Juvenata 2018 – Guest Conductor Zimfira Poloz

Mark your calendars! Juvenata 2018 will take place April 26-29, in Halifax with guest conductor Zimfira Poloz.

Zimfira Poloz is a highly respected conductor, educator and adjudicator with a distinguished international reputation. She has been decorated with numerous awards in her long career, including the Honoured Representative of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Award, the city of Hamilton’s V.I.P. Award, and the Leslie Bell Prize Award for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Art Council . She is invited regularly to serve as clinician for festivals, lead workshops for educators, and jury International Choir Competitions, including the renowned Choir Olympics. Zimfira first established her musical credentials in Kazakhstan, founding the country’s first Choir School. The school provided an outstanding music program that grew to employ 35 music teachers with an enrollment of 450 children. In addition to her duties as Principal of the school, she also served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the school’s Concert Choir, “Koktem”. It was through her strong leadership, vision and musical expertise that “Koktem” attained top international choral status and was a recurring prize-winner in choral competitions and festivals around the world. Immediately upon her arrival to Canada, Zimfira’s boundless energy and her passion for choral music found an outlet, first as a member of the Toronto Children’s Chorus Artistic Staff and later as vocal coach at St. Michael’s Choir School. At present, Zimfira is the Artistic Director for both the Hamilton Children’s Choir and the High Park Choirs of Toronto. She has enjoyed the recognition earned at national and international festivals/competitions with both choirs. As a leader in her field, Zimfira has been awarded the Audience Choice Award & 2nd Place at the Tolosa Choral Competition in Spain (2006), won the CBC Radio National Choral Competition in both the Children’s Category and Best Canadian Performance by a Children/Youth Choir (2008), earned the Cantabile ‘Grand Prize’ Award for best performing choir at the CBC Radio National Choral Gala Competition in Quebec (2008), obtained the Grand Prize Award at the World Choral Singing Competition (2009) and was awarded first place in the Children’s Category at the 2009 “Let the People Sing’ Euroradio Choral Competition in Oslo, Norway. In addition to her global travels as clinician and conductor, Zimfira still continues to teach, lecturing on ‘Vocal Pedagogy for Young Choirs’ at the University of Toronto. She now makes her family home in Toronto, and she continues to work tirelessly with educators and children alike in the pursuit of music excellence.

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