„Born to Play Trumpet“ – The Slovenian Youth Orchestra and its efforts to integrate Ukrainian refugees.
A reportage by Milenca Stepišnik from Celje, As part of the project „Jugend schreibt“ (Youth writes) with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/FAZ. Following discussions with the founder and director, Živa Ploj Peršuh, the Ukrainian trumpeter Sasha Hrim, and, amongst other things, observations at a pre-Christmas concert rehearsal involving 35 young people – ten of whom were from Ukraine – who were professionally trained and, precisely for that reason, comfortable conversing in a common language, performing works by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Strauss, Vivaldi and others. But also with the musician and comedian Tilen Artač, in his role as the orchestra’s conductor, and thus also with musical acrobatics set to frozen food jingles, the ‘Anton von Tirol’ in a classical arrangement, and Slavko Avsenik’s ‘Trompetenecho’ (‘Na Golici’) as an unexpected, if inevitable, interlude. The reportage was supported by the Municipality of Celje; Project management/Photos: INSTITUT DISCIMUS LAB.
