The traditional exchange with three Slavic Gymnasiums is taking place from 15th – 20th March, 2017. This year Piarist Lyceum from Krakow will host students of the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium Piarist Gymnasium from Trenčín (Slovakia) and The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium from Ljubljana, Slovenia. This year the meeting will honour the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s baptism and thus the students will dig into the beginnings of Christianity in their homelands. Traditionally, students exchange their knowledge of singing as well as of all three Slavic mother tongues, namely Slovak, Polish and Slovene. The choirs will perform individually on several occasions, however, the visit will end with a joint concert of all three choirs and presentation of their language work.

The choir travelling to Krakow is St. Stanislav Youth Choir of  The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, with 50 singers, which has received many awards and prizes at youth choral reviews in Slovenia and at international choral festivals, including golden plaques and awards for the best choir of the competition. This choir also regularly performs larger vocal-instrumental works and collaborates with professional institutions. More recently they are most proud of the International Choral Kathaumixw festival (2014) where they won the title “Choir of the World” in Powell River, Canada as well as the 1st prize for Folk & Cultural Traditions. The conductor of the choir is Damijan Močnik, composer and teacher of music at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium. The additional accompanying teachers are Kaja Naglič and Jože Kurinčič, both teachers of Slovene language and Tina Tandler, responsible for international exchanges at The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/