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Evelina Ferrar

Jan 30

Music by Jacobus Gallus in London on 1 March at 7.30 p.m.

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The London Gallus Consort choir will perform music by the Slovene Jacobus Gallus, as well as other renaissance and medieval composers from across Europe. The group has specialised in the work of Gallus since the mid-1990s; many of you will know them from their appearances at the Society’s carol service.

They will be accompanied on authentic instruments from the period by the Sicut Vox wind ensemble.

The concert is in the Church of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe (near St Paul’s, the same place as the annual carol service) at 7.30 p.m. on 1 March.

Tickets are £10 (£8 for concessions) with proceeds going to the Barka charity in Slovenia and the Multiple Sclerosis Society in the UK.

How to get to the Church of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe:

How to get there

 

Jan 20

A Slovene shovel for English snow

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When it comes to shoveling snow, everybody knows Slovenes are the champions. When snow falls overnight in Slovenia, by 5 a.m. the streets  echo to the sound of shovels.

England does not quite have that tradition. But here is a BSS member in England using a special ergonomic snow shovel “Efekt” made in Slovenia and presented to him for Christmas by Slovene friends. He had the path up to his house cleared in a few minutes (admittedly not at 5 a.m.)

2013-01-18 15.22.03

Jan 15

The Annual Dinner – Prešernov večer on 9th February at 6.30 p.m.

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The Annual Dinner of the Society will this year be held on Saturday, 9th February at 6.30 pm (welcome drinks) for a 7.20 pm start.

The location is Hotel Russell, Russell Square, London WC1B 5BE

(nearest stations: Russell Square, Holborn and Euston)

There will be the usual tombola in support of the charity Barka in Slovenia and speeches, poetry and music.

Ticket prices are £33 for members, £35 for non-members, £23 for fulltime students and free for members aged over 80 (a donation of £10 would be welcomed).

An application form for tickets can be obtained from Anica Page, 7 Hampton, Great
Holm, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK8 9EP and forms should be returned by no later
than Saturday, 2nd February 2013.

Jan 10

Ana Šinkovec – Piano Concert

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Slovene pianist Ana Šinkovec will be performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor on Thursday 17th January 2013 at 7pm at St John’s, Smith Square, London.

A limited number of balcony seats for the concert is available on a first come first served basis. All requests must be made by Tuesday 15th. A donation of £20 is suggested.

Reservations by phone 020 7629 0228 (Lucy Cameron or Diana Langley)
More information about the concert: Paradisal Players
Dec 17

St. Nicholas visits Barka

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The British-Slovene Society supports Skupnost Barka, a community of people with special needs in Slovenia. Participants in this year’s carol service in London gathered £307.50 for the Barka community. A few days later St. Nicholas went to visit the community, as is customary in Slovenia, and brought presents for everybody. Here is a report of the group which organised the visit:

Kako lepo je prejeti darilo! … Še lepše pa je, če si ti tisti, ki obdariš drugega. S tem stavkom smo se mladi iz Gibanja Fokolarov tudi letos pridružili Miklavžu in njegovi ekipi, ki je želela obdariti osebe z motnjami v duševnem razvoju, ki prebivajo v Skupnosti Barka v Zbiljah.

Na Miklavžev večer se nas je tako zbralo kar nekaj; zavili smo darila in se nato skupaj s kombijem in še nekaj avtomobili odpeljali v smeri Gorenjske. V prostorih delavnic Skupnosti Barka so nas že komaj čakali, polni pričakovanja in z nasmehom na obrazu. Takoj smo zapeli nekaj pesmi in poklicali sv. Miklavža. Ta je obdaril prav vsakega – oskrbovance in tudi njihove spremljevalce. Najlepše je bilo videti veliko hvaležnost vseh teh oseb; darila so bila skromna, lahko bi rekli, da nič posebnega, a oni so izjemno cenili našo pozornost. Ko se je sv. Miklavž poslovil, smo skupaj preživeli še kar nekaj časa ob piškotih in toplem čaju, »Barkači« pa so nam tudi z velikim veseljem razkazali prostore njihovih delavnic in nam pokazali, s čim se vsakodnevno ukvarjajo.

Barka_Miklavz_foto Janez Strah_01 Barka_Miklavz_foto Janez Strah_04

Ana Praprotnik

Dec 08

British-Slovene Society fills church for Carol Service

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The London church of Saint Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe was filled by a throng of Britons and Slovenes celebrating Christmas with carols and Bible readings on Friday 7th December.

Wren’s church is hard to find among the City of London’s busy roads and little lanes leading down to the Thames, but this annual event organised by the British-Slovene Society attracts an increasing number of participants, young and old.

In a service conducted by the Reverend Guy Treweek, the London Renaissance Singers sang in English and impeccable Slovene. Members of the congregation read the Bible’s nine traditional accounts of Christmas in both languages. All joined in singing the familiar carols in an elegant historical setting.

Then the congregation repaired to the sacristy to catch up on news, drink Slovene wine (courtesy of the Embassy) and tuck into delicious potica cake, baked by Slovenes in Slovenia and England.

Participants contributed £307.50 to the Barka charity in Slovenia, which has long received support from the British-Slovene Society – and needs it all the more now due to Slovenia’s economic difficulties.

Nov 27

Pre-Christmas reception for Slovenian students at the Embassy

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by Andreas Iskra, student of Chemistry at University College London

The Slovenian Embassy held its traditional pre-Christmas reception on 21st of November for Slovenian students and recent graduates in the UK. The students were greeted by ambassador  Iztok Jarc and by Tine Murn, head of the Information Office of the Slovenian Tourist Board in London.

Ambassador Jarc presented the work of the Embassy, and declared that Slovenia takes great pride in having very successful students studying overseas. The guests were then invited to enjoy some traditional dishes of Slovenian cuisine accompanied by carefully chosen wine – all of which are greatly missed by students studying away from home!

Familiarity with English language, together with the quality of the higher education in the UK, mean that more and more Slovenian students are coming to study across the Channel. London in particular, as one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities hosting several world-class universities, is becoming increasingly popular for Slovenian students who decide to expand their horizons by study abroad.

Social events like this provide an excellent opportunity for socialising and making new contacts among Slovenian students. Those acquaintances might prove extremely valuable when this generation of young and talented people returns to the homeland or moves around the world also working for the benefit of Slovenia.

Nov 26

Shirlie Roden’s 20 years of singing in Slovenia

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Trustee Shirlie Roden celebrated twenty years of singing and performing in Slovenia with a joint party up at Ljubljana castle earlier this month together with Shirlie’s long-standing friend and concert organizer, Natasa Kogoj who was celebrating her 50th birthday. The party, which began with champagne at 7pm, continued until 2 am with dancing and partying, and Shirlie performed two sets of her own music, much of which has been inspired by her visits to and love of Slovenia. Guests included the new British-Slovene Society chairman David Lloyd (who strongly supported Shirlie and her music during his time as British Ambassador in Slovenia), Dragan Bulic (who has played Shirlie’s songs on Radio Slovenija since her first visit in 1992), Janos Kern (from Imago Sloveniae who is helping Shirlie with her proposed Simply Slovenia orchestral project), Mitja Mersol, France Kek, Andreja Pecek (who commissioned Shirlie’s Slovene autobiography for Mladinska Knjiga), Angelina Premdehar (who filmed the RTV documentary on Shirlie ‘Ambasadorka Luci’) and many, many friends. ‘I was overwhelmed by the warmth and love’, said Shirlie. ‘But then this is Slovenia! It was wonderful to sing my Zeleni Zmaj song in the castle overlooking Ljubljana – the city of love.’ Her favourite present that night, celebrating twenty years of singing all around the country? ‘A large box full of motovilec (lamb’s lettuce)!’