Vokalna akademija Ljubljana (VAL)
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11 Jul 2015
A concert by the Academic Choir Tone Tomšič, University of Ljubljana
and Vokalna akademija Ljubljana
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5 Jul 2015
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22 Jun 2013
15 Dec 2013
Polyphonea/Prosthetic Spaces, an interactive art installation produced by Ursula Lavrenčič and Auke Touwslager (Informationlab) also featuring a musical piece performed by the Vokalna akademija Ljubljana, in the framework of the exhibition Electric Conversations
Other prizes at competitions
In 2009 VAL won first places in each of the four categories as well as the Grand Prix in the 57th Guido d'Arezzo international polyphonic competition in Arezzo, Italy. In the following year VAL won the most prestigious award in choral singing, European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, which took place in Varna, Bolgaria. In September 2011 they won the Grand Prix at the competition in Aosta, Italy, where the competition took place for the first time.
Cooperation and international character
VAL is set up of experienced Slovene singers (former members of choirs like the Academic Choir Tone Tomšič, University of Ljubljana, the Ljubljana Madrigalists Chamber Choir, the Ave Chamber Choir etc.). In autumn 2011, they were invited on the renowned festival of vocal music Polyfollia in France. They cooperate and frequently perform with famous Slovene soloists: the pianist Mojca Prus, the soprano Martina Burger (also as a specialist for vocal technique), the cellists Urša Kržič, Kaja Kapus, and the mezzo-soprano Barbara Sorč. They also perform with world-renowned mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink, bass-baritone Marcos Fink and soprano Kristina Bitenc.
Programme
The choir's repertoire covers musical period from the baroque on; they sing a wide array of secular and sacred music as well as Slovene folk songs. When winning the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing 2010, VAL convinced the jury with works by Jacobus Gallus, Hrabroslav Volarič, Hugo Wolf, Lojze Lebič, Giovanni Bonato, and Ildebrando Pizzetti.
In July 2011 Vokalna akademija Ljubljana with soloists and instrumentalists presented Henry Purcell's baroque opera Dido and Aeneas. In December 2011 they presented a selection of solo and polyphonic motets by C. Monteverdi.
They have recently recorded an album, simply called VAL. Apart from the above-mentioned composers, the album also features works of Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Leoš Janaček, and Ambrož Čopi.
External links
- Vokalna akademija Ljubljana website
- European Grand Prix for Choral Singing on Wikipedia
- VAl album cover by Ursula Lavrenčič
- World Choral Summit 2012 brochure, pdf