylvia Varescu in “The Riviera Girl” by E. Kálmán, Countess Zedlau in the “Viennese Spirit” and Annina in “A Night in Venice”, both by J. Strauss, and La Périchole in “La Périchole” by J. Offenbach. She also played and sang the parts of Dolly Galagher Levi in “Hello Dolly” by J. Herman, Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” by F. Loewe, and Dorothy Brock in the “42nd Street” by H. Warren. At the Kammeroper in Vienna Grażyna Brodzińska sang the part of Eurydice in “Orpheus in the Underworld” by J. Offenbach, and the part of Zerlina in Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni”. She was also guest performing the part of Adela in “The Flittermouse” by J. Strauss and the part of Kasia in M. Kamieński’s opera “Poverty Made Happy”. With her Adela pieces from “The Flittermouse” Grażyna Brodzińska completed a tour of Germany, amazing listeners across many musical scenes of the country. She was a soloist of the Szczecin Musical Theatre, the Warsaw, and the Gliwice Musical Theatre. Her performances are frequently accompanied by leading philharmonic and opera orchestras of the world. She has given multiple performances at home and abroad, including in the USA, Canada, France, Austria, England, Italy, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, and Australia. She is the main star of dedicated multimedia performances, including the “Musical Alley of Stars”, “The Best of Broadway”, “Do Not Forget Me”, “Magical Hollywood”, and “Sing and Dance”. She performed on multiple occasions at the Jan Kiepura European Festival in Krynica. Grażyna Brodzińska produced many television and radio recordings, and was frequently presented with prestigious awards for her stage accomplishments.

Jarosław Wasik (Poland)
Vice Chair of the Panel of Judges

Vocalist, cultural studies expert, lyricist, songwriter. Jarosław is a well-known performer in Poland and abroad. He is one of the winners of the “Debiuty” (“Debuts”) concert of the Polish Song Contest “Opole '94”, Student Song Contest in Krakow, Olsztyn Castle “Śpiewajmy Poezję” (“Let’s Sing Poetry”) Vocal Reunions, and many other festivals. Jarosław is a two-time recipient of the “The Lyre of Orpheus” – the grand prize of the central qualifiers for the national recitation contest in the “Sung Poetry” category. Jarosław has released 4 records: “Nastroje” (“Moods”), “Zielony z niebieskim” (“Green and Blue”), “Fabryka nastrojów” (“The Mood Factory”) and “Nie dotykaj” (“Do Not Touch”). Since 2000 Jarosław Wasik has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Student Song Contest in Krakow, and since 2017 – a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Song Contest in Opole. He has also been the managing director of the Polish Song Museum in Opole since 2013. Jarosław Wasik has served as judge at numerous vocal contests and festivals worldwide.

Joanna Zagdańska (Poland)

Vocalist, musician, educator, PhD, college tutor. Joanna has been performing extensively at home and abroad, accompanied by, among others, the Poznan Radio Orchestra conducted by Z. Górny, Alex Band conducted by A. Maliszewski, Big Warsaw Band conducted by S. Fiałkowski, Kukla Band conducted by Z. Kukla, singing jazz, musical, and original repertoire written specifically for her by outstanding Polish writers (including A. Żółkoś, J. Wołek, J. Holm, M. Skolarski, J. Bukowski, A. Mogielnicki, and others). Ms Zagdańska has won a variety of prestigious awards at international signing competitions (including in Slovakia, Turkey, and Bulgaria), where she represented Poland. She also won numerous awards at many Polish festivals and competitions, including the Sopot International Song Festival and the Polish Song Contest in Opole. Since 2003 Ms Zagdańska has been teaching at the F. Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, and in 2006 she started collaborating with the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz. She is actively performing, provides vocal coaching at courses, workshops, serves as a judge, and actively participates in various vocal projects, including her solo record “Joanna Zagdańska. Wybrane utwory (Selected Songs) – Adam Żółkoś, Dave Brubeck”, released in 2018. Her students and alumnae of the jazz singing class have won awards at international and national vocal competitions, are winners and runners-up in TV shows such as “The Voice of Poland” on TVP, “The Four” on TV Polsat, and grantees of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Anna Poghosyan (Armenia)

Soprano, classical vocal tutor, vocalist. Over 2001-2005 Ms Poghosyan served as a teaching assistant at the Vocal Department of the Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia, and since 2005 she has been working as a singing tutor at the same department. In 2017 Ms Poghosyan was nominated associate professor of the Komitas Conservatory. She is also a soloist of the Armenian National Philharmonic, as well as a member of the Armenian Social Council for Culture. Ms Poghosyan has won several international festivals and vocal competitions, including 1st prize and gold medal at the International Competition in Italy, as well as a Grand Prix at the Competition in Spain. She has worked as a soloist with various Armenian orchestras and choirs, led by outstanding conductors (e.g. S. Yerkanyan, H. Cheqijyan, Z. Vardanyan, and others). In addition to her work as a vocal tutor, she has been developing her singing career at home and abroad though live performances and concerts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Bulgaria, Iran, China, and others. Students taught by Ms Poghosyan have won international singing competitions, and the artist sits on judging panels of many international vocal contests.

Rumiana Kotseva (Bulgaria)

Renowned Bulgarian jazz and pop singer, vocal teacher, lyricist, producer, manager of the “Bulgarian Evergreens” project and director of the “Evergreen Fest Sofia” festival. She has performed on stage for more than 40 years, and since 1985 has recorded numerous original songs for the Bulgarian National Radio and the state-owned label “Balkanton”. She has also appeared in a number of music programmes broadcast on Bulgarian, Czechoslovak and German television. With her own band and ballet troupe, she toured extensively throughout the former USSR, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany and her home country Bulgaria, giving more than 3,000 live concerts. She has performed at major music festivals, including “Burgas and the Sea” (1987), Sopot (Poland, 1987), Rostock (Germany, 1989) and “Golden Orpheus” (Bulgaria, 1992). She has released seven albums with original songs, including “Waterfall” (1987), “A Million Moments” (1990), “Selected Songs” (1995), “Song Out of Tear” (1997), “The Christmas Album”, “Mystic” (2007) and “World, I Hug You With a Song” (2013). Many of her songs reached the top of the Bulgarian music charts. Since 1999, Rumiana has run her own record label and music publishing company, “Studio Artes”, producing concerts and phonographic projects. Since 2007, she has been the director of the Music School at “Dr. Petar Beron 1926” High School, where she teaches pop and jazz singing. Her students have won numerous national and international competitions, and she has served as a jury member at vocal festivals in Bulgaria and abroad.

Piotr Salaber (Poland)

Polish composer, conductor and pianist, specializing in theatre, film and television music. He graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, where he later obtained a doctorate in musical arts and completed his habilitation in conducting. In 2013, he was appointed professor at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, and on July 27, 2021, he was awarded the title of Professor of Musical Arts by presidential decree. Since 2010, he has been teaching at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, serving as Dean of the Faculty of Conducting, Church Music, Jazz and Music Education from 2020 to 2024. He has also lectured on film music at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and was a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (2016). Since 2024, he has been a member of the Artistic Council of the Pomeranian Philharmonic. Piotr Salaber has composed music for over 130 theatre premieres, including <i>The Karamazov Brothers</i>, <i>Macbeth</i>, <i>Measure for Measure</i>, <i>Tartuffe</i>, <i>The Tempest</i> and <i>Operetta</i>, as well as feature films (<i>Corrupted</i>, <i>Women Without Shame</i>) and television programmes (<i>Na Każdy Temat</i>, <i>JOKER</i>, <i>Pirates</i>). His work combines classical, ethnic and electronic instrumentation, emphasizing spatial sound and narrative depth. Among his honours are the Bronze Medal “Gloria Artis” for Merit to Culture, the Amadeus Prize of Polish Radio Theatre and the Grand Prix of the International Gombrowicz Festival for <i>Operetta</i>. He has also received distinctions such as the “Bydgoszcz Citizen of the Year” title, the Honorary Pearl of the Polish Market in Culture, the Medal of the Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Medal of the President of Bydgoszcz on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his artistic career.

Claire McCartin (Malta)

Vocalist, Voice Trainer, Choir Conductor, Public Speaking Coach.
Claire is a well-known vocalist with a distinctive blues voice and over the years, has held performances in various countries, namely the USA, Russia and Austria. From 2000-2016, Claire was a member and soloist of the famous 200-strong Maltese choir Voices and was also a 2010 Malta Eurovision finalist.
In 2007, Claire joined the critically acclaimed Speech Level Singing (SLS) organisation and worked as a certified SLS instructor for several years. She completed a two-year course with the renowned Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA and currently forms part of Modern Vocal Training (MVT) and the Institute for Vocal Advancement (IVA). She is also a Manual Laryngeal Therapist, certified by the Voice Care Centre, UK, and a Public Speaking Coach, certified by the Voice Study Centre, UK.
She is the Maltese international distributor for the UK examination board Rockschool (RSL Awards), and in 2022, was part of the vocal coaching team on the first-ever edition of The Voice Kids Malta. She is the resident vocal coach of the production company Arthaus MT, with whom she worked on various musical theatre productions since 2009, such as The Addams Family and Chicago. She also regularly collaborates with Scrolls Productions as choir conductor for their biennial event Rockwired.
She currently works from her personal vocal studio mentoring several established and upcoming artists. Her clients include the winners of the Maltese Konkors Kanzunetta Indipendenza festival in 2018 and 2021, the winner of the Maltese Ghanja tal-Poplu festival in 2019, the San Marino representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in Portugal 2018, and the Maltese representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Poland 2020.

Anna Jurksztowicz (Poland)

Anna Jurksztowicz is a famous singer, music producer and song writer in her native Poland. Her first solo performance in 1985 at the Opole Festival led to her winning of the First Prize and open doors for her career. Anna Jurksztowicz has represented Poland at festivals and song contests in Poland, Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Curacao and India. Her voice can be heard on numerous soundtracks for motion pictures, including W pustyni i w puszczy [In Desert and Wilderness], Kingsajz [King Size], and Polish language versions of the Walt Disney productions of Happy Pooh Year, The Piglet Movie and The Hefalump Movie. She has also recorded for TV primetime series like: Na dobre i na złe (For Better or Worse), Ranczo (The Ranch), Czułość i kłamstwa [Tenderness and Lies], Matki, żony i kochanki [Mothers, Wives and Lovers] and many others. She has recorded 10 albums and has over 120 songs on Spotify and other streaming services. Anna Jurksztowicz is also well-known for her special concerts of music for children. Many of her songs in this area of repertoire have become great and enduring hits for the successive generations of young listeners. In the Spring of 2022 she took part in one of the biggest TV shows: “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and sang songs by Andrea Bocelli, Ed Sheerin, Bette Midler, Mick Jagger, Dalida, Eric Clapton and others. This showed her versatility in both her singing and acting. Anna’s latest project is a live version of her biggest hits from 80’s. Her outstanding songs: Hej man!, Diamentowy kolczyk or Stan Pogody are well known almost by everybody in her homeland. Recently she also released some contemplative music. Drawing on various spiritual traditions, she incorporated texts by famous poets such as Federico García Lorca, Czesław Miłosz or Wisława Szymborska into her own arrangements of spirituals, canticles, and mantras. Anna Jurksztowicz is also a well-known music publisher and owner of Si Music, a publishing company with a sizable catalogue of scores and recordings.

Joaquín Caetano (Portugal)

Joaquín Caetano was a professional singer and songwriter until 2007, and since 2003 he has worked as a music education teacher, personal vocal trainer, vocal coach, vocal technique teacher, mentor and singing instructor. In 2014 Joaquín received the certification of the Laura Neira singing method – an avant-garde voice production and control methodology; in addition, he has studied other areas of contemporary singing science, including the Estill Voice Training, the Eugen Rabine method, the Serge Wilfart method, and others. In 2018, Joaquín was a contributor to the latest book on the Neira method, “Por el placer de cantar” (For the Pleasure of Singing), published in Spanish and Italian. He currently works as a freelancer and service provider in record companies, offering vocal assistance to Portuguese artists.
In 2005 Joaquín founded the “Projecto Pauta Musical” singing school where he acts as the director and teacher, with the goal of coaching young artists to use their voices according to their musical styles and preserve an excellent quality of vocal production over decades so they can shine on stage. Through the many collaborations with entertainment agencies Joaquín is able to bring his students closer to the show business. This project has brought the school and the performers multiple awards, both in national and international festivals, and television programs. Since 2008 Joaquín has been the artistic director of the “Chuva de Estrelas D'Ouro” (Raining Gold Stars) international festival and competition for singers aged 16 and over, accompanied by a professional band and the Douro River – a UNESCO world heritage site. Joaquin Caetano published his own manual on vocal technique entitled "Manual de canto".

Jelena Loreina Švilpe (Latvia)

Composer, arranger, producer, vocal teacher, musicologist. Head of the board of the "European Center of Music for Youth", president of the International Festival "Riga Symphony" in Riga (Latvia); General Director of the Vocal Art School “Pumpuriņi”; General Director of the Action Art section at the UNESCO Latvia, manager of exchange program "Passport to Hollywood" in Los Angeles, and the "Baltic Transit" in Jurmala (Latvia). Jelena Švilpe has composed more than 700 songs, including song cycle - "Padejosim - Padziedāsim!"; "I want to go to school with you!", "Buds at Christmas" and "Latgale oratory";The latter served as the basis for a musical in cooperation with the Latvian National Television.

Ms. Švilpe continues to be an active participants of many international projects, and is also actively engaged in organizing cultural activities in Latvia and abroad. She is a member and the Latvian representative of various international organizations promoting culture. In addition, she gives master classes in music, production and composition, in Latvia and abroad. She is also a co-organizer and co-creator of numerous television projects in Latvia. Head judge of numerous international vocal competitions abroad.
In 2002 Ms. Švilpe received the "Copyright Infinity Award 2002" for "Latgale Oratorio", in the Best Latvian Children's Composer category, and for her great contributions to Latvian culture. In 2002, she was recognized as the Daugavpils City Person of the Year for her great contribution to the cultural development of the city. For her contribution to culture in Latvia and abroad, Ms. Švilpe has been awarded various medals, diplomas, awards and certificates.

Elena Kolomiytseva (Estonia)

Singer, orchestra soloist, musical artist, top-class vocal teacher, specialist in vocal hygiene and protection. Graduated with honours from the Gnessin Music Academy under the supervision of Professor Vivea Gromova (the only student of the famous Polish opera singer, Ewa Bandrowska-Turska). In Estonia, Elena has earned the name of the “gorgeous soprano”.Elena maintains an active vocal career, working with orchestras, groups, and soloists. She gives solo concerts of classical music, ancient music, romances, and pop music of the last century. She also works as a producer, organizer of concerts and events, director of musicals; she founded and manages of her own vocal studio, and can boast teaching experience of over 20 years. Authored multiple articles, and published two methodological manuals. Winner of international vocal and educational competitions in Italy, Austria, and Ukraine. Recipient of numerous awards: for cultural contribution to the development of Narva (2015-2023), a commemorative medal for the cultural contribution on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia awarded by the Ministry of Education of Estonia (2022-2023), as the most active citizen in Estonia in the field of culture (2019), from the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation (2019, 2020, 2022), from the Elena Obraztsova Foundation, and many others. Elena Kolomiytseva is a jury member at numerous vocal competitions and festivals in Estonia and abroad.

Marcin Wortmann (Poland)

Laura Neira (Argentina)

Teacher of stage and classical singing, actress, theatre director and speech therapist, creator of the innovative and revolutionary Neira Singing Method. This therapeutic and educational method is used to treat vocal pathologies in speech and singing and has been recognized by the Spanish and Italian Ministries of Health. Since 1998, she has held the position of Director of the Laura Neira International Voice Center and has been a member of international research teams focused on scientific approaches to the voice. A full professor at the National University of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires (Argentina), she is also a guest lecturer at universities and music conservatories in Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico, the USA, Italy and Spain. She has authored numerous scientific publications in Spanish, English and Italian. As a vocal coach and instructor, she has led numerous master classes in Spain, Italy, Argentina and Portugal. She also collaborates with musical theatre and opera artists, providing vocal consultations and training, and serves as a jury member at prestigious international vocal competitions. Many of her students have won awards at international festivals and singing competitions (including The Voice Spain, The Voice Argentina and Chuva de Estrelas D’Ouro in Portugal) and have achieved international success in classical music and musical theatre, including on Broadway.