Demonstrative Choirs

KOPER MUSIC SCHOOL GIRLS' CHOIR

Conductor Maja Cilenšek

The Koper Music School Girls' Choir is a group of girls who have been together for a long time. They started singing in the children's or youth choir, and the oldest ones have been singing under the direction of Maja Cilenšek for more than 15 years. The girls love to join creative forces and create new artistic worlds together. The choir has been a guest at several choral festivals in Italy, Austria and Slovenia. The choir competed for the first time in an international competition in 2012 and came 2nd in Rimini, Italy. In the same year it took part in the international competition "Varsovia Cantat" in Warsaw and won 1st prize in the category of girls' choirs. He also achieved excellent results in July 2015 at the International Competition "Incanto Mediterraneo" in Milazzo, in September 2017 at the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition in Latvia and in October 2019 at the International Competition "Flanders" in Belgium, where he won 1st place in the category of women's choirs and a special mention for the best choir of the whole competition. The choir is proud of its first performances of works by renowned Slovenian composers such as Uroš Rojko, Ambrož Čopi, Bojan Glavina, Tadeja Vulc, Matej Bonin and Andrej Makor.

 

EMIL KOMEL MIXED YOUTH CHOIR

Conductor David Bandelj

The Emil Komel Mixed Youth Choir represents the most mature choral group in the study plan of the Emil Komel Slovenian music education center in Gorizia (Italy). Since 2013, it has been directed by David Bandelj, with whom he has obtained several prizes in various national and international competitions. Of note is the victory at the National Polyphonic Competition in Arezzo in 2018, the excellent result at the following International Polyphonic Competition also in Arezzo in 2019 and 2025, the first prize in the national competition Canto oltre la paura in 2020, the gold medal, a third prize ex aequo, and two special prizes at the Slovenian national competition Naša pesem in Maribor in 2022. The choir has held concerts in several concert seasons, many times with the orchestra, also performed classical repertoire such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, and Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass. It has also recorded two CDs and has participated in master classes with eminent experts (Stephen Connolly, Stojan Kuret, Petra Grassi, etc.), collaborated with exceptional soloists, and has been part of numerous first performances of contemporary composers (Tadeja Vulc, Patrick Quaggiato, Hilarij Lavrenčič, Roberto Brisotto, Andrej Makor).

 

VIKRA CHAMBER CHOIR

Conductor Petra Grassi

The VIKRA Chamber Choir was founded in 2014 through the meeting of experienced singers and musicians under the direction of Petra Grassi, a renowned choral conductor and winner of numerous choral competitions. The choir operates under the auspices of the Glasbena Matica in Trieste. Its members are Slovene and Italian singers from both Slovenia and Italy, representing both nationalities. Since its founding, VIKRA has performed works for equal and mixed voices, ranging from the Renaissance repertoire (with the addition of countertenors) to Romantic and contemporary compositions. The ensemble takes pride in numerous premieres and works dedicated specifically to the choir by composers such as Bec, Bonato, Brisotto, Durighello, Lo Pinto, and Quaggiato. In 2022, VIKRA took part in the 59th edition of the Cesare Augusto Seghizzi International Choral Competition, where it not only won the Grand Prix but also secured first prizes in the Renaissance, Romantic, and Contemporary music categories. The choir also received special awards for Best Conductor, Best Chamber Choir, and for the Most Artistically Significant Music Program. With this achievement, VIKRA became the first choir from Italy to be awarded the prestigious Seghizzi Grand Prix. Among its many achievements in Italy, VIKRA has won: First prize at the 51st National Choral Competition Trofei Città di Vittorio Veneto (2017) First prize, Grand Prix, and Special Prize at the 16th Regional Choral Competition Corovivo (2017) First prize at the 34th National Polyphonic Competition Guido d’Arezzo (2017) First prize, Grand Prix, and Special Prize at the 10th National Competition for Children’s and Youth Choirs Il Garda in Coro (2018) At the 8th thematic concert series Sozvočenja (2018) held at the Slovenian Philharmonic, the choir received the award for the Best Artistic Project. VIKRA regularly collaborates as a laboratory choir in choral seminars (Glasbena Matica, JSKD Nova Gorica, Conservatory of Trento) and organizes masterclasses with renowned experts in the choral field. It served as the laboratory choir for the international conducting competition Aegis Carminis, held in Koper in the summer of 2021. In the same year, VIKRA participated in a project conceived by the Pinacoteca di Brera, culminating in an audio recording of the operetta Fischreise by Andrea Melis, based on the children's book of the same name by Tom Seidmann-Freud. In September 2023, the choir accepted an invitation from the prestigious La Piana del Cavaliere International Music Festival and performed at the opera theatre in the enchanting city of Orvieto. That same year, the choir was invited to perform in the distinguished program of the Pavarotti-Freni Theatre in Modena, achieving great success with both the audience and critics. The concert was later repeated in Trieste and at the Cultural Centre in Nova Gorica, where it was included in the theatre’s 2024 subscription series. The same program was also performed within the subscription series of the Kinogledališče Tolmin in the Soča Valley. Perhaps the most emblematic cultural milestone was in Sarajevo, where the choir performed in June 2024 at the invitation of the UNFPA (United Nations) and the Italian and Slovenian Embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. VIKRA’s singers also sing in various prestigious choirs across Europe, including: the World Youth Choir, the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir, the Academy of Music Choir Ljubljana, the KGBL Choir, the Italian National Youth Choir, the Regional Youth Choir of Friuli Venezia Giulia, EuroChoir, the Vocal Group Gallina, La Reverdie, and many others.

CHILDREN'S (YOUTH) CHOIR OF THE KOPER MUSIC SCHOOL, KOPER

Conductor Maja Cilenšek

Foto: Arhiv Glasbene šole Koper

The Childrens’ choir of Music school Koper was founded by Maja Cilenšek in 2004. It has won several prizes and recognitions at national and international competitions. It has also worked with renowned Slovene and foreign musicians and has been invited to various festivals both in Slovenia and abroad (Koper, Ljubljana, Graz, Chiavenna, Padova, Trieste, Bergamo). The singers are especially proud of a number of premiers of musical compositions by Sovene composers, such as Uroš Rojko, Ambrož Čopi, Bojan Glavina, Matej Bonin and Andrej Makor. On the 10th anniversary of the choir, a CD with the title Pesmi na dlani was released by the RTV Slovenia Publishing and Record Label. The choir has won four top awards in competitions. It regularly participates as a demonstration choir in the Aegis carminis competition for choral conductors.