The Slovenian Youth Orchestra, ART BSA and the Peace Child International express their sincere gratitude to all the partners, institutions and individuals whose support made possible the international SIT DOWN initiative and the musical Otrok miru – Peace Child.
Special thanks go to mag. Nataši Kos andn the team of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia for their invaluable support, strategic guidance and understanding of the project's wider significance in the field of international cooperation and cultural diplomacy.
Sincere thanks to Ms Tamari Zajec Balažič and the teams of SPIRIT Slovenija and the the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, who recognised the project's potential to strengthen links between the creative sector and economic development.
We thank both ministries and SPIRIT Slovenija for their support in bringing together art, diplomacy and sustainable development, which we see as the foundation for future cooperation.
We especially thank Mr Darku Brleku, the Ljubljana Festival and the City Municipality of Ljubljana, especially Mayor Zoran Janković for their long-standing trust in and support of the Slovenian Youth Orchestra, and for their invaluable contribution to recognising the importance of young musicians on one of the most prominent cultural stages in Slovenia.
We are grateful to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia for its institutional support and continued investment in the development of young creators and artistic initiatives.
Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to all the staff of the institutions mentioned above, who co-created every step of the project with dedication and expertise.
We also thank all the music mentors and workshop mentors, who helped lay the foundations of the musical Peace Child, on which the members of the orchestra and choir and the narrators were able to shape, develop and complete this powerful story themselves.
Here we would also like to give special mention to the director and screenwriter Mateja Filipčiča, who brought the story to the stage, Matijo Krečiča for the outstanding arrangements, and Luko Božiča for the sound design.
And last but not least, thank you to Živa Ploj Peršuh, our conductor – a force with an artistic vision who, in just ten days, turned young musicians of different ages, backgrounds and social environments into a whole that shone at its premiere on the great stage of Križanke on 23 August.
