Events

The British-Slovene Society’s annual Prešeren dinner in London on 8 February was livelier than ever. Over 110 people participated, many of them students and young professionals. Shirlie Roden and Zoran Predin created a lovely atmosphere with their singing, and Prešeren’s poems were recited with great passion and drama.

The Slovene actress Barbara Predin, who flew in specially for the occasion, gave a magical recitation of  Prešeren’s The Water Man.

With the sale of raffle tickets, we collected £343 for the Barka charity we support. The first prize, a washing machine donated by Gorenje, went to Lisa (left, below). She was very happy. For more pictures see Gallery.

We kindly invite you to our Annual Dinner at which we honour the great Slovene poet FRANCE  PREŠEREN on Saturday 8th February 2014 at HOTEL RUSSELL, Russell Square, London WC1B 5BE (Nearest stations Russell Square, Holborn, Euston). Drinks from 6.30 pm, dinner at 7.20 pm.

We are delighted that Shirlie Roden and the Slovenia’s leading singer and song writer Zoran Predin and his actress wife Barbara Predin will be performing for us.

M E N U     

 Starter

Chicken liver parfait, red onion jam, sourdough bread

Vegetarian alternative

Main Course

Braised pork shank, creamed potato and wholegrain mustard sauce

Vegetarian alternative

Dessert

Fruit mess

Potica

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Tea/coffee and Chocolate Mints

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Half a bottle of wine per person (courtesy of the Slovenian Embassy)

Price (including welcome drink):  £37 for members, £45 for non-members, £25 for fulltime students. Free for members over 80 (a donation would be welcomed).

Capacity is restricted – by reservation only. If you wish to make up your own party, please nominate a host who will book the table in his/her name. Please advise if you have any dietary requirements. In order to avoid disappointment, please complete the attached application form and return it to the address below no later than Saturday, 1st February 2013 and make your payment. We cannot guarantee places for applications received after this date. You should assume that paid-for places have been reserved for you unless you hear from us to the contrary. No tickets will be issued.

A tombola will be held and the proceeds donated to Barka charity.

Please print out and fill in the Application form for Annual Dinner 8 February 2014, and return it either by post or email.

If you wish, you can pay through PayPal below.

Slovenian soprano Sabina Cvilak will perform Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem at Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 10 November  at 7 p.m.

For more information see https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/britten-war-requiem/

The Ljubljana International Orchestra will perform on Monday 25 November at St John’s Smith Square, London SW1P 3HA at 7.30 p.m.

Programme:

The Ljubljana International Orchestra is part of the Branimir Slokar Academy. It comprises 82 young musicians from 20 countries. Playing in this orchestra enables outstanding young musicians to gain the invaluable experience of playing in a symphony orchestra and working with distinguished professors, conductors and soloists.

The London concert of The Ljubljana International Orchestra will be part of the celebration of Emona 2000 marking 2 millennia of the existence of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The concert will be attended by Zoran Janković, the mayor of Ljubljana.

For more information see: https://www.sjss.org.uk/events/ljubljana-international-orchestra

Bring your children on Saturday 9 November at 10:15am to Coram Fields Children Centre, 93 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1DN to listen to Marika Mihelčič tell her children’s stories inspired by growing up among Slovenia’s mountains and forests.

Marika tells her stories to children all over Slovenia, and now she is coming to England to do the same for boys and girls from 1 to 4 years of age who understand some Slovene.

She writes and tells her tales in Slovene, and they are currently being translated into English. Eventually, families will be able to enjoy the same story in two languages.

Marika spent her childhood in a large wooden house nestling on the green slopes of the Pohorje mountain, amid fields, streams and the smells of forests. She ran around with her brothers and friends, played games … and invented stories.

Until her retirement, she worked with deaf children, who were deprived of the pleasure of bedtime stories. Now she sits again in a cosy log cabin and conjures up new tales to enchant the little ones. She seeks to entertain and caress children, turn their eyes towards nature, arouse their feelings, question ambiguities and develop their creative curiosity.

Bring your own children to join her on 9 November in an enchanted world.

Once upon a time …

Andy Murray may have won Wimbledon on 7th July, but the main news that day is that record numbers turned out in glorious weather for the annual picnic of the British-Slovene Society at the Oxford University Arboretum.

Some 60 people spent up to five hours enjoying perfect picnic conditions on carefully mown grass next to the traditional Slovene kozolec (hayrack), which was a gift of the new Slovenian state to Britain some 20 years ago. Staff at the Arboretum even stacked grass to dry on the kozolec – a much appreciated gesture.

The sun shone, the drinks and food gradually disappeared, balls were kicked, discs thrown and peacocks chased. Young and old chatted and lay back in the welcome shade offered by the trees of the Arboretum. The last picnickers only left when the park closed for the day.

Lisa travelled all the way from South Wales. On her left Francis King who arranged for the kozolec to come to the Arboretum.

Ambassador Iztok Jarc came with his family.

Slovene singing at the picnic: MOV06682

More pictures in the gallery.