Europa Cantat Utrecht
The Europa Cantat Utrecht Foundation is the official body behind Leading Voices 2022. The board consists of an international group of professionals, who are connected to founding partners the European Choral Association and ZIMIHC.
Europa Cantat Utrecht Foundation - Board
Daphne Wassink - chair (NL)
Daphne is a public policy and arts management professional. After working as senior advisor on music at the Raad voor Cultuur, she is currently working for the Conservatorium Amsterdam. She was trained as an electrotechnic engineer and a choir conductor and now occasionally sings in high level project choirs in the Netherlands. She served on the board and artistic committee of several regional, national and international organisations in (choral) music. Since 2006, she has been involved with ECA-EC and its festivals. First as a member of the Youth Committee of ECA-EC and later for 9 years as a board member of ECA-EC. She is the (first) chair of Koornetwerk Nederland (Dutch Choral Association). She has relevant European experience, both on the level of managing and creating content.
Appie Alferink - secretary (NL)
Appie is the founder and director of ZIMIHC. As a cultural entrepreneur, he started supporting Utrecht-based artists in 1989 in setting up their own organisation and presentation venues. Under his leadership, ZIMIHC has developed over the years into an organisation actively engaged in offering artists opportunities to develop and present themselves to the public. Art is part of everyday life, and with this in mind, he is one of the founders of the “culturele trapveldjes” which are cultural meeting places in Utrecht’s city districts. ZIMIHC theater Stefanus, ZIMIHC theater Zuilen and ZIMIHC theater Wittevrouwen are examples of the cultural meeting places developed by ZIMIHC. Appie is member of the board of the Participatiefederatie, one of the driving forces behind PACT Utrecht and advisor to the Youth Sport and Culture Fund Utrecht foundation. To put his actions where his heart is, Appie is also still active as an artist in the band that stood at the cradle of the current organisation: ZIMIHC (Zat Ik Maar In Hoog Catharijne). In its original line-up, this band can still be seen on Dutch stages.
Simon Gribling - treasurer (NL)
Simon retired from work at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in 2020. From 2006 till 2017 he was general manager of the Faculty of Sports and Nutrition. Before that he was manager of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation and of the Centre for Art and Culture in Zoetermeer (CKC). He has a master degree in Mathematics and a bachelor degree in Dramatic Arts. He likes the combination of both competences and is always eager to be of any use both in cultural and in sports environments. He served on the board of ZIMIHC for 11 years and on the board of Europa Cantat Utrecht in the run up and during the EUROPA CANTAT festival in Utrecht in 2009. In his spare time he is an amateur singer, he plays guitar, he likes to walk, play table tennis and chess.
Joop Daalmeijer (NL)
Joop started his career at the Dutch broadcasting station VARA. In 1985, he switched to the Veronica Omroep Organisatie and became its director in 1990. Subsequently, Daalmeijer worked for FilmNet, RTL Nederland and Canal+, among others. In 1998, he became network co-ordinator at the Dutch Public Broadcasting Company. In 2005, he transferred to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, where he became editor-in-chief and programme leader of the television channel BVN. He was director of the Dutch Programme Foundation and then appointed acting general manager of the NTR, after which he retired in 2011. Joop is a board member of the Commission Cultural Treaty Flanders-Netherlands and a member of the supervisory board of Free Press Unlimited. From 2006 to 2008, Daalmeijer served as chairman of the Netherlands Association of Journalists. From 2011 to 2016, he was chair of the Council for Culture. Daalmeijer’s current positions include Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the HKU and Media Advisor to the Council for Culture.
Martí Ferrer Bosch (ES)
Marti Ferrer Bosch has been involved in choirs from his childhood. When he was 6 years old he began to sing in the Saba Nova Choir in Girona, some years after becoming conductor of the same choir. He is the conductor of Capella Polifonica de Girona and the choirs and orchestras of the Tarragona’s Conservatory of Music. He co-founded FICTA edicions I produccions, a music publisher house and recording label devoted mostly to choral music. He was the former president of SCIC (Catalan Children’s Choirs Federation) and former member of its musical commission. As a president of SCIC he took part on the Executive Board of the Festival Europa Cantat 2003 in Barcelona. From September 2009 to September 2015 he was president of Moviment Coral Català. He is still a board member of Moviment Coral Català, as well as a board member of the European Choral Association.
Dermot O'Callaghan (IE)
Dermot is CEO of Sing Ireland, the national organisation with a remit for the development of choral practice in Ireland. Sing Ireland is the parent organisation of several Irish youth choir organisations. His career to date has also seen him work with Opera Theatre Company and Chamber Choir Ireland. He has worked as a choral and orchestral conductor, vocal an instrumental tehachter and as a facilitator and holds a B.A. (Music and English), B.Mus and M.A. in Arts Management. Dermot began his music training as a boy chorister of the Palestrina Choir in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral and choral singing remained an important part of his life throughout school and college. He worked as deputy singer in the professional choir, National Chamber Choir of Ireland. Dermot is also vice-president of the board of the European Choral Association.
Loti Piris Niño (ES/BE)
Loti was born in Spain and has lived in Belgium for more than 30 years. Since March 2013, she is a member of the Board of the FCWB A Coeur Joie. In this function, she has contributed to improving the projects and other activities of the federation such as the creation of the National Youth Choir of Belgium, BEvocaL in 2016. Since 2015, Loti is active as a board member of the European Choral Association – an opportunity she has embraced filled with enthusiasm and passion, having the chance to be part of a very dynamic and inspiring team.
Silvija Pročkytė (LT)
Silvija studied piano and musicology at the Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium in Lithuania and holds a Masters degree in conducting from the Vytautas Magnus University. Since 2012 she has been Festival Manager at the Lituania Cantat and works as choirmaster and conductor for several choirs. Since 2016 she is actively involved in the Youth Committee of the European Choral Association. In 2018 she was a programme committee member of the YEMP program (Young Event Management Program).
Tido Visser (NL)
Tido is a son of an opera singer and a harpsichordist. He has dedicated a substantial part of his life to a professional singing career. Since 2013, Tido has been managing director of one of the finest chamber choirs in the world, the Nederlands Kamerkoor (the Netherlands Chamber Choir).
Tido believes true artists need to relate to the world they are living in. Likewise, he believes in organizations that are grounded in society. Tido believes it is possible to combine the highest standard of performance with innovation, and I believe it’s essential to emphasize the urgency of art. Art needs to be perceived as the self-reflection of society. Tido combines his deep knowledge of finances, sponsoring, marketing and production with skills to develop significant artistic projects of the highest standard.
