Klasični Artač, or a concert experience promising plenty of quality music and laughter

Klasični Artač, or a concert experience promising plenty of quality music and laughter

A special concert experience awaits cultural halls in thirteen Slovenian towns in the coming weeks. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra has invited the versatile Tilen Artač to collaborate, and the result is the project Klasični Artač. The grandmaster of transformation and imitation, and above all an academically trained musician, will this time make his debut as a conductor, taking over the baton from the internationally renowned conductor and artistic director of the orchestra, Živa Ploj Peršuh.

At the start of the tour of Slovenia, we spoke with both artists, Živa Ploj Peršuh and Tilen Artač, who revealed some juicy details about the project, Tilen's delight at a new challenge and the young musicians who deserve their chance.

Klasični Artač! It sounds grand – how would you describe your new project?
Živa: It is a concert tour in which the Slovenian Youth Orchestra has joined forces with the exceptional Tilen Artač. Our orchestra's aim is to bring classical music closer to a wider public, above all to families and young listeners. While looking for ideas on how best to achieve this aim, we quickly came up with the idea of working with Tilen Artač.
Tilen: Well, classical Artač! (laughs)

Tilen, what is your role in this project – what will you get up to this time?
Tilen: I'll be the conductor! In my career I have taken on many challenges, but I have never stood in front of an orchestra as a conductor. I feel at home in classical music, as I have devoted myself to it since early childhood. I have been an orchestra member and a soloist, and I have often stood at the side of an orchestra as a presenter, but I have never commanded an orchestra. I am looking forward to this challenge; I love new things. I believe we will enjoy the work and make people all over Slovenia laugh with our performances.

“In my career I have taken on many challenges, but I have never stood in front of an orchestra as a conductor. I have been an orchestra member and a soloist, and I have often stood at the side of an orchestra as a presenter, but I have never commanded an orchestra.” Tilen Artač

How well do the two of you get on? You've probably known each other for some years, haven't you?
Živa: I met Tilen more than ten years ago, when we worked together in our Festine concert series and at the Festinice family concerts. Back then he was our cellist and also the presenter. Even then he knew how to fill a room with his ease and positive energy, so he was in fact the natural and at the same time the best choice for this project. And I truly have no regrets – we really do get on well.
Tilen: That's right, we go back a long way. We have great energy together; the rehearsals are demanding, and Živa is my mentor in conducting and leading an orchestra. I have quite a difficult task, so a good relationship is essential. In recent years our paths haven't crossed much, but I have followed what Živa creates with her orchestra. They really are impressive, so I was delighted to accept the invitation, also in order to support these young people on their musical journey and help carry their work across the whole country.

The tour will take place in thirteen Slovenian towns. Where can fans, audiences and listeners catch you?
Živa: We began the Klasični Artač tour this week in Braslovče, and we will close it on 9 October at the Avditorij in Portorož. In between we stop in Laško, Lendava, Rogaška Slatina, Postojna, Sežana and Ljubljana, where we will give two concerts. We will start the October part of the tour on 3 October in Maribor, then visit Krško, Žalec, Velenje and Zagorje ob Savi, and, as already mentioned, close the tour on 9 October in Portorož. Altogether we will visit 13 Slovenian towns.

“Our orchestra's aim is to bring classical music closer to a wider public, above all to families and young listeners. At the same time, it allows the musicians to experience first-hand all aspects of the life of a professional musician.” Živa Ploj Peršuh

Can you reveal any details – what will the concert programme be like?
Živa: In preparing the programme, we set ourselves the goal of creating a programme that would not only draw listeners back into the halls, but also connect them more closely with the performers on stage in a creative moment. There will be a bit of everything, but above all it will be a concert that breaks the stereotypes of classical music and offers an evening full of laughter and superb melodies. So it will be a concert tour like no other.
Tilen: We will offer something for everyone. We are promising a stroll through the evergreen repertoire of timeless classics, as well as Slovenian and international hits. The audience will undoubtedly encounter classical music in a very relaxed and easy-going way. On this comic journey through the musical selection, you can expect classics such as the perennial New Year's concert hit the Radetzky March, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Nessun dorma and many others.

Have you practised enough to be ready to step onto the conductor's podium now?
Tilen: I hope so! (laughs) Of course, I expect understanding and support from the orchestra. I hope the young, talented musicians won't carry me off the stage as a conductor. I know I won't exactly be Riccardo Muti – I'll just be Riccardo Malmuti. (laughs)

How would you introduce the Slovenian Youth Orchestra to someone who may not have heard of it yet?
Živa: It is a national youth symphony orchestra – a project of collaboration, enthusiasm and a vision of the future that brings together Slovenian musicians aged 16 to 26. It gives them the opportunity to achieve notable results, to stand on major stages and to play with top professional musicians. The orchestra has been active without interruption since 2019, when we founded it in collaboration with international and Slovenian partners, and in 2022 it was admitted as a full member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras.
Tilen: The aim of the Slovenian Youth Orchestra is also to bridge the gap between formal education and the reality of the musical profession…
Živa: … exactly, and it is also the only project of its kind in Slovenia. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra allows young musicians to experience first-hand all aspects of the life of a professional musician – from applying for an audition to the selection of projects, rehearsals and performances on the most prestigious stages at home and abroad.

The project is also important in terms of connecting Slovenian musicians – peers studying in Slovenia and those studying and working abroad. In the Klasični Artač project you are working with Tilen Artač, and for the film music concert mentioned earlier you joined forces with Marcel Štefančič jr. Who have you already worked with, and who would you like to work with in the future?
Živa: In the past we have worked with Vlado Kreslin, Ute Lemper, Ballader, Masayah, Katalena, Jadranka Juras and a number of other world-renowned soloists from Slovenia and abroad. We have many wishes for the future, but let them remain a secret for now. Since we believe the sky is the limit, I am confident that we will work with many more Slovenian and international artists.

“Klasični Artač will be a stroll through the evergreen repertoire of timeless classics, as well as Slovenian and international hits. The audience will undoubtedly encounter classical music in a very relaxed and easy-going way.” Tilen Artač