Academic Choir France Prešeren, Kranj
History
Established in a high school in Kranj by its first conductor Matevž Fabjan in 1969, the choir was initially known as the Academic Chamber Choir. It performed at festivals and competitions in Italy, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Israel, and Sweden. Under the guidance of Tomaž Faganel, its conductor from 1981 to 1991 and from 1996 to 2000, the choir was four times the laureate at the Slovene choir competition in Maribor. From 2000 to 2010 the choir was successfully conducted by Primož Kerštanj. Since 2010 conductor Matej Penko leads the choir.
Competitions and prizes
In 2003 and 2005 the choir received the second place prize at the Naša pesem Choir Competition in Maribor. At the International Choir Competition in Bremen (Germany) in 2004, it received prizes in the category of gospel music and a first place prize in 2005 at the International Choir Competition Svatski pisni in Olomouc (Czech Republic). In 2010 the choir performed in Helsinki (Finland) and also took part in the International Choir Competition in St Petersburg (Russia).
Programme
The choir's repertoire includes a wide array of classical music works, ranging from the renaissance period to some contemporary pieces. In the 1990s, the choir performed many important choral works, including J. Sandström's Gloria under the direction of Gary Graden, John Rutter's choral works, and pieces by C. Monteverdi, I. Gallus, R. Vaughan-Williams, E. Rautavaara under the direction of Eric Ericson, including works by Slovene composers such as Lojze Lebič and Marij Kogoj. In 2011 the choir participated in the rendition of Mahler's 8th symphony conducted by Valery Gergiev at the opening of the Ljubljana Festival.
The choir's repertoire in recent years mostly consists of Slovene and foreign folk songs as well as gospel music. Its varied programme also includes some sacred music and adaptations of musicals, such as Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as adaptations of pop songs, such as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. To commemorate the choir's 40th anniversary a CD was released, containing a compilation of Slovene folk songs.