News
Ticket sale starts this Friday!
We’re happy to announce: ticket sale starts this Friday, 11 June!
Yes, there will be live concerts in Ljubljana!
Where?
On Kongresni Trg Square, Novi Trg Square, in Cankarjev dom, Slovenian Philharmonic, … check out the venues HERE.
We are excited to give you a wonderful line-up – a combination of invited vocal groups and a choir from Europe and top Slovenian choirs.
A special concert cycle ‘Listen to Slovenia’ will present you Slovenian choirs and we are certain that our choir music will become your coeur music and perhaps even the new core music of your choral practice! Find out more about the choirs HERE.
The invited groups come from Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden. Who are we talking about? Check out our special guests HERE.
So, what does your TOP 3 concerts list look like? 😉
Familyvision Song Event invites all families on stage!
To sing together – there’s no better way to connect a family!
The Europa Cantat 2021 festival in Ljubljana will offer a variety of educational content, numerous concerts along with many other
interesting events. One of them will be the Familiyvision Song Event.
This is an opportunity to everyone who traditionally or occasionally like to sing with their family and relatives – children, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, cousins … The online floor will be yours. If you are selected, you will be asked to send us a new recording consisting of two songs of any style that will be broadcasted on festival TV.
Let us hear the music of your extended family!
CONDITIONS:
- Each family will perform two songs of their choice.
- All styles are welcome with or without instrumental music.
APPLICATIONS AND ATTACHMENTS:
The singers have to complete an online application form (CLICK!!), including contact information, the name of the ensemble, the number of performers and their singing programme. You can access the application form by clicking on the following link: https://form.jotform.com/211223501430334.
Please, send it back by 31 May 2021 at the latest.
- The application from must be accompanied by 1–2 recordings of your ensemble made in 2020 or 2021, on the basis of which the selection will be made.
- You can send a link to the video or an attachment in the mp3 or mp4 format.
- Size of the attachment: 100 MB (for each recording, max 3 minutes).
A special festival programme commission will review the submitted videos and select ensembles who will be asked to send us a new recording consisting of two songs of any style that will be broadcasted on festival TV. The ensembles will be notified about the selection by no later than 10 June 2021.
The performance will take place on the festival TV. Exact date will be announced later.
For more information click HERE.
We’re looking forward too all this family energy!
#signwithlove
Programme changes of the Europa Cantat 2021
While the pandemic and different measures aimed at curbing the spread of infections continue to shape our lives, the festival’s diverse program has undergone several changes.
After months of hard work and efforts to construct various scenarios, we have found ourselves at a point where there are no more options, and we are obliged to make radical changes to our programme due to various risk factors.
We held decisive meetings of the Music Commission, the Steering Committee and the festival’s core team and came to the following conclusions regarding the implementation of Europa Cantat 2021 in case Slovenia will be in the green zone by then:
Unfortunately, the very core of our festival, the ateliers of 4 days, 6 days and 8 days as well as the Study Tour will have to be cancelled completely. The Slovenian authorities do not wish to increase the risk of mass infections by gathering so many people from different countries in one place and letting them sing together in large groups for several days.
But don’t worry! We are not giving up – no way! 😊
We will be able to implement some other parts of the project, LIVE IN LJUBLJANA or ONLINE.
Here are few hints of the programme:
- Concerts of invited groups and the Listen to Slovenia cycle
- A “Day of Choirs”
- PULSE programme, including the publishers’ Reading Sessions and educational offer of some choral organisations (VoxBazaar), which will be held online
- A “Virtual Foyer”, offering all registered participants and everybody else connected to Europa Cantat 2021 an online platform to meet old friends, make new ones, meet conductors, organise virtual meetings and much more; also, the social platform for our big Europa Cantat family
- An online TV programme with interviews, videos from Ljubljana, background information, a look behind the scenes, impressions from live concerts, …
AND MUCH MORE!
Some of you may wonder why the festival will simply not be postponed to 2022, since this question has arisen several times over the last months. Unfortunately, this will not be possible since the funding is linked to the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the 2nd half of 2021, which will not be postponed. There are further reasons within Slovenia and within the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat, which means that this option is not possible.
Despite the change, you are still kindly invited to Ljubljana, the Green Capital of Europe. You can take the opportunity to explore Slovenia and its beautiful treasures and iconic landmarks, all the way from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, and enjoy great music at one of the Europa Cantat evening concerts. You can either make daily trips or embark on one of the guided tours of your choice.
Stay in touch, we’ll tell you more about the new programme soon!
#singwithlove
Crazy circumstances in crazy times
How the Covid situation affects the implementation of the Festival?
When the Republic of Slovenia Public Fund for Cultural Activities accepted the candidacy to carry out one of the largest international choral festivals in Europe back in 2017, we had no idea that the Europa Cantat 2021 festival team would face so many obstacles and logistic complications.
While the pandemic and different measures aimed at curbing the spread of infections continue to shape our lives, the festival’s diverse program has undergone several changes. We are nevertheless optimistic about 2021 because our wish is to make the dreams of the Slovenian choral community come true and add new value to all choirs during this summer. We are keeping alive our hope to carry out and preserve all key elements that make the festival what it is.
However, we are aware that even the most unfavourable situation can change overnight. In cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the National Institute of Public Health, the Ministry of Culture, the City of Ljubljana, and all of our supporters, we can begin a cultural dialogue to develop the possible solutions for carrying out the festival that would meet all epidemiological measures.
We thank all registered participants for their patience and support. Please note that all information will be sent your way in a timely manner and that our website will be up-to-date. You will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.
#Singwithlove
Europa Cantat 2021 festival team 💚
Meet Slovenian musicians on the festival
The Europa Cantat Festival is famous for bringing together participants coming from all over Europe and the world to share their passion for singing and discover one another’s cultures by attending ateliers and workshops, perform in final concerts, listen to invited choirs, eat, sleep and have fun together.
In the 60-years history of the festival, this is the first time the festival is hosted in Slovenia, small European country in Central Europe.
Meet Slovenian musicians, that’ll participate at the festival.
Sebastjan Vrhovnik
After completing the Ljubljana Music and Ballet High School Sebastjan Vrhovnik enrolled at the Ljubljana Academy of Music in 2004, majoring in music education.
Since 2014, he has been an Associate professor of choral conducting at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, while also leading various choral workshops in Slovenia and abroad, and serving as a member of professional juries for Slovenian and international choral showcases and competitions.
He is currently the conductor of the Ljubljana Academy of Music Chamber Choir, the Ljubljana Music Society Mixed Choir and permanent guest conductor of the Zbor Slovenske filharmonije – Slovenian Philharmonic Choir.
Rahela Durić
Rahela Durič, born in Maribor, Slovenia, studied Choral and Orchestral Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria, and graduated in 2013.
Currently she serves asan assistant lecturer for choir conducting under Johannes Prinz at Alma mater.
She has received various prizes: the Noel Minet prize for ‘the promising young conductor’ at the International competition for young choral conductors in Turin (2015); first prize, audience prize and prize for the best conductor according to the choir at the International conducting competition Aegis Caminis Koper (2019).
She leads various choirs, seminars and social-musical (Supercar, Meet4music) projects in different countries.
Helena Fojkar Zupančič
Helena has studied music pedagogy and classical singing.
She works as a choral director and a vocal coach at the DCG of St. Stanislav’s Institution in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Focusing on adolescents and young adults, she conducts St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir (WSCM, ACDA) and St. Nicolas Choir Litija – Zbor sv. Nikolaja Litija / The Saint Nicholas Choir Litija, Slovenia, Slovenia. She also leads a 130-member (Re)Mixed Choir of the DCG, who sing (and dance to) an appealing programme of pop and musicals.
As a guest conductor she performed with the Slovenian Children’s Choir, the RTV Slovenia Chamber Choir and the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir. She is an inspiring leader who has educated numerous generations of enthusiastic singers.
Ambrož Čopi
Ambrož Čopi is a composer, conductor, teacher, music motivator and organizer.
Already as a young teacher he would encourage his students to create choral music and in time, he became the mentor of Slovenia’s youngest generation of composers.
His original works, recorded on four CDs, regularly appear on stages around the world. Čopi has led many a Slovene choir and achieved enviable results at home competitions (15 gold plaques) and internationally (26 first places).
Currently, he conducts the KGBL Chamber Choir and University of Pirmorska Mixed Academic Choir, both ranking among the top Slovenian choir ensembles. For exceptional achievements in music, he has received highest national awards.
Petra Grassi
Petra is a Slovenian living in Trieste, Italy, and has studied piano and music pedagogy as well as composition.
Petra Grassi has won many conducting awards around the world: the Choir Prize at the World Choral Conducting Competition in Hong Kong in 2019, first prize at the Ljubljana National Competition for Choral Conductors in 2016, first prize at the Arezzo National Choral Conducting Competition in 2015.
In 2020, Petra started co-conduction the Italina National Youth Choir. As a guest conductor, she has performed with the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir.
She is the chief conductos of DEKOR Chamber Choir, one of Slovenia’s best choirs.
Kristina Bogataj
Kristina Bogataj is a Slovenian choral conductor, based in Helsinki, Finland.
She graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia (2017), and continues her studies at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland (2017–).
She primarily acts as an artistic director of three Finnish choirs (including her vocal group Lyckokatter), and collaborates with several others in a project format.
During her conducting studies, Kristina performed in various productions, concerts, performances, and operas – as a conductor, singer, or pianist. She has participated in numerous masterclasses and seminars.
Her work was recognized at the festivals and choral conducting competitions in Slovenia (Maribor 2020) and abroad (Versailles 2019, Svendborg 2021).
