Imago Sloveniae
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24 Jul 2024
A live performance by the Italian-Slovenian classical pianist Alexander Gadjiev, German-Israeli pianist[Ido Ramot and Busan-born pianist, composer and virtuoso Jonghwa Park. The new EU funded "Festival Prečkanja - Sconfinamenti" is the brainchild of Alexander Gadjiev, who is also the festival's program director. The festival was made possible by the collaboration between Glasbena Matica in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Imago Sloveniae.
at the Festival Prečkanja - Sconfinamenti
Concept and background
The project was initiated by the musician and pedagogue Primož Lorenz (1942–2007), along with some other members of the Ljubljana civil society. They started setting up events in order to revive the Ljubljana old town centre, but it was not long before the project spread outside the local area.
Imago Sloveniae currently collaborates with 25 Slovene municipalities and towns, and utilises this network to bring high-quality culture to the smaller, peripheral towns. Other aims of the project are revitalisation of architectural heritage, the discovery of new sites for cultural events (open air, unusual venues in the streets, courtyards, churches, museums) and free accessibility. The latter means that almost all of their events are accessible for free.
The festivals
Imago Sloveniae organises several festivals and cycles: Summer Imago Sloveniae Festival goes from June till September and is spaced around the whole of Slovenia. Summer in Ljubljana Old Town is its Ljubljana sub-part, is co-organised with the still active Society for the Revitalisation of the Cultural Image of the Old City Centre and lasts from June till the middle of August. The Jazz Stage is a further sub-part of this and lasts from June till August, taking place at the Gornji Trg square.
Nights in Ljubljana Old Town is a more condensed and samostoječa thing, lasting only for a few last few days of August. Winter in Ljubljana Old Town takes place in December and is again co-organised with the Society for the Revitalisation of the Cultural Image of the Old City Centre.
International projects
Imago Sloveniae organised the European Music Summer 2009, a project supported by the EU Culture Programme (2007–2013). 73 concerts of music (early music, ethno, jazz) were performed by around 970 musicians from 17 European countries and took place at architectural heritage sites in Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.