The Puellae Orantes Girls’ Cathedral Choir, pictured celebrating its 20th anniversary. Photo: Patkaaaxd [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]via Wikimedia Commons
The choir earned top honours in three categories: youth choirs (under 25), sacred music, and folk music.
It was also among the finalists for the Grand Prix award, which ultimately went to the Gita Maizan Choir from Indonesia.
Established in 1985 at the Tarnów Cathedral, the Puellae Orantes has been led by its founder and conductor, the Rev. Władysław Pachota, with soprano Aleksandra Topor serving as its artistic director.
The ensemble includes girls aged 10 to 19 from Tarnów and surrounding areas. Over the years, the choir has performed across Europe, as well as in Japan and the United States, earning accolades at more than 20 international choral competitions.
Career highlights include concerts with the Amadeus Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra and the Vienna Soloists, in addition to joint performances with the Canadian Brass quintet and The King’s Singers during the British group's 2015 Polish tour.
The Puellae Orantes has recorded nine CDs. One earned the Polish recording industry's Fryderyk Award and three others were nominated for the honour.
(mk/gs)