Canadian «Grammy» for Michael Zaugg
The Axios Men's Ensemble, together with the Pro Coro Canada and its conductor Michael Zaugg from Fricktal, received a Juno Award for their recording of Benedict Sheehan's «Ukrainian War Requiem».
The Juno Award 2026 for the best classical album in the «Large Ensemble» category went to the recording by the Ukrainian War Requiems by Benedict Sheehan. The Swiss conductor Michael Zaugg conducted for this recording the Axios Men's Ensemble and the tenors and basses of the Pro Coro Canada. Benedict Sheehan is a multi-award-winning composer. He is one of the leading voices of religious classical music in the 21st century.
According to a press release, the requiem combines old Ukrainian prayers, Latin texts and Jewish melodies to create a haunting confession. The recording was released on February 21, 2025, the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, on the Cappella Records/Naxos label.
Michael Zaugg studied choral conducting and school music in Basel. He worked as a conductor in north-western Switzerland for several years, including as assistant to Thüring Bräm in the Regiochor. He was the first Swiss to be accepted into the postgraduate program for professional choral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. Zaugg emigrated to Canada in 2004. Since 2012, he has been Managing & Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Pro Coro Canada in Edmonton, one of Canada's leading professional chamber choirs.
