The band Fake Orchestra has been active as a musical collective since 1997, with its more or less permanent members and guests including many top-class Slovenian musicians. They have performed at numerous important venues and celebrations in their homeland, as well as abroad, from Istanbul to New York.

They have recorded five albums in a variety of genres. At their now traditional December concert, they will present a selection of their favorite jazz repertoire.

Ana Vipotnik - vocals
Primož Fleischman - saxophone
Igor Leonardi - guitar
Aljoša Kavčič - piano
Tadej Kampl - bass
Lovro Bone - drums
Special guest: Lara Grbić - vocals

Nino Ošlak is preparing a unique concert experience to celebrate his 15-year career. The current winner of the Popevka music competition will release his fourth original album, titled Elektro-romantika, this fall. The versatile pop musician will perform solo for the first time at Cankarjev dom, and the concert will not only be a retrospective of his work but also a glimpse into the future.

Nino began developing his musical talent as a child and entered the world of popular music in his teenage years. In 2013, he released his first solo pop album titled Simfonija, and during his studies at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, he released two more solo pop albums. With several of his songs (Nekaj je na tebi, Rabim te, Ko si z mano...), he has become one of the most played domestic radio artists in recent years. In addition to new songs, some of his hits that have marked his first fifteen years of creation will also be performed in a special, more intimate way. For some songs, Nino will be joined on stage by specially selected guests, whom he prefers to keep as a surprise.

Nino Ošlak is considered one of the more charismatic and productive musicians of the younger generation, who captivates listeners of different generations with his exceptional interpretation and stylistically diverse musical ideas. Nino's performances are not just ordinary concerts. They are experiences where music authentically meets the heart, and where the musician and his accompanying ensemble connect with the audience in a unique way—through stories, both romantic and life-inspired, through narratives and romantic melodies.

PERFORMERS
Nino Ošlak – vocals, piano
Gregor Nestorov – drums, percussion
Marko Matjašič - keyboards
Tadej Klojčnik – bass
Dominik Širovnik – electric & acoustic guitar
Rok Martinovič – acoustic guitar
Neža Tuma – backing vocals
Blaž Vidovič – backing vocals

Predstava Tam, v vrtu je povabilo v vrt dveh, ki v njem odstirata lepoto mehanizmov poslušanja. V svojem početju prisluškovanja naravi odkrivata svetove zvoka in njihovo odzvanjanje v polju vidnega. Pri tem jih prevajata skozi lastni telesi, da v njima razširita domišljijske potenciale in opazujeta njihovo sovpadanje s svetom giba.

Urška Centa, koreografinja in plesalka, ter Domen Novak, dramski igralec, skozi zvočno-gibalno predstavo vodita s čistim instinktom radovednosti in ta med njima ustvarja povezave in plete odnose, ki preizprašujejo linearne poteke dogajanja. Podobe, ki prihajajo iz različnih osebnih časovnih obdobij dveh soustvarjalcev, so razrez njune performerske identitete, znotraj njih pa potekata iskanje medsebojnega stika ter raziskovanje njunega sobivanja in soodvisnosti.

Vrt razumeta kot igrišče, mikrokozmos človeških interakcij, zgradbo skupnosti, prostor za razisko-vanje različnih konstelacij odnosov, kraj povabila. Skupaj opazujeta daljnosežnost in verižnost reak-cij v njem in onkraj njega, pri tem pa poudarjata vlogo čutov pri oblikovanju človeške izkušnje. 

V predstavi se človeško telo kot inštrument prepleta z različnimi inter- in transdisciplinarnimi strukturami, ki zaznavajo načine, kako so povezana naša življenja. Strukture slednjega se nanašajo tako nanju kot na širše grajenje notranje mreže s prisotnimi v prostoru, pri tem pa se sklicujejo na strukturno logiko narave, ki vznika iz zavedanja o globoki povezanosti po-sameznika z okoljem. V predstavi se iz ozadja zrcali tudi misel o družbenem vrednotenju človekove odvisnosti od narave. Negovanje vrta je metafora, ki za umetnika pomeni kulturno vrednoto ter ju kot posameznika nenehno povezuje z vsem živim in jima ponuja odločitev o bolj izostreni izkušnji prisotnosti v svetu.

Predstava Tam, v vrtu je plod koreografske raziskave vzporednosti giba in zvočnosti, izvedene s pomočjo delovne štipendije Ministrstva za kulturo RS za področje glasbenih umetnosti, ki jo je Urška Centa v sodelovanju z Domnom Novakom predstavila oktobra 2023 v miniaturi Miniatura no. 9 (del 4 miniature, Atrij ZRC, NEST) ter novembra 2023 v zvočni koreografiji The Garden, ki je bila izbrana za predstavitev na mednarodnem festivalu sodobne umetnosti FIAC v Leónu v Mehiki.

Premiera predstave Tam, v vrtu bo potekala v sklopu cikla Noches de tablao, ki predstavlja umetnost na področju sodobnega flamenka. Oblikujejo ga interdisciplinarni umetniški dogodki, osnovani predvsem na živi povezavi glasbe in plesa, ter spremljevalni program izobraževalnih in teoretskih vsebin. Program gradi medkulturni lok med tujimi in domačimi ustvarjalci, ki vzpostavljajo dialog med umetniško prakso flamenka in drugimi glasbenimi žanri in predstavljajo nove ustvarjalne pristope h glasbeni, plesni in performativni umetnosti. Od svojega nastanka leta 2017 daje prostor najnovejšim umetniškim projektom, ki temeljijo na žanrski presečnosti in ponuja širok spekter sodobnih izraznih form. V njem se nizajo koncerti in plesne uprizoritve, v katerih tradicija vstopa v navdušujoča zavezništva z novitetami.

Cikel Noches de tablao podpirata Ministrstvo za kulturo in Mestna občina Ljubljana.

Hatis Noit (JP/GB), a name taken from Japanese folklore meaning ‘stem of the lotus flower’, is a Japanese vocal artist and performer from Hokkaido currently resident in London. Her range of interests and influences is wide indeed, from Japanese classical music (Gagaku) and opera to Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and contemporary pop. What’s perhaps more astonishing than her stunning vocal technique and stage presence is the fact that she is entirely self-taught.

Legendary label Erased Tapes have a happy knack of picking winners, and Hatis Noit is the latest in a distinguished line. The list of artists lining up to work with her is pretty much any self-respecting avant-gardist’s record collection: Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug), Lubomyr Melnyk, The London Contemporary Orchestra, Rick Rubin and William Basinski, to name a few. The buzz is building, so you’d best be there.

The audiences will be thrilled by the world-renowned format Theatresports, created by the father of theatrical improvisation, Keith Johnston. It involves an offbeat fusion of sports and theatre with teams of experienced improvisers confronting various challenges, while taking cues from the audience. The contest is supervised by professional referees who award points and penalties. The audience is invited to loudly criticize the referees in the classic sports style and even award points instead of them during the show. 
At the grand final awards are presented for the season's best achievements in the art of improvisation.

Experience the inimitable authenticity of improvised performance and watch a crazy story evolve from your prompts on stage. All the options are open, all the plots are possible, all endings are either happy or unhappy, all the scenes are a one-time thing, unfolding at that very moment, before that very audience, and never to occur again.

 

Slovenia’s main programme of improvisational theatre, Impro liga was established in 1993. A meeting point for Slovenian improvisers, most of the programme usually takes place as a national competition of impro theatre groups.

After a hiatus of almost four decades, Marko Pogačnik Workshop again brings into focus the City of Ljubljana. No longer as a meditation on notable architect Jože Plečnik’s and Prešeren's Ljubljana, but as an examination of the impact of the ongoing radical change in the Earth's being upon the city’s subtle fabric. How do these same shifts find expression within humans and the processes of our transformation? 

The annual Marko Pogačnik workshop has been held at Cankarjev dom every winter since 1983 with the aim of repeatedly inquiring into the meaning of human existence on Earth, the present-day transformation of space and the attitude of humanity towards natural beings and the universe. 

Marko Pogačnik, born in Kranj in 1944, an academy-trained sculptor based in Šempas na Primorskem. For his artistic achievements, Pogačnik received the Prešeren Fund Award, the Bevk Prize (both in 1990) and the 2008 Jakopič Award. In 2016, he was designated as UNESCO Artist for Peace/UN Goodwill Ambassador.
 

The male approach to our planet, based on rational thinking and logical action, pushed the Earth to the brink of an abyss called "climate change." What is urgently needed to counter the current crisis is the gentle strength of a woman's touch. The female principle complements and interconnects every partaker in the dance of life – including the male principle. It is time female sensitivity were introduced into the male world, and the ability to guide humanity towards a new balance took the reins in the female universe.

The annual Marko Pogačnik workshop has been held at Cankarjev dom every winter since 1983 with the aim of repeatedly inquiring into the meaning of human existence on Earth, the present-day transformation of space and the attitude of humanity towards natural beings and the universe. 

Marko Pogačnik, born in Kranj in 1944, an academy-trained sculptor based in Šempas na Primorskem. For his artistic achievements, Pogačnik received the Prešeren Fund Award, the Bevk Prize (both in 1990) and the 2008 Jakopič Award. In 2016, he was designated as UNESCO Artist for Peace/UN Goodwill Ambassador.
 

The ensemble Fake Orchestra has been operating as a musical collective since 1997, with its more or less permanent members and regular guests including numerous Slovenian and foreign musicians of the highest caliber. They have performed at all major venues and celebrations in their home country, as well as internationally in Croatia and Italy, New York, London, Vienna, Dublin, Cork, Budapest, Helsinki, Brussels, Prague, Istanbul, Belgrade, Venice, Berlin, and more. In 2009, the group was nominated for the Songlines award, a British world music magazine, in the new comers category.

After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the Fake Orchestra are returning for their traditional December evening at Štih Hall. Just the way you like them; they will present a glimpse of their favorite repertoire, which includes contemporary adaptations of Slovenian folk songs, compositions from jazz diva Billie Holiday, and exotic tunes from the third world.

To the Moon! takes you on a journey into outer space. Combining a theatrical experience with educational content, the show is aimed at young audiences aged between twelve and fifteen. It offers a fascinating glimpse at the Moon’s formation, the first human to step on the Moon, and the latest space technology that has become part of our daily lives. 

To the Moon! revisits the surge of excitement surrounding Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s landing on the Moon in 1969, taking a fun approach to explaining the law of gravitation and its effects on celestial objects (and human body). In a unique yet scientifically accurate way, Prof. Dr. Peter Kranjc and his assistant Aleksander explain how the Earth rotates around the Sun and the Moon orbits Earth and the effects of this endless circling embrace (also on teaching assistant Aleksander...). In addition, Prof. Kranjc and his assistant vividly recount several creation myths about the Moon’s formation and outline the fascinating symbolism of the Moon in art.

Learning about the universe is gaining in popularity and the interest in space exploration has been on the rise in recent years. The authors of the huge hit The Fearless Explorer – Marie Curie and Radioactivity invite you to join them for a new adventure. Let's fly together! Higher and higher!

Brief Event Schedule:

18:00: Viewing of the theater play "Cripple's Defence" 
18:55 to 19:15: Short break
19:15: Presentation of the novel "Life in the Subconsciousness. Fighter – The Diary of a Coward" and discussion will be hosted by journalist Helena Ajdnik, and her conversation partners will be Simon Šerbinek and psychologist Dr. Aleksander Zadel
Event concludes at 20:00
After the event: Social gathering with refreshments

Brief Description of the Theater Play "Cripple's Defence":

"Cripple's Defence" is an original theatrical play and a continuation of the collaboration between actor Simon Šerbinek, a bilateral below-knee amputee, and director Matjaž Latin. They previously created a successful monodrama titled "Krhkost" (Fragility) based on an essay by the renowned French filmmaker Jean-Claude Carrière. "Cripple's Defence" is based on Simon Šerbinek's autobiographical story. It's a "comedy" that uniquely portrays the actor's autobiographical tale of rehabilitation and the integration of disabled individuals into society. The play addresses various types of disabilities, both physical and mental diagnoses. The actor presents his personal story in an apparently relaxed manner, yet with a significant amount of social critique and self-irony. The performance simultaneously challenges and breaks various taboos associated with disability, delving into painful personal and societal themes. Crucially, it involves a candid and intimate portrayal of the actor's personal story, one that profoundly marked his life and stigmatized him. Despite losing both legs due to a suicide attempt, Simon Šerbinek managed to find meaning again, complete two degrees, and build a family.

Brief description of the novel "Life in the Subconsciousness. Fighter – The Diary of a Coward"

The author, who named himself Alen in the book, personally experienced everything described in the story. The story is subjective and in certain parts exaggerated, so the author advises the reader to approach it with some distance. The fundamental story revolves around a decision made by an individual struggling with mental health issues and having survived a suicide attempt. This person wants to confront their past in order to start anew. A psychiatrist advises this decision, acting as an objective commentator in Alen's story. Alen describes his state of psychosis and relapse in his diary, recounting his experiences during his psychiatric treatment. He asks his life companions for their insights to help him with his story. The following characters are thus introduced into the narrative: a psychiatrist, a friend, a director, and a professor. Alen describes his condition, which involves regression, taking him back to his childhood, school days, and then his student life, filled with ups and downs. At the presentation, alongside Simon Šerbink, there will also be Simon's former psychiatrist and psychotherapist, retired Dr. Bojan Filipič, as well as psychologist Dr. Aleksander Zadel, who will participate in the discussion.