Seviqc
History
The Brežice Festival was established in 1982 by Ars Ramovš, who is the founder, organiser and producer of the annual event. Since 2007 has run under the name SEVIQC Brežice (abbreviation for Semper viva quam creata).
? The SEVIQC Brežice Festival is funded by the Ministry of Culture, municipalities, patrons and sponsors.
Venues
All the festival venues are part of Slovenia's architectural and cultural heritage, mostly castles at the Dolenjska region.
Programme
The Festival connects high-quality international Early Music practitioners with their counterparts from Slovenia. The main objective of the festival is to promote the revival of the Early Music scene in Slovenia. Other aims included stimulating cultural tourism, developing Early Music departments at Slovene conservatories and the Academy of Music, contributing to a higher level of professional music, and forming a European artistic, educational, and research centre for Early Music. The programme premieres new and authentic material, carefully chosen to promote the diversity of European early music, from the late Middle Ages right up to the beginning of the 20th century. In doing so, the programme breaks all taboos surrounding Early Music, giving it an insightful and honest platform and bringing in new audiences every time. It is a programme aimed specifically at the public but also enjoys a high reputation amongst professional music critics and audiences. The festival also encourages young Slovene artists and musicologists to study, research, and perform Early Music.
Radio Slovenia records most of the concerts of the Festival and since 1997 has also presented festival recordings throughout the year (Banchetto Musicale: Brežice after Brežice). One or two concerts a year are recorded for Slovenia's national television station Televizija Slovenija.
The 11th SEVIQC Brežice Festival of 2007 featured 50 concerts of music composed between the Middle Ages and the beginning of 20th century and was held between 6 July and 18 August 2007 at 29 Slovene castles and churches, as well as in some Italian and Polish cities. The official part of the festival opened in the Dolenjska Museum, Novo mesto, where Spanish ensemble MUSIca AlcheMIca played compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann, while it wrapped up with a concert at Turjak Castle. The 2007 Festival featured artists from Spain, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Cuba, France and the UK.
International cooperation
Since its inception in the 80s the festival has incorporated international cultural elements that are still relevant today. Each year the festival is organised in partnership with a national partner; previous partner countries were: in 2000 Great Britain; in 2001 the Netherlands; in 2002 the Czech Republic; in 2003 the European Union; in 2004 the Netherlands; in 2005 France; in 2006 Italy; and in 2007 Spain.
Radio Slovenia exchanges these recordings through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).