Visiting a Friend
The concert was held on 26th October 2017 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir. It felt like visiting a friend – the audience enjoyed the homely atmosphere, honesty was in the air and the choir greeted the listeners with the song on its lips: “God grant us a good evening!” In this way, the host shares with the guest his greatest treasure – a sonorous gift, which the audience treasures for rainy days – everybody his own song in his own way. Songs become virtually alive under the experienced hands of the conductor Helena Fojkar Zupančič.
Choir’s Mission is to Share
The choir prides itself on clear sound, sharp focus and valid interpretation of the conductor’s determined, yet soft moves. When something beautiful is created it needs to be shared with others, which is why sharing is the key word in choir’s mission statement: »Singing in the choir is about sharing just about everything: discipline, hard work, fellowship, focus, trust, vigour and a love for singing. The moment a beautiful sonority is created, it is time to pass it on through concert performance. When sharing their true selves in front of the audience, the girls become an inspiration for others and the mission is accomplished. Thus, music is changing the world we live in«. It is a bold statement that the choir changes the world, but this is exactly what the girls do. On the stages in Slovenia and abroad, they perform with ease and self-confidence, easily deal with big concert halls and convincingly interpret various musical genres in front of the world’s greatest choral authorities.
Freedom and Hard Work
From a distance the choir makes a great impression, but from close up it is simply inspiring. Girls are humble, grateful and ready to talk. Obviously, they are willing to sacrifice a lot of time for choir singing. Endless gestures and repeated tones offer an impression of stunning synchronisation. They trust the conductor’s personal charisma and her leadership, as Helena Fojkar Zupančič leaves them freedom for creativity, but she also demands hard work, which brings about singing at such a high level and satisfaction with good work at concerts or rehearsals. With her clear vision, this balance is not difficult to keep. Teachers in the classroom learn from the young singers as well – they are joy-bearers and optimists; they are a living proof of what is possible if you have a motive and love.
A New CD Jerusalem
On the 20th anniversary of St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir of The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium a new CD was released. It features also the songs sang at the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona this summer. Three novelties need to be mention as they were composed specifically for this occasion for St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir. These are Jerusalem by Damijan Močnik, My First Agel by Ambrož Čopi and God of the Open Air by Bob Chilcott. The composers reflect upon their works in the CD sleeve notes. The songs from the CD are timeless, however, with every concert they gain on quality interpretation. With the new CD, the choir is coming to our homes; girls’ singing places you in an entire new space and time, if you only want it. Open paths invite us to follow the girls in the future as well – this is not difficult, providing you love music. St. Stanislav Girls’ Choir gives a formative influence on the audience and hopefully the choir will continue to surprise with unique singing, its presence and other musical gifts they share generously with us. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/