Young musicians alongside members of the Krajnčan family

Youth orchestras – such as, internationally, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra – are devoted to dynamic music-making, inspiring enthusiasm for music and for art in general, forging friendships and helping young musicians progress. Since 2019 Slovenia, too, has had The Slovenian Youth Orchestra, which brings together young people aged between 12 and 22. Under the artistic direction of its founder, conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh were SMO performed at the International Orchestra Marathon of national youth orchestras from around the world, and was also one of 14 orchestras which, at the high-profile climate conference in Glasgow (COP26) as part of the international initiative Vivaldi: (Uncertain) Four Seasons, performed an algorithmically altered version of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Each year their varied programmes are prepared during a multi-day summer residency (POK – Summer Orchestra Camp) under the guidance of leading professional orchestral musicians, and are then performed publicly at the end of the gathering. This time the programme will feature members of the Krajnčan artistic family, and the concert will also include works by the English composer Gustav Holst and the Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.

This was discussed at a press conference in the Knights' Hall of Križanke, where the orchestra and the programme were presented. Speakers included the conductor, artistic director and founder of the Slovenian Youth Orchestra Živa Ploj Peršuh, vocalist Romana Krajnčan, cellist and drummer Kristijan Krajnčan and vocalist and dancer Žigan Krajnčan; they were later joined by composer, arranger and conductor Lojze Krajnčan.

The Slovenian Youth Orchestra is artistically directed by its founder and conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh, who is also a conductor at SNG Opera in balet Ljubljana with a broad operatic and symphonic repertoire, and who is also delighted to lead projects in a range of genres. Many of her projects aim to raise Slovenia's profile and to bring young people from all over the world together in Slovenia. She collaborates with world-renowned soloists and numerous foreign institutions within the project EU Music up close network: the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the national orchestras of Lille, Amsterdam and Barcelona, the Belgrade and Sarajevo Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Ljubljana Festival and others. She is convinced that it is important to pass on artistic knowledge and skills to young people, especially in classical music of all periods and genres, which is why she gathers around her the most capable and most acclaimed musicians from Slovenia and around the world and brings them to Ljubljana. She is also the founder and artistic director of of the Ljubljana International Orchestra and of the Triple Bridge European Career Centre for Artists.

Živa Ploj Peršuh presented in more detail the 75-member The Slovenian Youth Orchestra, who will be joined by several Ukrainian musicians. Each year they perform a special programme with a strong emphasis on Slovenian music, so this year the spotlight will be on members of the Slovenian musical Krajnčan family – all four of them – who will present music in all its dimensions, as the conductor put it. As composer, arranger, singer, cellist, dancer…

Programme:

Gustav Holst: Selection from The Planets suite, Op. 32

Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Saturn - Bringer of Ages

Romana Kranjčan, vocals:

Manjka mi, manjka (Brina Štampe Žmavc/ Lojze Krajnčan/ Lojze Krajnčan)

Ljubezen (Feri Lainšček/ Lojze Krajnčan/ Lojze Krajnčan)

Huda mravljica (Branko Rudolf/ Marjan Vodopivec/ Lojze Krajnčan)

Bila sem srečna danes (Feri Lainšček/ Lojze Krajnčan/ Lojze Krajnčan)

Lojze Krajnčan – Tango (soloist Kristijan Krajnčan)

Slovenian folk song arranged by Lojze Krajnčan – Zeleni Jurij