AURUM
Founder and conductress: Elena Rosso
Founded in 2012, it is the women’s choir of the #ProyectoLDO and is made up of singers from the age of 15, most of whom have been or still are members of the children’s choir “Peques LDO”. Some others already sing in the mixed choir El León de Oro, while the rest share a passion for the world of choral music. Aurum, which was created with the idea of ensuring the continuity of young female voices as a bridge between the children’s and adult choirs, has grown into a choir with its own identity and a leading presence thanks to its innovative projects.
Their primary goal is the pursuit of the highest sound quality, through vocal and aesthetic diversity. In addition, Aurum’s voices also strive to build an emotional connection with the audience, thanks to carefully selected programs designed for each occasion, which rarely leave anyone indifferent.
They made their international debut in the summer of their founding year, 2012. Among their awards are First Prize in Renaissance Music and Second Prize in Folklore at the LX Concorso Polifonico Internazionale Guido d’Arezzo (Italy) in 2012; First Prize in Sacred Music and Third Prize in Equal Voices at the IX Concorso Corale Internazionale Città di Rimini (Italy) in 2015; and two Third Prizes in both Polyphony and Folklore at the 46th Certamen Coral de Tolosa(Basque Country) in 2014. In 2023, they won First Prize at the LIV Sea Shanty Contest of San Vicente de la Barquera, and in 2024, First Prize at the 44th Choral Contest Fira de Tots Sants in Cocentaina, Alicante.
Another defining feature of this group of women, led by Elena Rosso, is their commitment to merging music and stagecraft in a theatrical setting. In 2014, they presented their own original production at the Niemeyer Cultural Center’s theatre, a performance titled «Kodama» that combined music, scenography, lighting, and spatial design. In 2021, they repeated their success at the Teatro Jovellanos.
In 2018, they embarked on a new stage-music adventure with the production “Helladia o los cuerpos de Atalanta”, in collaboration with the dance company Zig Zag Danza, under the direction of Rafael Ruiz. The quality of this work was recognized and honored with 8 Oh! Awards in its 10th edition in 2019.
In April 2024, they made their first collaboration with a symphony orchestra, performing together with Peques LDO in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor alongside the Oviedo Filarmonía, OSPA, and mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, under the baton of maestro Lucas Macías.
AURUM and Elena Rosso, its conductress, achieved a brilliant second place in the 25th Sea Shanty Contest of San Vicente de la Barquera, one of the most prestigious choral competitions in northern Spain and part of the NATIONAL GRAND PRIZE FOR CHORAL SINGING. This second place secures their qualification for the next edition.
FERRUM
Founder and conductor: Marco Antonio García de Paz
The male choir Ferrum was forged as a new addition to the El León de Oro project. Founded at the end of 2019, the initiative was put on hold due to the pandemic. In 2024, this choir of low voices was reborn with the aim of enriching the choral palette of the #ProyectoLDO, while also continuing to nurture its educational mission.
Ferrum seeks to delve into the performance of repertoire written for equal voices, both classical and contemporary, exploring the richness and depth of the lower register.
In its short trajectory, it has already achieved a 2nd Prize, awarded in 2024 at the Certamen de la Canción Marinera de San Vicente de la Barquera.
In April of this year, it was awarded First Prize at the 51st Choral Contest of Ejea, one of the most established choral events in Spain, as well as the audience-voted ‘David Tellechea’ Popular Prize. As the first-prize winner in the adult category, the choir secured a place at the 2026 National Grand Prize for Choral Singing, which will be held in Cocentaina (Alicante).