St. Stanislav’s Institution is proud to announce that composer, conductor and music teacher Damijan Močnik won Prešeren Fund Award 2022 for his creative opus in the field of vocal and vocal-instrumental music that have been presented to the public in the last three years.

Prešeren Awards and Prešeren Fund Awards are the highest recognition in the Republic of Slovenia for achievements in the field of artistic creation. The awards are named after France Prešeren, the greatest Slovene poet. They are presented at a ceremony to mark Prešeren Day, the Slovenian national cultural holiday.

Damijan Močnik is known to the community of St. Stanisalv’s Insitution as the music pedagogue and enthusiast who has devoted much attention to the systematic training of choral singers at The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium since its re-opening in 1993. He believes that music importantly and decisively underpins the school curriculum. Almost half of 600 singing students, who sing in 5 choirs, are a living proof of it. The choirs vary according to the age of their singers and the level of their repertoire and form a choral pyramid. Due to its large scope, the number of participating students and quality, this choral programme is quite unique among Slovene schools as well as within the European school context.

A section of the justification for awarding runs as follows: »Damijan Močnik has established himself as one of the most prominent Slovene choral and vocal-instrumental composers. His works, which are worldwide regularly interpreted at the most prestigious festivals by some of the best professional choirs, have earned him international recognition. Among his most outstanding works are the opera I like you for six soloists, youth choir and chamber orchestra; a composition Pasche for solo soprano, male quartet, Medieval instruments and percussion; and another composition entitled Peregrinatio for three mixed choirs. The most recent one worth mentioning is a long cantata An die Freude (Ode To Joy), which was commissioned by The Music Academy in Baden-Württemberg to celebrate the anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.« However, in St. Stanislav’s Institution Močnik’s most widely performed pieces are The Canticle of the Sun for soloists, two choirs, organ and orchestra, which he composed on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the reopening of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium; and the composition Jerusalem, which was written for St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir to be performed at the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in July 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.

Thanks to Damijan Močnik and other dedicated musicians in St. Stanislav’s Institution choral singing has become something of value, joy and a lifelong personal fulfilment for many students. Heartfelt congratulations to you, Damijan! /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

Each year the entire school community of St. Stanislav’s Institution celebrates St. Stanislav’s Day to mark the feast of the Institution’s patron. It took place on 11th November 2021, and its aim above all to celebrate the many talents and success of the pupils of Alojzij Šuštar Primary School and the students of Diocesan Classical Gymnasium and The Music School of St. Stanislav’s Institution. The event offered a flashback of the academic year that was mostly spent online due to the pandemic. This year’s festivities were held under the title of The Focus of Harmony, which adequately points at the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of The Music School of St. Stanislav’s Institution, which is observed this academic year. That is why all the headmasters, past and present, of the Music School were at the event. The mass and the celebration were followed on line, special guests were able to join in person. This year’s event was in hands of Marta Močnik Pirc and Barbara Tišler of The Music School. The programme was a happy feast of music, words, dancing and visual arts intertwining four elements of matter, namely Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.

Never stop listening with your heart

Holy mass was celebrated in the school chapel by the Archbishop of Ljubljana Msgr. Stanislav Zore, along with the current and former director, and school chaplains. The Archbishop spoke of the fact that feeling grateful is unmistakably a sign of being loved. It is in the human nature to be reluctantly grateful for hardships, however, only this actively shapes our lives. He reflected also on this year Institution’s motto: Do we read each other? He pointed out that we live in the era of images, most of the events unfold before our very eyes, but we do not sense people through eyes, but through ears. He stressed:“Never stop listening with your heart, sift what you hear. In desire to search for solutions, we could lose Christ from our sight, which never enables meeting with Him.”

“It is the sound that stimulates human development, not brains.”

With these words Florjan Ivanc, M.A., a Slovene composer and professor at the Academy of Music (University of Ljubljana), reflected upon the important facts that combine music and human development into a harmonious focus. “The cochlea, this tiny instrument in human ears, is the first organ to be fully developed in the human body.” In this sense the cochlea, not the brains, defines various aspects of student formation, upon which prof. Ivanc speculated that it is not a coincidence that The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium is attended by excellent students and singers, who decidedly underpin the mission of St. Stanislav’s Institution. He continued that, historically speaking, there are three types of music, namely the music of the universe, the music of man and thirdly the instrumental music. The first two cannot be heard, and it is only the sound of instrumental music that makes them hearable.

On the occasion of its silver jubilee the Music School of St. Stanislav’s Institution recognised high achievers in the field of music. These are the students who have been fostering harmony for the last 25 years playing different musical instruments, namely the piano, violin, viola, flute, recorder, accordion, horn, trumpet, guitar, organ, zither, voice and jazz singing.

At the very end of the solemn celebration the guests in the hall and online were encouraged to detect in themselves the disharmonies of all kinds and turn them into balanced concord, as only those who live in harmony with themselves, can create harmony in others. Definitely a yearlong, if not lifelong, homework to be done thoroughly. Why? In order to be able to read each other. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

Listen to the mass: https://tiny.cc/masa2021

Listen to the solemn celebration: https://tiny.cc/akademija2021

Each year the entire school community celebrates St. Stanislav’s Day to mark the feast of the Institution’s patron. This year it is under the title of The Focus of Harmony, which adequately points at the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of The Music School of St. Stanislav’s Institution.

This year as well all celebrations have been restricted to virtual mediums only. Therefore, we have the pleasure of inviting you to follow us online. The occasion will be marked with holy mass and a solemn celebration on Thursday 11th November 2021. Holy mass will be celebrated at 3.00 p.m. by the Archbishop of Ljubljana Msgr. Stanislav Zore in St. Stanislav’s Chapel. https://tiny.cc/masa2021

The solemn celebration will take place at 5 p. m.. Ivan Florjanc, M.A., a Slovene composer, will hold the official speech. The performance will be given by the students of all schools in St. Stanislav’s Institution. https://tiny.cc/akademija2021

We are looking forward to meeting you online.

Anton Česen, M. A., Director of St. Stanislav’s Institution

 

So much has been going on – on different stages and even more behind them – at The Europa Cantat Festival that it is not an easy task to recap the event. Nevertheless, one thing is clear. The protagonists are the singers and conductors. After this mostly pandemic academic year, they have shown us so much that as an average music lover I cannot but enjoy the abundance of messages conveyed to the audience in this fabulous week of choral music. The Europa Cantat Festival took place from 16th-25th July 2021, bringing together music-related enthusiasts and professionals from all over the world, among who also St. Stanislav Youth Mixed, St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir and Megaron Chamber Choir. The students and alumni from St. Stanislav’s Institution, more precisely from The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, sing in these choirs. All three choirs are led by Helena Fojkar Zupančič and Damijan Močnik, whose personal charisma and leadership add so much to a young person formation in terms of personality and music making.

What are singers’ drives? Live singing, keeping together and top conductors

It is surprising what passion, determination and joy the singers demonstrated while taking part in different ateliers, workshops and especially on the stage during concerts. What or who can be held responsible for this, in particular after the morbid year of social distancing, uncertainties and anxieties? Well, to start with there was a factor of change in the air, the singers and the audience simply wanted to sing live and express themselves after such a long period of silence. Arts offers numberless ways of expression and choral music is definitely one of the most eloquent, combing the mind, body and soul. The focus, hard working attitude and artistic expression of the young singers were widely admired. Panda van Proosdij, Dutch prominent conductor, praised the sound of St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir, its colour and strength. “For the first time I have heard a spiritual interpreted by European singers that sounded authentic and not like some imitation.”, she said. She added that “the lemniscate walk into endlessness symbolises the incredible strength of the girls.”

Secondly, the singers loved being together. Already in ancient Greece Pherekydes of Patrae, known as the ‘Giver of Rhythm’, was described in a report from 709 BC as somebody leading a group of several hundred musicians by beating a golden staff “up and down in equal movements” so that the musicians began “at the same time” and “all might keep together”. So “the keeping together” was huge at the EC, too.

Last but not least, the singers were in the good hands of top conductors, who translated their visions into glorious sounds – and the young followed. For me this is a matter of trust. This is why the adults should never ever betray the trust the young have in us. What exactly does a single person on the podium (i.e. the conductor), making almost no noise at all, do? Conductors not only beat time and offer interpretation, but most importantly, they listen and lead. From what I have heard from the singers talking off the record on the EC, listening is the crucial one. Both the singer and conductor can together become something bigger, at the same time feeling fully realised as individuals. We have witnessed this phenomenon on both full evening concert given by both, St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir and Megaron Chamber Choir.

 All the above are the points that make the student singers of St. Stanislav shine on the stage, grow into great young adults, thus contributing a priceless share for the embetterment of the society we live in. Heroes pugnates (Heroes, fight), if I use Galuss’ words that echoed at one of the EC concerts. For the young heroes, determined, yet emphatic, there will be a lot to struggle for in the future. However, boosted by their outstanding performance and mentors in the field of arts, sports or science, they will be unbeatable, irreplaceable and indispensable. Using the words of Panda van Proosdij we may say that “the young are the loving preachers of the future”. Or in Damijan Močnik’s words: “What would conductors do without their beloved singers?”  /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

Damijan Močnik, Slovene composer, conductor and a long serving music teacher is the deputy chairman of the Europa Cantat Music Commission and the chief music advisor for the music image of the opening ceremony and concerts representing Slovene choral music to international audience. Unfortunately, the intended programme will be materialised only partly due to pandemic restrictions. Damijan Močnik is the conductor of both Megaron Chamber Choir and St. Stanislav Youth Choir of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium.

Megaron Chamber Choir will perform at the concert on Thursday, 22nd July 2021 at 5 p.m. in Cultural and Congress Centre Cankarjev dom in Gallus Hall. In the section Listen to Slovenia Slovene sacral music by Jacobus Gallus will be presented; the programme will also include pieces from the flourishing period of the 19th century Slovene music to timelessness of choral works by contemporary Slovene composers including Mav, Klemenčič, Ipavec, Dev, Lebič, Vulc, Makor, Mlakar and Sojar Voglar. For more detailed information please follow: https://europacantat.jskd.si/programme/special-projects/sing-to-slovenia/ and https://europacantat.jskd.si/programme/concerts/listen-to-slovenia-concerts/

St. Stanislav Youth Choir is the festival choir of the residence and is to perform in Open Singing section and Discovery Ateliers. Open Singing is a daily open-air event where everybody is welcome to join in for the sake of pure joy of singing. An intensive musical experience is guaranteed. Open Singing is led by Jan Schumacher, German professor of conducting and conductor of award winning ensembles. Discovery Ateliers are designed for those who love diversity in terms of style, singing techniques and genres of choral music. Workshops are to take place from 17th-20^th July, 2021. For more details follow: https://europacantat.jskd.si/programme/workshops/discovery-ateliers/

Both Megaron Chamber Choir and St. Stanislav Youth Choir will perform at the concert Sing to Slovenia in Slovenian Philharmonic on Sunday, 18^th July, 2021 in the morning (9.30-12.00 a.m.) and evening session (6.p.m-8.30 p.m.). This event celebrates the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence.

At St. Stanislav’s Institution we strongly believe singing is an important part of education of every young person. Students of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium and alumni take advantage of probably the best musical education available in Slovenia. Singing brings with it also the benefits of skills that will last a lifetime and singers gain a natural self-confidence, as well as the appreciation of good time-keeping and the rewards that result from hard work. Warmly welcome to any of the above mentioned events. The more, the merrier! /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

 

If you want to listen to one of the greatest choirs in the world, this is your chance! The concert will take place on Wednesday, 21st July 2021 at 9 p.m. in Cultural and Congress Centre Cankarjev dom in Gallus Hall. The first part of the concert will feature the Slovene composers from Gallus to Bec, Čopi, Močnik and Vovk. The second part will offer two world premieres by international composers like Jennefelt, Ešenvalds, Patriquin, Hyokki.

The night will be a perfect realisation of St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir mission statement, which is summarized in the words Sharing My True Self. The girls share discipline, hard work, compliance, focus, trust, vigour and naturally a love for singing. The moment a beautiful sonority is created, it is time to pass it on through concert performance. You do not want to miss this, right? When sharing their true selves in front of the audience, the girls become an inspiration for others and the mission is accomplished. We shall be honoured if you could join us.

Still hesitant? Listen to (and watch) St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir and Butterfly by Mia Makaroff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNfhz1lGU40

/Lily Schweiger Kotar/

The director of St. Stanislav’s Institution, Anton Česen, M.A., addressed the employees at the end of the school year to mark the 30th anniversary of Slovene statehood.

“I wish to extend my sincere thanks to everybody in this institution at the end of this school year on the day, when pupils and students receive the reports and honourable mentions. At the same time I congratulate you all for the 30th birthday of the Slovene state. This school year has been so different from any prior year. Thank you all for your courage, innovativeness, adaptability, patience, responsibility and trust. I am sure that this year everybody has learned something new, so let us keep and cherish this as a token of hope for the future to come.

Throughout this year we have been following in thoughts the persona of Alojzij Šuštar, the Archbishop of Ljubljana at the time of Slovenia’s struggle for independence. Due to his fruitful contacts with people from abroad, he played a decisive role at the crucial moments of the formation of Slovenia’s statehood.  On 26^th July 1991, when the solemn celebration to mark Slovenia’s independence took place, the Archbishop celebrated the mass for the homeland and accentuated in his homily the following: “Let us unite the two aspects of our lives – on one hand we should trust in God, as though everything depended on Him alone, and on the other, we should work honestly, persistently and hard, as though everything depended on man alone. Let us be worthy of historic times as humans, Christians and Slovenes – in openness and benevolence towards every human being.”

Dear colleagues, it is my pleasure to congratulate you on the 30th Anniversary of Slovenia’s Independence. I wish you a joyful celebration and all the blessings in the times to come. “ /Anton Česen, M.A./

These are the meaningful words by Zvezdan Pirtošek, M.D., Ph. D., professor of neurology and cognitive neuroscience, that underpinned the versatile positive aspects of singing at the panel discussion to mark the Europa Cantat festival 2021. It will take place from 16^th-25^th July in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The round table entitled Choral music in psychophysical dimensions gathered experts from all walks of life, all dedicated to choral music and collective singing. They discussed the benefits of musicianship and focused on the challenges the pandemic has brought about in this field.

Benefits of collective singing Undoubtedly singing in Slovenia is a valuable asset. The astonishing numbers support this fact: 10 million hours per year of music-related voluntary work, 80.000 active singers, 2.500 singing ensembles and 1.300 conductors. All in the country with 2 million inhabitants. To start with, Sonja Greiner, Secretary General of the European Choral Association, pointed out at the well-known benefits of collective singing from physical aspects (general wellbeing), psychological features (relaxation and invigoration) to positivity brought about by the sense of community and bonding. Some other speakers at the round table discussed the astonishing fact that singing in fact regulates each singer’s emotion in relation with those of other singers, which leads to each other’s adaptation and ultimately to a more harmonious society as a whole.

What happens in human brain when we sing? Zvezdan Pirtošek was specific about the positive processes related to singing in different stages of human life from children, who respond favourably to harmonious sounds, to people with Dementia, Parkinson’s or mental health issues, who are enlivened by music. While singing, during exhalation, the vagus nerve is activated and this brings about peace of mind, state of relaxation and the sense of belonging and trusting people I feel close to. It is all about raising musical-linguistic awareness. The left hemisphere is open to semantics, analytical thinking and comprehension, the right hemisphere deepens the wonderful feeling that cannot be expressed through words, but it is so strong that as humans we will not be able to survive without songs or music.

Singing online vs. singing in a choir in person It goes without saying that when it comes to music, technology can actually bring people closer together than ever before. The sensation of feelings in the virtual or real world is activated by the same part of brain; however, there is a fundamental difference between the two. The activation of brain is much less intensive and much more limited in scope when singing online. »No digital medium cannot possibly be compared to a real life experience, especially not for children«, accentuated professor Pirtošek.

“So, I say thank you for the music” The experts wrapped up the discussion with the fact that singing boosts joie de vivre, which improves positive self-image, regulates anxieties of all types and encourages singers to overcome the individual, “soloist” needs for the benefit of a harmonious sound of the entire society. What more could we wish?  “So I say thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing, thanks for all the joy they’re bringing.” At St. Stanislav’s we feel immensely proud that singing is such an important part of young people’s education. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/

We are proud to announce  that two choirs from St. Stanislav’s Institution namely St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir and Megaron Chamber Choir, will actively participate in the event. The music festival is to take place in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, from 18-25 July 2021 .

The Europa Cantat Festival is one of largest international music festivals worldwide. Singers, composers, conductors, instrumentalists and choral publishers from all over the world  participate at Europa Cantat festivals, but unfortunately this year this is not the case due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The programme will be adapted and only partly realised.

Keep an eye on this webpage for further updates.

American Computer Science League (ACSL) has been organizing computer science and programming international contests for 43 years. On average  about 500 teams in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia participate annually. Students are tested on fundamental concepts in computer science, ranging from Number Systems to Boolean Algebra and Digital Electronics. Each contest also includes a problem to be solved by programming. The top students are invited to compete in an online Finals competition. This year three of the DCG students, namely  Peter Lekše, Rebeka Stres and Angelika Volarič, qualified in the finals, but it was Peter Lekše, who  gained the bronze medal. Helena Starc Grlj, teacher of informatics at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, prepared the students for the competition.

This how Peter experienced the event: “Recently I took part in ACSL Finals, which I qualified for by competing in four contests throughout this school year. The contest for top teams was held in the USA, but due to pandemic, the competition was held online, with the same starting times for all the students. I must say I was lucky because for me that was at 4 pm, but it must have been tougher for West Coast and Korean students.

The competition started with ACSL director Marc Brown greeting us on the livestream. Then we had three hours to solve two problems. One was about building sentences with words from a given dictionary and a given sentence structure. For the other one we had to make a program that would determine whether the king is safe, in check, in checkmate, or in stalemate, given the state of the game. I finished a little early and was pleased with my solutions even though they could most likely be further optimized but that would require more time. After a short break we started with short problems and had one hour to solve twenty of them. They were a bit harder since it was a final competition but I was able to handle everything and was pretty confident about my solutions. After about two hours the results were released. Out of 580 students who qualified for the finals I was tied in 44^th place with 37 out of 40 points, winning a bronze medal. I am very happy with my achievement considering I did not practice very much and that I can be quite sloppy at times”. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/