SLOVENA VOICES: Zvezdana Novaković and Roya Quartet (Slovenia, Croatia, Poland)
Zvezdana Novaković, vocals, harp, electronics (loopers), compositions
Petra Horvat, soprano saxophone
Weronika Pertyka, alto saxophone
Betka Bizjak Kotnik, tenor saxophone
Jovana Joka, baritone saxophone
The Slovena Voices experience is more than just listening to music. In this vocal-instrumental blend of pure, authentic sound, the listener can feel an intense encounter of classical and ancient tradition deep inside. The musicians will invite you to follow them back to the time when the traditional music of Slavic cultures was born. The voice and saxophone occasionally become traditional instruments, such as the gadulka or gaida playing a wedding dance song … a new world will also be opened by the subdued sound of a harp joining the voice, or the sonic landscape created by adding electronic effects to traditional music. In Slovena Voices, the contemporary classical composition is intertwined with jazz harmony, while the timeless song of the ancestors flirts with modern open voice improvisation and other peculiarities of various Slavic and Balkan cultures.
Zvezdana Novaković is a Slovenian artist who explores the limits of her musical and performative expression within traditional folk, jazz, classical, and electronic music, and the performing arts. Her musical language is influenced by the tradition of the Slavic and Balkan countries and the technique of the open voice of the throat, which is a mixture of her own expression combined with improvisation. She learned folk songs from her Serbian and Slovenian grandmothers, and perfected her knowledge of Bulgarian folk singing with her Master’s degree in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In search of a resonant singing of open voices, she set out to explore other folk songs of Slavic and Balkan cultures too. She has collaborated and learned from authentic singers from Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia, Poland, Croatia, and Slovenia. The product of five years of research is the Slovena Voices project, in which her new compositions of folk songs resonate.
Roya Quartet is a unique ensemble of female saxophonists with a distinct multicultural identity, lively temperament and charisma, driven by a desire for bold, individual artistic expression and transcending boundaries in music. The musicians were joined by a love of classical saxophone and chamber music, and a desire to present to the general public a top-level classical saxophone repertoire in a unique ensemble such as the female saxophone quartet. Members come from different countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Poland) and cultural backgrounds, which has inspired them to explore the roots, traditions, and folk music of different regions. In their projects, by searching for different musical genres and forms of expression, they retreat to the established paths of their musical instruments. This is how their annual Ladies Night event came about, where the quartet has so far presented the Ladies go Tango program in collaboration with Quatro por Tango and Argentine composer Fernando Musler, and Village Ladies in collaboration with singer Zvezdana Novaković and composers from Croatia, Poland, and Slovenia. The recordings of the quartet complemented CDs by composers Nina Šenk (Art), Anne Marie Huszcza (wydziviAnka), and Zvezdana Novaković (Slovena Voices). The quartet has given solo concerts at festivals in Croatia, Poland, France, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Admission free.
Due to safety measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections, all visitors must wear protective facemasks, disinfect their hands regularly, and observe a safety distance of at least 1.5 m. To ensure safety, we kindly ask all visitors to strictly follow the instructions. If you suspect that you have come in contact with the coronavirus or are showing typical signs of the disease, do not attend the event. Let’s take care of ourselves and our loved ones.
