Jurists
María Guinand (Venezuela)
María Guinand is a choral conductor, university professor and leader of many choral projects both nationally and internationally. She has specialized in Latin-American Choral Music of the 20th and 21st centuries and has won many awards including the 'Kulturpreis' of the InterNationes Foundation in 1998, the Robert Edler Preis für Chormusik in 2000, the Helmuth Rilling Preis in 2009, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Federation for Choral Music in 2019.
Ms. Guinand is the Artistic Director of the Schola Cantorum of Venezuela Foundation, and founded the 'Academia Bach de Venezuela' in close relationship with the International Bachakademie Stuttgart and the 'Academia Nacional de Canto Gregoriano.' She served for 12 years as Latin American Vice-President of the IFCM and she is currently Advisor to the Board. For over 30 years Ms. Guinand has served as the Associate Conductor and Advisor of Choral Symphonic Performances and Activities of 'El Sistema.' She teaches in the Masters Degree Program for Choral Conductors at the Universidad Simón Bolívar.
In recent years she has conducted concerts at the Sydney Opera House, the Barbican (London), Casa de Musica (Porto), Royal Carre Theater (Amsterdam) Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Lincoln Center (New York/White Light Festival), Liederhalle (Stuttgart/Europeanmusikfest), and Hult Center (Oregon Bach Festival), among others.