Ivan Yohan

Ivan Yohan started to have an interest in vocal and choral music since he first attended his study at the Parahyangan Catholic University, where he became a member of the university choir. During his studies in accountancy, he studied voice privately under Catharina W. Leimena, Avip Priatna, Binu D. Soekaman, Rachelle Gerodias and Christopher Abimanyu. As a conductor, he took private lessons from Avip Priatna and attended lessons from Jonathan Velasco. He was chosen as one of the Indonesian delegations for the Asian Youth Choir 2002 in Japan, under the direction of Seiko Hazegawa and Hakwoon Yoon, and again in 2006 and 2007, under the direction of Chifuru Matsubara. He has been chorus master of Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Mascagni’s “Cavaleria Rusticana” and conductor of Parahyangan Catholic University Choir’s production of Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”. As a soloist, he has performed Handel’s “Messiah”, First Sailor in the aforementioned Purcell opera and Sanjaya in the Indonesian opera, “Kali” by Tony Prabowo.

​​After completing his accounting degree, Ivan moved to Holland for his bachelor studies in classical singing. He studied voice at the Utrecht Conservatory with Henny Diemer and took composition lessons from Henk Alkema. He then pursued a master’s degree in choral conducting with Rob Vermeulen at the same conservatory. As part of his studies, Ivan completed a student exchange programme in Lithuania, where he studied choral conducting with Vytautas Miškinis and vocal performance with Algirdas Janutas. In his native Indonesia, Ivan is a conductor and music director for the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir (PCUC). In 2014, he conducted PCUC at the 51st International Choir Competition in Spittal an der Drau, Austria, and led the ensemble achieve the first prize and receive special commendation for best interpretation of a modern piece. In 2016, Ivan founded SWARA, a Brussels-based choral ensemble committed to the promotion and performance of modern a cappella repertoire. Ivan earned the “Special Award for Excellent Conducting Performance” at the “Béla-Bartók 27th International Choir Competition 2016” in Debrecen, Hungary and “Best Conductor Award” at the “Baltic Sea International Choir Competition 2018” in Jurmala, Latvia. Starting from 2017, he works as one of the associate conductors of Le Concert Spirituel with the principal conductor Hervé Niquet in a project of performing the works of a Renaissance composer Orazio Benevolo which has just been rediscovered. He is also appointed as one of the conductors of the Ghent Singers, a newly formed professional vocal ensemble based in Ghent, Belgium. Starting September 2019, he is appointed choir director of Moroccan Philharmonic Choir in Rabat, Morocco.

​Ivan is also an accomplished composer whose choral compositions have been performed in concerts and choir competitions in Asia, Europe and the United States. In May 2011, he won the first prize of “Prix pour une oeuvre de création – Concours international” for his composition “Après un Rêve” at Florilège Vocal de Tours 2011, France. Some of his works have been published by Porfiri & Horváth Publishers (Germany), Earthsongs (United States) and Miela Harmonija (Lithuania/Japan).

Photo by Annette Willacy.