Celje Day of Love on which phones were only lights

Celje flooded the song for five days. Not only by singing, children and adolescents, but especially with their energy, genuine joy and enthusiasm for the lives of concerts, passers -by on the streets and all gathered at the magnificent Saturday choir boom in the Zlatorog Hall, reminded of the importance of the community. The time we are almost afraid to read the news, they gave hope.

The Celje Youth Singing Festival will celebrate its 80th anniversary next year, and this year it has returned in its international version. The International Youth Singing Festival, as it has been in the past, will be every two years in the future, and with it the choir boom. This was the first time in Celje, on Saturday, more than 5,000 young singers from nearly 160 Slovenian elementary schools gathered in the Zlatorog Hall. Dressed in the colors of the Slovenian flag, the great feast of choir singing began with Zdravljica. In the spirit of the text of our greatest poet was the entire festival. Let all nations live.

Together singing from more than 5000 children’s throats is the filling of the hearts of everyone in the hall. Photo: LR Photography

“Everyone of your voice, every of your song you sing, bears a message of collaboration. It is during this time when the world needs more integration, understanding and warmth, are you who, with your singing, bring hope and joy. May your singing be forecasting a better future that we co -create together. The future in which friendship, empathy and mutual assistance will be the fundamental values ​​of our society, « the president told the young people to the young people Nataša Pirc Musar. The mayor of Celje Matija Kovač But he wished young people to carry music and singing with them all their lives. « Namely, music and singing build communities, give us something warm in our hearts and mean a good basis for the development of a comprehensive man. »

The highest number of points and gold award among children’s choirs was received by France Bevk Tolmin MPZ. Photo: LR Photography

On the way at five in the morning

Mass singing has been present in Celje since the beginning of the festival in 1946, when more than 3,000 young people sang together. The choir boom was first prepared at the national level in 2013, most recently in 2017, when more than 7,000 young people sang SNG Maribor. The initiator and professional manager of the project is Inge Breznik from the Institute of Education of the Republic of Slovenia, which got the idea in Estonia, where more than 100,000 people eat: “I wanted to bring it here. Also, because triglas singing began to collapse at primary schools, and with such events we can start growing again. Children are motivated, they are preparing throughout the year, and the quality of choir singing is improving every year. « 

The choir boom is not only a magnificent performance of choir singing, but it is also a praise of youth, friendship and mutual coexistence. Photo: LR Photography

At the choir boom, together they sang songs by Slovenian composers, who have become the most established in the youth choirs in recent years. Most composers were in the hall, including Damian Močnikthey sang his song How the year growson the text of Celje poet Bine Štampa Žmavc. Močnik said that when 5,000 children eat your song, you are not particularly alert, but you just enjoy it: “You feel the energy of this youth differently. There is a special feeling at all if you see that they enjoy your music. And they adopt it. « 

At the introductory concert of the festival, he also performed the Children’s Choir of RTV Slovenia with members of the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. Photo: LR Photography

The children sang not only to be picked up, but accompanied by the Wind Orchestra of the Celje Music School under the direction of conductor Gasper Salobir Also very collected and with a big smile. Which is not taken for granted to know that they came from all over Slovenia, they had two exercises and then a concert. “Some were on the way all day. They came by bus, trains, and two schools went on their way at five o’clock in the morning. I can only thank them. And after the whole day of gargling, there are happy faces here. We have fantastic children, « Breznik said.

The idea leader of the Choir Boma Inge Breznik encouraged young people to scream, clap … Inspiration in the true sense of the word. Photo: LR Photography

She also thanked Celje: “Celje saved the honor of mass choral singing in Slovenia. In Maribor, the matter was sophisticated because there was no money for this kind of culture. The Municipality of Celje was able to listen to this, to turn on the choir boom at the Youth Singing Festival, and in the end we all cried. As I announced. ”Traditionally, the last song on the choir boom was a day of love. And the phones turned out this time – for lights…

Last year’s winners, the Celje Gymnasium – Center Girl – Center, also sang at the opening concert. Photo: LR Photography

No advantages of home terrain

The song also echoed in the city where children and youth choirs competed, and then brought music to the city streets. Six choirs from Slovenia performed in the category of children’s choirs, with the Gold Award won by MPZ Music Nuts Ljubljana, MPZ Alojzija Šuštar Ljubljana – Šentvid and MPZ Elementary School France Bevk Tolmin, who also scored the highest number of points. In the category of girls’ choirs, gold recognition was given to the Gruppo Vocale Garda Trentino Choir from Italy and the laundry cantilén from the Czech Republic. In the category of mixed youth choirs, before the German and Hungarian choirs, he celebrated the Mixed Youth Choir of the High School in Celje with a gold award.

The Choir of MPZ Alojzija Šuštar Ljubljana – Šentvid impressed the audience, and the conductor Nadja Janežič also received the award for the most convincing conductor. Photo: LR Photography

An international expert jury chaired by Sebastjan Vrhovnikshe had a very difficult job after hearing. Vrhovnik acknowledged that it was difficult to limit music to points, but that the Celje people had no advantage of the home terrain: “We watched everyone in the jury very objectively. Certainly, the Celje area has been in the past, and now it is a strong center of youth singing. As long as this power comes from here, I am convinced that we can be happy and proud of what we cultivate in the choir in Slovenia. « After what he has listened to in recent days, he concluded: » The global world is very individualistic. When you see in such a crowd of young people who are happy to sing, this is some of the most beautiful. If I use Elle Fitzgerald – what’s better than singing? More singing. « 

Czech singers impressed both the audience and the jury, which gave them the highest number of points among the girls’ choirs. Photo: LR Photography

The choir is a family

This was exactly what all the young people who sang the streets of Celje on Saturday morning. « I like to sing in the choir because of all those who are here, for the sake of friendships that weave in the choir, » she said Adè. Barosi from Hungary. Her colleague in the choir Eszter Bögi She added: « In the fall, our conductor said that we have the opportunity to represent our city and Hungary at this festival and until then we practiced. »

A minute for the song brought choir singing to Celje streets and squares. The photo shows the Berlin Choir. Photo: LR Photography

Ben Page From the Berlin Choir Die Primaner said they were honored to have come to Slovenia: “This is a wonderful experience that not everyone can experience. It was really a good festival. But singing is something that is with us all the time. We are a choir of music school and it is part of our day’s life. « This choir also had the most boys, which is no coincidence, Ben said: » We also have a girls’ choir at school, we are boys here and we all like to sing. « 

The Audience Award was awarded to the MPZ Choir Alojzija Šuštar Ljubljana – Šentvid and Pražská Kantiléna. In the last, it is a girls’ choir, singing Chamila Serbová. She said that they had competed with the choir several times in Italy, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Poland and, of course, in the home Czech Republic: “We enjoyed other choir performances here. It was very nice. But I have been in this choir since the age of five. I have been eating all my life. « 

Among the mixed youth choirs was celebrated by the locals – the Mixed Youth Choir of the First High School in Celje. Photo: LR Photography

Choir of Celje victorious high school students Tomaž Marcic was impressed with the festival. Not just because of the victory: “I have to say praise myself. The festival reached a higher level. It is felt that the organizers with their heart stand behind it. From logistics to attention and care for us who competed. I also look at this from the point of view of similar festivals abroad, where it is far from what we have received here. High value added are workshops and dedications. « 

The choir requires a lot of time and dedication, so the involvement is not taken for granted. Marcic says that every year he wonders how to attract new singers: « There is no serious logic, it seems to me that if they feel that you are doing something with the grill, that you are sure of what you do, then you know how to present it and young people feel it. » Ana Steblovnik She said: “Tomaž is great. There is no better. To sing in the choir is one of the best decisions in my life. Every time we have exercises, the day is automatically nicer. You get energy. This is another family. «