This year, for the 18th time in a row, the Mixed Choir "Davorin Jenko" took part in the 52nd gathering of Slovenian Choirs in Šentvid pri Stični, which took place on June 17-18, 2023.
On the way to Šentvid, the choir members visited one of the few inhabited Carthusian monasteries in Europe, Pleterje, in Šentjernej municipality. The Gothic monastery church from the 15th century resounded with the melody Po Jezeru, enthusiastically sung by the choir members. Our Slovenian hosts showed us a village in the immediate vicinity of Pleterje, which is a testimony to tourists of how the peasants of the Šentjernej municipality lived several centuries ago. In an old country inn, we tried homemade wine and hand-made apple juice. In the village there is a house with a black kitchen, a barn, a poultry house, just as if we stepped into the 19th century.
After walking through the past, the singers continued their journey to their destination, i.e. towards Šentvid, where we performed with other Slovenian choirs from Serbia, Hungary, Italy and of course Slovenia. Choir "Davorin Jenko" under the conductorship of Vanja Topić Vještica, M.Sc., performed for the 18th time in a row with three songs Mari mome, Lepa Nera and Mlade oči. The audience, which gathered on June 17 in Elementary School "Ferdo Vesel" knows the musical path of our choir well and always rewards us with strong applause and undisguised sympathy.
The next day, June 18, all participants of the event, as well as guests, take part in a joint performance at the elementary school stadium. The procession of the participants from the Fire Station to the school stadium was particularly colorful.
This year's gathering of Slovenian choirs was held under the slogan "Song and laughter in good people".
On the way back home, we visited an unusual multimedia museum dedicated to the Slovenian folk musician, diatonic harmonica master Lojz Slak and poet Toni Pavček. This kind of temple of Slovenian harmonica and original music is located in Mirna Peč.
Tatjana Cucek
