Cantica Collegium musicum Martin

It was founded in February 1991. In 1994 Štefan Sedlický took over the artistic direction and conducting. The choir successfully represents the city of Martin and Slovakia at home and abroad.

In 1997-1998 it gave a series of concerts in Germany and Austria. In April 2002 it performed in Hoogeveen (the Netherlands) also in front of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In October 2005, during a tour back to the Netherlands, he gave a series of extremely successful concerts. In 2007, in addition to a number of performances at home, the choir was especially invited to Rome and the Vatican, where it gave concerts in St. Peter’s Basilica and at the audience of Pope Benedict XVI.

The beginning of 2009 was marked by concerts of Missa assumpta est Maria by Marc Antoine Charpentier – in collaboration with the Trnava Chamber Orchestra (TKO).

In cooperation with the Žilina State Chamber Orchestra and other orchestras (TKO, Camerata Novisoliensis, Solamente naturali…), the choir staged a number of major vocal-instrumental works, e.g. Mass in D major (Antonín Dvořák), Requiem (W. A.Mozart), Missa assumpta est Maria (M.A.Charpentier), Easter Oratorio (J.S.Bach), Messiah (G.F.Händel), Missa Sancti Cyrilli et Methodii (M.Haydn), Coronation Mass (W.A.Mozart), Te Deum (A.Dvořák) and others.

The Cantici's notable achievements include prizes won at international competitions:

2001 – second place at the international competition of chamber choirs in Jihlava
2008 – the main prize at the International Choral Music Festival Romanticism in Vlachovo Březí (Czech Republic);
2010 – gold medal at the World Festival Grand Prix Pattaya in Thailand
2012 – three top prizes at the World Festival Praga Cantat in Prague
June 2013 – participation in the XII Polish Sea Songs festival of the Visegrad countries in the Polish town of Wejherowo on the Baltic Sea
September 2013 – 2nd place at the Liviu Borlan Competition Festival in Baia Mare, Romania
June 2014 – participation in the Cantate Adriatica World Festival in San Marino
August 2015 – successful representation in Bace Petrovac, Serbia
September 2016 – two gold bands at the Canco World Festival Mediterrania in Lloret de Mar and Barcelona
August 2017 – successful participation in the Paris Music Choir Festival
July 2018 – gold medal at the World Choir Games in South Africa Tshwane in the sacred music a capella category
August 2019 – two gold medals and inclusion in the TOP LEVEL category at 4th European Choir Games in Gothenburg, Sweden
October 2022 – 1st place in the chamber mixed choir category at the world competition festival in Magdeburg, Germany
April 2023 – Grand Prix Main Prize at the World Competition – Vietnam Hoi An
September 2023 – Gold and Silver at the World Competition in Perugia, Italy
April 2024 – two gold awards at the World Competition in Bad Ischl, Austria
July 2024 – gold and silver medals at the World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand
May 2025 – gold and silver at the world competition in the English city of Hull
September 2025 – a unique concert tour of Iceland

Cantica has released four profile CDs to date (1998, 2002, 2011, 2016) and in 2011 participated in the sound recording of choral compositions by the master Jan Cikker on the anniversary of his birth (1911).

She has performed at various events in 19 countries around the world.

Štefan Sedlický (*1963)

He studied piano at the Conservatory in Žilina and the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (prof. M. Starosta) and later also choral conducting, which he completed with prof. P. Hradil.

In the years 1998–2008 he taught at the Faculty of Music – University of Bratislava and conducted the Academic Choir of J. Cikker, with whom he achieved significant awards (abs. winner of ABB – 2001 and 2007, 1st prize at IFAS Pardubice and others).

He currently works as a professor of choral conducting at the FMU AU in Banská Bystrica. Since 2008 Since 1989 he has been conducting the Žilina Mixed Choir (1st prize in Spitall an der Drau, Grand Prix Praga Cantat, Grand Prix in Bialsko Biala)

He is also the conductor of the Cantica Collegium musicum choir in Martin (since 1994), with which he has successfully represented Slovakia abroad: Gold medal from the 2018 World Olympics – Tshwane (South Africa), 2x 1st Prize at Praga cantat, Gold medal (“top level”) at the European Olympics in Goteborg, Sweden (2019), Absolute winner, Grand Prix in Hoi An, Vietnam (2023), gold from the 2024 World Choir Olympics in Auckland, New Zealand, and others.

In 2002, he took over from his professor P. Hradil as conductor of the Slovak Teachers’ Choir. He has also won top awards with this ensemble (Gold medal from the World Choir Olympics in Riga, Grand Prix at Slovakia Cantat – 2019, 3x gold band at Praga Cantat 2024 and others).

Since 2009, he has been conducting the Mixed Choir Canzona Neosolium at the FMU AU in Banská Bystrica (1st Prize at Praga Cantat 2019). He also collaborates with the choir at the Conservatory in Žilina (Grand Prix – Moscow 2017). He has recorded several CDs with his choirs.

He is a three-time winner of the award for the best conducting performance in international competitions (Prague – 2000, Moscow – 2017, Bratislava – 2019) As a choirmaster and conductor, he regularly collaborates with the State Chamber Orchestra in Žilina and the Trnava Chamber Orchestra in performing large vocal-instrumental works and premieres such compositions by leading Slovak composers (Iršai, Krška, Špilák, Filas, Bernáth, Spusta and others).

He also collaborated with the Slovak Philharmonic Choir at the concerts “Dvořák’s Prague” He regularly works as a lecturer at trainings, courses for choirmasters, as a juror at competitions at home and abroad, but also as an artistic director and professional guarantor at choir festivals and competitions (Voce Magna Žilina, Akademická Banská Bystrica, International Festival in Levice).

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