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Reflections on Friendship in Austria

Impressions of the Austrian opera Credits: Paula Marschalek

Behind the scenes. Musicville. A Story of Being. Reflections on Friendship

Behind the scenes – A Gallery Credits: Karola Sakotnig, Susanne Weitlaner & Paula Marschalek

Path of Friendship

In Austria, the second act of the opera entitled “Reflections on Friendship” took place on September 28, 2024 at 17:00 in the Pavel House, Pavlova hiša, the cultural center of the Slovenian minority in Styria in Bad Radkersburg. The starting point of the experience is a walk from the city center to the venue, accompanied […]

WHAT IS MUSICVILLE?

Musicville is a project between Slovenia, Croatia and Austria running from 2023 until end of 2024  that aims to transform the classical European musical form of Opera into a new, innovative, and creative collaboration inspired by environmental awareness, nature, local crafts, and traditions. At the heart of the project are sustainable, participatory and interdisciplinary artistic practices with the aim  of activating different communities and audiences.

IT STRIVES TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

How can resources and knowledge from the field of art and sustainability be combined? How can  contemporary cultural production be presented in rural areas? How can artists be helped to create  new business opportunities while protecting the environment?

It provides a framework for connecting an international group of artists of different disciplines  (music, theatre, architecture, visual arts, design, performance…) to work together with the local  expert communities (agriculture, arts & crafts), environmental professionals, and cultural, and  scientific experts.

The idea behind the project is to improve the resilience and well-being of artists by learning new skills in a practical and peerto-peer approach, enabling artists to collaborate with young and experienced  professionals from a variety of artistic and non-artistic backgrounds to create new and unexpected  venues for contemporary music production and presentation.

FINAL PRESENTATION – GREEN EUROPEAN OPERA

Our final events are coming soon – Musicville schedule:

MUSICVILLE – THE GREEN EUROPEAN OPERA / Story of Being in three acts and three countries: An impressive, comprehensive, immersive musical experience. 
31.08.2024: Nude stories
19:00, Museum of Madness, Cmurek Castle, Trate (Slovenia)
28.09.2024: Reflections on Friendship
17:00 meeting point Pavelhaus, shuttle to the city center Bad Radkersburg, walk through city center Bad Radkersburg / 19:30, performance at Pavelhaus, Laafeld (Austria)
04.10.2024: Monument of Tenderness
18:00 – 21:00, Monument to the Uprising of the People of Bania and Kordun, Veliki Petrovac, Petrova Gora
05.10.2024. – 10:00, Performative walk, Rimski put mountain trail (beginning at Muljava hunting lodge), Petrova Gora (Croatia)

Green European Opera is the final presentation of the collaboration between artists/participants and  mentors, and the merging of all events during the project. The opera is presented through a series of  three audio/visual performances in a smaller rural places of the partner countries (Austria, Slovenia,  Croatia) which are formed into an opera in three acts and bring together artists from different isciplines  and cultural backgrounds. One of the important goals is to contribute to the development of tourism  and refreshment of the economic and social life of rural areas.

This project is commissioned by the European Union.

OPEN CALL – CLOSED

More then 40 international artists applied and the jury had a really hard job selecting a group of 15 to be part of the story. The selected artists are:

Slovenia

  • Ana Pečar – visual artist, video, installations
  • Alja Petric – vocal, atmospheric soundscapes (gongs, bowls..)
  • Sara Korošec – vocal, soundscapes, electronic music
  • Staša Prah – story, dramaturgy
  • Bharath Ranganathan – traditional Indian instruments, musicology

 

 

Austria

  • Camilo Andres Latorre Contreras – composer, writer
  • Aaron Koop – graphic designer, restaurateur, set design
  • Gregor Piskernik – visionary dancer, performance maker
  • Zsuzsanna Szula – visual artist
  • Ernst Grieshofer – musician

Croatia

  • Anja Makdić Japundžić – theatre director
  • Josipa Slaviček – architecture
  • Marta Dolenčić – set design, printmaking, puppets
  • Rajnard Hraščanec – opera singer, musician
  • Manuela Pauk – sculpturer

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT ENTAIL?

1. STUDY VISITS

September & October 2023 Selected participants will participate in the 3-day study visits to three  countries (Slovenia, Austria, Croatia). The study visits will thematically follow the concept of the  project, focusing on land art, site-specific installations, research approaches and interdisciplinarity.  Their main objective is to determine the sites of artistic research and final performances.

2. ONLINE WORK

November 2023 – June 2024 Considering the international aspect of the project, participants will work together with  their mentors in a series of online lectures, workshops and meetings, in order to develop the concept  for the final production.

3. ART RESIDENCIES AND FINAL PRESENTATIONS

August, September, October 2024 Musicville’s residency program brings participants and their  mentors together in three rural locations in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia. Lasting up to 10 days per  location depending on the specific tasks, they serve as an exchange of ideas, experiences and artistic  expressions of the participants, merging them into a coherent whole. The residency program  culminates in the final performance of one act of the opera in each country.

LOCATIONS

SLOVENIA

The Museum of Madness in Trate

Life in Cmurek Castle, which lies on the banks of Mura River, on the border between Austria and Slovenia, has been ongoing since the 12th century. Between 1949 and 2004 it has been an asylum for mentally ill and since 2013, the castle has turned into the Museum of Madness, a civil society organization, which preserves historical layers and testimonies from the institution’s time.

AUSTRIA

Mura-Drava-Danube und Vulkanland

The part of South-Eastern Styria between “Pavlova hiša” and “Die Klause” bridges a landscape from the river Mur to the river Raab. With active Volcanoes in ancient times, hot springs today, it’s always been a cultural meeting point. The past 30 years it has been developing a new identity based on agriculture, excellent craft, tourism, and arts.

CROATIA

Vojnić, Petrova Gora

Petrova Gora is a mountain range in Karlovac County. It represents a unique forest ecosystem whose main feature is great stability and durability. This mountain massif is an exceptional habitat for a large number of plant and animal species. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved mountain wooded landscapes in Croatia.

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TIMETABLE SLOVENIA AUSTRIA CROATIA
Open call 15. May – 15. June 2023
Online lectures 30. 5. 2023 – June 2024
Study visits 13.–15. October 2023 15.–17. September 2023 27.– 29. October 2023
Art residencies August 2024 September 2024 October 2024
Final events – The Green European Opera August 2024 September 2024 October 2024

CREATIVE DIRECTION

VASKO ATANASOVSKI | SLOVENIA

Atanasovski is a composer, musician, producer and art manager from  Maribor.

“Musicville inspires and challenges me. In my work I’m always  interested in researching, inventing and creating something new,  relevant and extraordinary.

www.vaskoatanasovski.com

SARA RENAR | CROATIA

Renar is a musician and architect
from Zagreb.

“I see Musicville as an excellent platform for research and new artistic  practices. My advice for participants is to be open-minded and free- spirited, to listen and create.”

www.sararenar.com

KAROLA SAKOTNIK | AUSTRIA

is a culture developer, artistic director, culture manager, speaker and coach from Graz.

“Art touches people, inspires them and encourages them to address new directions. Musicville enables young artists to explore and express their own approach to it.”

www.karolasakotnik.com

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TEAM

Glasbarium Institute – project coordinator
Vasko Atanasovski, managing director, project manager
Katjuša Štingl, PR officer

Lab852, Croatia – beneficiary
Karmen Krasić Kožul – director / project manager / curator
Marija Kamber – coordinator / curator
Gabrijela Mamić – project assistant

Artikel-VII-Kulturverein für Steiermark – Pavelhaus
Kulturno društvo Clen 7 za avstrijsko Štajersko – Pavlova hiša, Austria – beneficiary
Susanne Weitlaner, president
Karola Sakotnik, project manager
Paula Marschalek, communication manager

PRESS CONTACT

For interview requests or if you have any questions, please contact the respective press contacts below.

Press Contact Slovenia
Katjuša Štingl, PR officer
ustvarizgodbo@gmail.com

Press Contact Croatia
Gabrijela Mamić, PR officer
mamic.gabrijela@gmail.com

Press Contact Austria
Paula Marschalek, communications manager
office@marschalek.art

LECTURES

Six renowed online lectures open to the general public.

Lectures from spheres closely related to the idea of Musicville:

  • → Sound and Environment
  • → Community and Audience
  • → Rethinking Opera