Untitled

Voices of Europe
CERE M O N I A L G A L A CO N CER T A T T H E CO M M E N CE M E N T
OF S L O V A K I A ’ S PRESI D E N C Y OF T H E EU
J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 6 M A I N S Q U A RE , B R A T IS L A V A
A I M OF T H E PRO J EC T
In July 2016 Slovakia will take over its historic first half-yearly presidency of the European
Union and will be the face and voice of the EU in its various areas of activity throughout
the following six months. The presidency means prestige for the country, but it is also one
of the demanding duties involved in its EU membership. At the same time it brings an
opportunity to present and give visibility to Slovakia and a chance to make the European
project more attractive in our country, where interest in European affairs is least among all
the member states (as proved by the historically lowest participation in the elections to the
European Parliament in 2014, which was recorded here in Slovakia).
On this occasion a ceremonial gala concert entitled “Voices
of Europe” will be held on July 2, 2016 in the Main Square
in Bratislava. It will feature a large mixed choir composed of
artists from all 28 member countries of the EU, accompanied by a symphony orchestra led by the Slovak conductor
Jozef Chabroň, currently choirmaster of the Slovak Philharmonic Choir. The ceremonial gala concert will be preceded
by a week-long assembly and trial process in Bratislava, during which all participating artists will meet and rehearse the
programme created specially for this occasion. The audience
in the Main Square on July 2, 2016 will therefore hear not
merely well-known and less well-known European melodies
but also 24 national languages, and through video materials projected onto a large-scale LED screen they will make
acquaintance with the countries of the entire EU in a unique
and original manner.
I N SPIR A T IO N
This idea was inspired by the EU motto “United in Diversity” (Lat. In varietate concordia), which symbolises the combination of Europeans in the form of the EU with the aim
of living in peace and prosperity and using the advantages
of the difference of cultures, traditions and languages in the
European continent. In the gala concert each of the 28 countries of the EU will therefore be represented not only by its
artists but also by a single song (folk, art or national; not,
however, an anthem) which is typical of that country and
which will be heard in the original language. The concert
will conclude with Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (4th movement
of Symphony No. 9 in D minor, to a text by Schiller), which
has been the EU’s official anthem since 1985 (performed
without the text) and through music as a universal language
comprehensible to all symbolises the ideals of unity, harmony and solidarity which are common to all Europe. Slovakia
will be represented by the song “How Beautiful You Are To
Me”, which was composed by Eugen Suchoň.
artists from the 28
MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE EU
28 SONGS typical of each country
24 national LANGUAGES
symphony orchestra conducted by JOZEF
CHABROŇ
OPENING CONCERT of the 12th annual Viva Musica! Festival
OPE N I N G CO N CER T OF T H E 1 2 th
A N N U A L V I V A M USIC A ! FES T I V A L
The ceremonial gala concert will be simultaneously the
opening concert of the 12th annual Viva Musica! International Music Festival. The Viva Musica! Festival was established in 2005 with the aim of creating a summer festival
with truly valuable artistic content. From its first year it has
offered people the best of classical music performed by elite
artists from home and abroad, while at the same time its concerts provide unforced enjoyment, without the formal dress
and the so-called “cultivated” tedium which people might
have anticipated at a performance of classical music... The
Festival has successfully established itself as the major international summer music festival in Bratislava and its popularity grows from year to year.
Entry to the concert will be free. Currently talks are proceeding with RTVS, which has expressed interest in recording and broadcasting the concert.
J o z e f C H A B RO Ň
Jozef Chabroň studied choral conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.
Since 2006 he has held positions in the Slovak Philharmonic Choir (SFZ), first as assistant
to the principal choirmaster Blanka Juhaňáková and from the 2013/2014 season as choirmaster of SFZ, with which he has rehearsed many vocal-instrumental works. During his
tenure in SFZ he has collaborated with many highly-reputed conductors, including D. Gatti, P. Schreier, E. Villaume, S. Baudo, F. Haider, L. Svárovský, P. Altrichter, R. Štúr and Ch.
Campestrini, among others. The most important artistic achievement in his artistic career
hitherto has been the complete rehearsal with SFZ of one of the most demanding operas:
Schönberg’s Moses and Aaron for the Opera in Zurich, whose premiere was held in May
2011 under the baton of the legendary conductor Christoph von Dohnányi. Jozef Chabroň
has also collaborated with the Viennese State Opera (Tannhäuser, Khovanshchina, etc.), the
Richard Wagner Festival in Wels (Tannhäuser), etc. In the current season his planned performances include a further collaboration with the Viennese State Opera, concerts in Paris
and Hamburg, and a ceremonial a cappella concert in Bratislava on the occasion of the 70th
anniversary of the founding of SFZ.
P r o p o s al f o r C o llab o r at i o n
lfinancial
contribution to the sum of €2,000, aimed at covering the costs associated
with the artists’ performance
l proposal of five songs (unofficial “anthem” with which the country identifies)
l representative videomaterial of the country (up to 5 min.) on LED background
Pa r tn e r ’ s C o mm i tm e nt
lpresentation
of partners in promo materials, web, FB “Voices of Europe”, audio message
of thanks before concert
l 2 VIP places for each institute or embassy
V I V A M USIC A A G E N C Y !
Viva Musica! Agency is an art agency specialising in original musical productions, whose
aim is not “buying and selling” readymade projects but rather the creation of its own musical concepts. Its most important projects include the accompanying programme for the
International Summit of NATO, the ceremonial opening of the Eurovea urban complex,
the Tatra Bank Foundation Prizes for Art, the Opera Ball, Karel Gott Best Tour 2012, the
Advent Slovakia cycle of televised concerts, and many more. Apart from that, the agency
regularly carries out projects of its own. for example the Under My Spell gala concerts in
Vienna (Stephansdom), Budapest (St. Stephen’s Basilica) and Prague (St. Vitus Cathedral)
on the occasion of the 12th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in November 2014, the
tour project Edge – Homage to Marek Brezovský, Viva Opera!, Viva Konzerva!, Folklore
Symphony, Jana Kirschner Symphony Session, Korben Dallas Symphony, Fragile Queen
Symphony, Viva Cinema!, and many others. Its core projects include the Viva Musica! Festival, which was established in 2005 and currently ranks among the largest international
music festivals in Slovakia, and the Viva Choir! project carried out during the school year
2012/2013 in selected elementary schools in Bratislava. From 2014 the agency has also
engaged in publishing : in 2014, under the heading of Viva Musica! Records, the agency
released profile CDs by the world-reputed Slovak tenor Pavol Bršlík and the Hugo Kauder
Trio. Currently it is preparing to issue three further CDs: a profile CD by the Slovak mezzosoprano Jana Kurucová, a profile CD by the Slovak bass Štefan Kocán, and a live CD
from an exceptionally successful concert by Fragile Queen Symphony, which was part of
the last Viva Musica! festival.
T H A N K Y OU FOR Y OUR A T T E N T IO N
In the event that you are interested in partnership, please contact the management
of Viva Musica! Festival at the telephone number + 421 911 265 455
or by email: [email protected]