Music for a better future
Together with partners we turn young musicians’ voices into action — for peace, solidarity, climate and social justice. Every project here has its own face, its own story and its own stage.
Five projects,
one impact
What the projects of ART BSA and SMO have achieved together with partners since 2020.
For over two decades ART BSA and SMO have built stages for young musicians. Here we gather the projects that reach beyond the concert hall — created with partners, for a better society.
Projects04
Sit Down
Sit down with them.
Listen to their voices.
Act responsibly.
An international cultural and diplomatic initiative marking 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations. At its heart is the Peace Child Musical — young people’s vision of a peaceful, sustainable world, inspired by the UN Declaration on Future Generations.
- 210 young artists
- 22 nationalities
- Festival Ljubljana → Wiener Konzerthaus
Peace Child · Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia · ART BSA · SMO
Musicfor the Future
A social project charged with the super-power of music. In the first days of the war, SMO, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine (YsOU) and ART BSA joined forces — an SMS, a phone call, one email to the Mayor of Ljubljana — and evacuated young musicians and their families from all over Ukraine. The first bus arrived on the night of 6–7 March 2022.
Evacuation became integration: housing, schooling, music lessons at the Conservatory, masterclasses — and, out of it all, an orchestra that played across Europe. A shelter, a place of healing and a voice for Ukraine.
- 142people evacuated · aged 5 to 82
- 32concerts in 5 months
- 1004hours of rehearsals
- 31countries of donors
“We upgraded the evacuation to an integration process. For the musicians, this was all part of the resistance — they raised their voices and fought with their instruments.”Živa Ploj Peršuh
- Gidon Kremer · Cankarjev dom
- Opening of the Bled Strategic Forum 2022
- Ljubljana · Maribor · Stuttgart · Vienna
SMO · YsOU · ART BSA · UNICEF Slovenija · Bundesjugendorchester · Slovenian Philanthropy
ALARM
H2SO4 × MASAYAH
Open your eyes,
speak up!
A concert for social and climate justice. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, algorithmically re-composed as Ljubljana in 2050, met symphonic rap and Slovenian protest poetry — with Masayah, Hyu and a dozen young rappers on stage with SMO.
- Conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh
- Audience aged 12 to 85
Festival Ljubljana · City of Ljubljana · UNICEF Slovenija · Beletrina · Samo1planet
![The [uncertain] Four Seasons — composed by humanity, ACT NOW](/static/future/assets/img/tufs-kv.webp)
The [uncertain]
Four Seasons
What will our future sound like if we don’t act now on climate change?
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, re-composed by an algorithm fed with climate predictions for 2050. SMO was one of fourteen orchestras across six continents — half of them youth orchestras — whose performances opened Youth and Public Empowerment Day at COP26.
ACTNOW
Young musicians for our only planet
SMO was an ambassador of Samo1planet, the awareness initiative of the EU LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE project. Five concerts for the climate – at the Days of Poetry and Wine in Ptuj, on Congress Square in Ljubljana and in a televised concert for World Earth Day – with Balladero, Jadranka Juras, Emkej and Katalena.
- 5 concerts for the climate
- Conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh
- Arrangements Matija Krečič
Samo1planet · Care4Climate · Festival Ljubljana · City of Ljubljana · Days of Poetry and Wine · RTV Slovenija
ART BSA
A non-profit cultural association in the public interest from Ljubljana that has produced its own classical concerts and international projects for 23 years.
art-bsa.eu ↗Slovenian National Youth Orchestra
The national youth symphony orchestra for musicians aged 12 to 26 — a member of EFNYO and a stage where young talent grows into responsible artists.
smo.ngo ↗Institutions
- Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- Ministry of Culture
- Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport
- Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
- Government of the Republic of Slovenia
- Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants
- Permanent Representation to the UN and OSCE, Vienna
- Embassy of Slovenia in Vienna
- SKICA
- City of Ljubljana
- SPIRIT Slovenia
- Slovenia Aid & Partnerships
- Slovenian Tourist Board
- Police
- Centres for Social Work
- European Commission
International partners
- YsOU
- Peace Child International
- UNICEF Slovenija
- EFNYO
- Bundesjugendorchester
- Wiener Konzerthaus
- Superar Austria
- Superar BiH
- Amwaj Choir
- Colours of Music
- Kronberg Academy
- University of Mannheim
- Goethe-Institut
- Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
- Dresdner Philharmonie
- Ljubljana International Orchestra
- YMSO
- Embassy of Spain · AECID
- Advantage Austria · WKO
- The Trilateral Commission
Culture and education
- Festival Ljubljana
- Cankarjev dom
- Slovenian Philharmonic
- SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana
- SNG Maribor
- Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana
- Conservatory of Music and Ballet Maribor
- Beletrina
- Days of Poetry and Wine
- Bunker
- Pionirski dom
- RTV Slovenija
- Samo1planet · Care4Climate
- Triple Bridge
- Things I Miss
Solidarity
- Slovenian Philanthropy
- Slovenian Red Cross
- Lions Club
- Soroptimist International
- Donors David Gordon and Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Companies
- HSE
- DARS
- SPAR · Interspar
- Triglav
- Europlakat
- LPP
- Perutnina Ptuj
- AmCham Slovenia
- CER
- T-2
- Slovenian Insurance Association
- Slorest
- Rojs, Peljhan, Prelesnik & partnerji
- PannaPlus
- Korotan
- Celica
- NEU Residences
- Čad
- Tresor
- Studio Wolf
- Luna\TBWA
Media
- Delo
- Radio 1
- Radio Ekspres
- Radio Ptuj
- Iprom
- CAS Media
The next project is yours
We partner with institutions, embassies, companies and NGOs that want to move people through music. Bring a cause — we bring young musicians, stages across Europe and 23 years of production experience.
Start a project with us→
