Kinderchor «Leioa Kantika Korala», Spain
Leioa Kantika Korala was founded in 2000 on the initiative of its conductor, Basilio Astúlez of the Municipal Conservatory. Composed of 50 girls and boys aged between 11 and 20, its primary objective is to foster a love of choral singing and an appreciation of music across a wide range of styles and genres. It therefore performs regularly at events and festivals not just in the Basque Country but throughout Spain. Its can-do approach, meticulous stagings and commissioning and premiering of new works for children’s choirs by composers from all over the world have made the choir a benchmark on the international choir scene. It has also won awards at prestigious international competitions such as Tolosa, Arezzo and Neerpelt, and given concert tours in countries as diverse as Iceland, Mexico, and South Korea. Leioa Kantika Korala is often invited to take part in orchestral and operatic projects and was twice selected to be guest choir at the World Symposium on Choral Music.