Classical Artač or a concert experience promising lots of quality music and laughter

LIVE PLOUGHSHARE AND TILEN PLOUGHSHARE
Renowned conductor and master of imitation join forces in a musical project

Classical Artač or a concert experience promising lots of quality music and laughter

In the coming weeks, the cultural halls of thirteen Slovenian towns will be treated to a special concert experience. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra has invited the versatile Tilín Artač to join them, and the Classical Artač project has been born. A master of transformation and imitation, and above all an academically trained musician, he will be making his debut as a conductor, taking over the baton from the internationally renowned conductor and artistic director of the orchestra Živa Ploj Peršuh.

At the start of the tour in Slovenia, we spoke to both artists, Živa Ploj Peršuh and Tilno Artač, who revealed some juicy details about the project, Tilno's joy in the new challenge and the young musicians who deserve their chance.

Classic Artač! Sounds pompous, how would you describe your new project?
Alive: This is a concert tour in which the Slovenian Youth Orchestra has joined forces with the extraordinary Tilno Artač. Our orchestra aims to bring classical music to a wider audience, especially to families and young listeners. When looking for ideas on how to get as close as possible to our purpose, we quickly came up with the idea of working with Tiln Artač.
Tilen: Classic Artac! (laughs)

Tilen, what is your role in this project, what will you do this time?
Tilen: I will be the conductor! I have tried my hand at many challenges in my career, but I have never stood in front of an orchestra as a conductor. I am at home in classical music, having been involved in the session from an early age. I have been a member of an orchestra, a soloist, I have stood on the sidelines of an orchestra as a moderator on several occasions, but I have never commanded an orchestra. I am looking forward to this challenge, I like new things. I believe that we will enjoy our work and make people all over Slovenia smile with our performances.

"I have tried many challenges in my career, but I have never stood in front of an orchestra as a conductor. I have been a member of an orchestra, a soloist, I have stood on the sidelines of an orchestra as a moderator, but I have never commanded an orchestra." Tilen Artač

How well did you two get on? They've probably known each other for a few years, right?
Live: I met Tilno more than ten years ago, when we worked together in our Festine concert series and Festinice family concerts. At that time he was our cellist and also our moderator. And even then he was able to fill the room with his relaxed and positive energy, so he was actually the natural and best choice for our project this time. And I really don't regret it, we really hit it off well.
Tilen: True, we have known each other for a long time. We have great energy, the rehearsals are exhausting, and Ziva is my mentor for conducting and orchestra management. I have quite a difficult task, so a good relationship is essential. Although our paths haven't crossed much in recent years, I've kept up with what Ziva is doing with her orchestra. They are really impressive, so I was happy to accept the invitation, not least to support these young people on their musical journey and to help take their work across the country.

The tour will take place in 13 Slovenian cities. Where can fans, viewers and listeners catch you all?
Alive: We started the Classical Artač tour this week in Braslovce and we will finish it on 9 October in the Auditorium in Portorož. In between we will stop in Laško, Lendava, Rogaška Slatina, Postojna, Sežana and Ljubljana, where we will play two concerts. The October part of the tour will start in Maribor on 3 October, then we will visit Krško, Žalec, Velenje, Zagorje ob Savi, and as mentioned before, we will finish the tour in Portorož on 9 October. In total, we will visit 13 Slovenian cities.

"The purpose of our orchestra is to bring classical music to a wider audience, especially to families and young listeners. At the same time, it gives musicians a first-hand experience of all aspects of life as a professional musician." Živa Ploj Peršuh

Can you give us some details about the concert programme?
Alive: Our aim in preparing the programme was to create a programme that would not only bring audiences back to the halls, but also connect them more closely to the performers on stage in a creative moment. It will be a little bit of everything, but above all it will be a concert that will break down the stereotypes of classical music and offer an evening full of laughter and superb melodies. So, this will be a concert tour like never before.
Tilen: We will offer something for everyone. We predict a walk through an evergreen repertoire of eternal classics, as well as local and international hits. The audience will undoubtedly encounter classical music in a very relaxed and easy way. In the repertoire, you can expect classics such as the eternal hit of the New Year concerts Radetzky's Chorale, A Little Night Music, Nessun dorma and many others on a comic journey through the musical range.

But have you rehearsed enough to be ready to step on the conducting podium?
Tilen: I hope so! (laughs) But of course I expect the understanding and support of the orchestra. I hope that young, talented musicians will not take me off the stage as a conductor. I am aware that I will not be Riccardo Muti, I will be Riccardo Malmuti (laughs).

How would you introduce the Slovenian Youth Orchestra to someone who may not have heard of it before?
Alive: It is a national youth symphony orchestra - a project of cooperation, enthusiasm and a vision for the future, bringing together Slovenian musicians aged 16 to 26. It gives them the chance and the opportunity to achieve great results, to stand on big stages and to play with top professional musicians. The orchestra has been in continuous operation since 2019, when it was founded in cooperation with international and national partners, and in 2022 it was accepted as a full member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras.
Tilen: The Slovenian Youth Orchestra also aims to bridge the gap between formal education and the reality of the music profession...
Alive: ... exactly, and it is the only project of its kind in Slovenia. The Slovenian Youth Orchestra gives young musicians a first-hand experience of all aspects of life as a professional musician - from auditioning to selecting projects, rehearsing and performing on the most prestigious stages at home and abroad.

The project is also important in terms of connecting Slovenian musicians, peers who are educated in Slovenia and those who are educated and working abroad. In the Classical Artač project you collaborate with Tilno Artač, in the aforementioned film music concert you joined forces with Marcel Štefančič Jr. With whom have you already collaborated and with whom would you like to collaborate in the future?
Alive: In the past, we have collaborated with Vlad Kreslin, Ute Lemper, Balladero, Masayah, Katalena, Jadranska Juras and some other world-renowned soloists from Slovenia and abroad. There are many aspirations for the future, but let them remain a secret for now. However, as we believe that the sky is the limit, I believe that we will collaborate with many more local and international artists.

"Classical Artač will be a walk through an evergreen repertoire of eternal classics, as well as local and international hits. The audience will undoubtedly encounter classical music in a very relaxed and easy way." Tilen Artač