Staged on 1st February, one day after Brexit, this year’s annual British-Slovene Society Prešeren Evening in London was a moving demonstration of our common will to preserve and strengthen our friendship, come what may.

Shirlie Roden sang “Slovenia” – composed as a tribute to the country where she has been performing over the past 20 years. The Sedbergh Singers from Cumbria rendered the traditional Slovene folk songs which they have mastered over the years.

Finally we were treated to an inspiring performance by two of Slovenia’s top musicians, Boštjan Gombač and Saša Olenjuk. Boštjan transfixed us with his virtuoso music-making on an amazing array of instruments – including a metal saw and his own head – backed up by Saša on the guitar.

“I love London. I can breathe here,“ enthused Boštjan afterwards. So maybe we’ll want him back to breathe some more!

The tombola run with great verve by Catherine King raised a record £603 for Barka, the charity we support in Slovenia for people with special needs.

The two main prizes, a set of Elan skis and bindings, and two nights for a couple at Kranjska Gora donated by the Slovenian Tourist Board, were presented by Ambassador Tadej Rupelj, attending our Prešeren Evening for the last time. He and his family are returning to Slovenia after six years later this year.

Once again the Slovenian Embassy generously supported this year’s event. Thank you Tadej! We will miss you. We are also grateful for grants from the Slovenian Government’s Office for Slovenes Abroad, and the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs.

The Prešeren Evening goes from strength to strength. Never have the good relations it fosters been more important. Thank you to all of you for bringing such good feelings and lively spirits at this sensitive time.

Comments by participants:
– A lovely evening. Boštjan and Saša’s performance was absolutely wonderful. So surprising and hugely entertaining. – Deborah Field
– Wonderful to be there with you all – the best event yet – David Burbidge
– One of the most enjoyable Prešeren Dinners that I have attended – Michael Chant
– It was a beautifully organised event and we enjoyed it thoroughly – Nav & Kristina

– Saturday 1st February 2020. Drinks from 6.30 pm, dinner at 7.20 pm.

– Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel, 12 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0HX (undergrounds Euston, Euston Square, King’s Cross, Russell Square)

After our traditional dinner, the high point of the evening will be a performance by two outstanding musicians from Slovenia, Boštjan Gombač and Saša Olenjuk. More about the performers below.

Rates are:

– Paid up members £47, non-members £64, students and under-18s £29.
For that you will enjoy a drinks reception, a three-course dinner with wine, the concert and a tombola with all sorts of attractive prizes.

– Reserve your places now using the Application Form. Space is limited, so it’s first come, first serve.

You should assume that paid-for places have been reserved unless you hear to the contrary. No tickets will be issued.

If you wish to make up your own party, please nominate a host who will book the table in his/her name. Please advise if you have any dietary requirements.

We are grateful to the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in London for donating Slovenian wine for the occasion and to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for granting the British-Slovene Society a subsidy.

2020 Prešeren Evening application form

Boštjan Gombač is a performer and composer of music played on a multitude of different instruments. Trained as a clarinettist, he plays not only on wind instruments but also on musical saws and sound-producing objects rarely seen in concerts.

“The sound itself is my guide and inspiration. The more unusual the sound, the greater the challenge, expressive possibilities, and joy it provides,” says Boštjan.

As a member of the acclaimed Terra Folk group Boštjan won BBC Radio 3’s World Music Award. Currently he performs with groups such as Katalena, Bast, Bachology Quartet, Los Hermanos Muy Simpaticos and Sounds of Slovenia.

Saša Olenjuk is violinist and concert master at the National Maribor Theatre’s Opera and Symphony Orchestra.

As a recording artist, he has also featured as a guitar player, music arranger and producer in over 120 recordings of various musical styles. He performs with many different musical ensembles in Slovenia and abroad.

Dear Members and supporters,

Every year, the British-Slovene Society organises events to further good relations between Slovenes and British, and these inevitably incur some costs. We rely on subscriptions to be able to offer these convivial occasions for meeting, networking and enjoyment. If you are a Member, we would be grateful if you would pay your 2020 subscription, which is due at the beginning of next year. If you are not yet a Member, please do join. You would be most welcome!

Subscriptions remain at the same level as last year:

INDIVIDUAL £15
FAMILY (maximum 5) £25
STUDENT £5
CORPORATE £100

If you have a Standing Order you can ignore this notice. Otherwise, you have a choice of three means of payment:

1. The best way is by direct electronic transfer to The British-Slovene Society’s bank account with HSBC, Sort Code 40-01-06, Account Number 71358332, IBAN: GB34HBUK40010671358332. Please put your name in the reference field. This means of payment saves the Society unnecessary costs. Wherever possible, we ask you to set up a Standing Order. This will save you time and trouble next year.

2. Or you can pay through our website www.britishslovenesociety.org by clicking on “JOIN/RENEW” and following the instructions. On the website you can also pay by PayPal (though this incurs a cost to the BSS).

3. Or by cheque made out to The British-Slovene Society and sent to the Treasurer, Andrej Ogorevc, 10 Rogers Court, 5 Premiere place, London E14 8SF, e-mail: treasurer@britishslovenesociety.org.

We will soon send around the invitations for the Prešeren Evening which will take place in London on 1st February 2020. If you are a paid-up member, you pay less for the evening.

If you haven’t already made a Standing Order, please renew your membership at the beginning of January 2020! Thank you.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and all the best in the New Year,

Trustees of The British-Slovene Society

Members of the British-Slovene Society and their friends once again packed the beautiful Wren church of St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe in London for the annual service of Lessons and Carols in both languages on 6th December 2019.

For many of us, this event marks the beginning of Christmas festivities, and each year the congregation grows, admirably supported by organist Aljyša from Leeds and the Gallus Aeternus choir.

After the service, we gathered in the vestry for wine, kindly donated by the Slovenian Embassy, large quantities of potica brought over from Slovenia by BSS members, and many warm conversations. We collected £264.50 for Barka, the charity for people with special needs which the BSS supports in Slovenia.

Our thanks go to the Church of England, for allowing us to use the church and presiding over the service, Catherine King, who organised the event, and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, which provided a subsidy.

Come again in December 2020!

15. december 2019, ob 17.00
Bellavita Academy, 11c Dock St, Whitechapel, London E1 8JN

SPOROČILO DRUŠTVA VTIS (v tujini izobraženi Slovenci):
London je mesto priložnosti. In zelo pogosto se priložnosti pojavijo, ko spoznamo nove ljudi in ustvarjamo nove mreže. Člani društva VTIS pogosto omenijo, da bi se radi več mrežili, saj imamo v naši lokalni skupnosti veliko talentov, poslovnežev in investitorjev. Zato smo se odločili, da tokrat naredimo dogodek, usmerjen v gospodarstvo, in bomo večinski del programa namenili zabavnemu in interaktivnemu mreženju, zaključili pa s kratkima zgodbama dveh podjetnikov, ki uspešno delujeta med Britanijo in Slovenijo, in nagovorom Branka Drobnaka – predsednika kluba Poslovnih angelov Slovenije. Seveda zakuska ne bo manjkala, na koncu pa še nazdravimo na zaključek uspešnega leta.

Lepo vabljeni, VTISovci, vaši partnerji, podjetniki, investitorji, ostali Slovenci v Londonu in enostavno vsi, ki vas mreženje zanima.

Prijava na dogodek
Facebook dogodek

Deli s svojimi prijatelji, da nas bo čim več!

THURSDAY 9TH JANUARY 2020 AT 7PM
GAYS THE WORD BOOKSHOP
66 Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AB
(nearest tubes Russell Square or Euston)

Tracing the Unspoken is the English-language debut of Milan Šelj, an award-winning Slovenian poet and translator. Šelj is the author of four poetry collections and co-author of a satirical epistolary novel Spolitika. His work and translations have appeared in many anthologies. Milan lives and works in London. Joining him tonight is Harvey Vincent, a New York director, actor and teacher who has worked closely with the poet in producing this translation. Harvey lives and works in Paris.

The launch is kindly sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia.

Admission is FREE. Refreshments will be served.

“In Tracing the Unspoken, Milan Šelj has compiled a ledger of obsession: by applying language to shapeless silence, the individual tries to make sense of desire. In these fragments of narrative, the tacit, the implicit, the unspoken and the unspeakable are all eventually given voice. Passion is blocked by indifference, indifference unblocked by passion. And somehow love, once put into words, survives to thrive. The process is compelling, the expression eloquent.” –Gregory Woods

Ameriško-slovenska izobraževalna fundacija ASEF (https://www.asef.net) je objavila razpis za nov štipendijski program ASEF Junior Fellows – štipendije za obiske v Sloveniji ( https://www.asef.net/visiting-slovenia/ ). Gre za enoletni program, v okviru katerega izbrani študenti opravijo raziskovalno-študijsko prakso v slovenskih podjetjih in na slovenskih fakultetah, sodelujejo na raziskovalnih projektih s svojega področja delovanja in se vključujejo v razne dejavnosti, ki jih izvaja ASEF, kot so delavnice mehkih veščin, treningi javnega nastopanja, javna predavanja in pogovori z zanimivimi gosti.

Možne so prijave za področja fizike, biologije, medicine, strojništva, elektrotehnike, računalništva, matematike, ekonomije, okoljskih znanosti, glasbe, prava, lingvistike, politologije, humanistike in drugih ved. Prijave so odprte za vse študente slovenskih korenin in tiste, ki imajo izkazan interes za študijsko prakso v Sloveniji, ne glede na stopnjo in kraj študija.

Rok za prijavo je 1. februar 2020.

Prijave morajo biti oddane na spletni portal https://www.asef.net/visiting-slovenia/ . Morebitna vprašanja pošljite na info@asef.net.

Fundacija ASEF povezuje Slovence doma in po svetu. Fundacija štipendira slovenske študente in študente slovenskih korenin za 10-tedenske raziskovalno-študijske obiske v vrhunskih podjetjih in fakultetah v Sloveniji. Štipendijski programi ASEF krepijo sodelovanje in kroženje znanja med Slovenijo in preostalim svetom. ASEF nadarjenim študentom omogoča, da se osredotočijo na raziskovanje in razvijejo svoje potenciale v največji možni meri.

Vabljeni k prijavi!

The BSS warmly invites you to our annual Carol Service on Friday 6th December 2019, at 6:30 pm.

This is our regular festive get together which is held in the beautiful church of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, Queen Victoria Street and St. Andrew’s Hill, City of London, EC4V 5DE.

The church, which was built by Sir Christopher Wren is a wonderful historic building and well worth a visit in its own right. Please come and join in our carol singing in English and Slovene.

Catch up with friends after the service as there will be potica (offered by the Society) and Christmas drinks (courtesy of the Embassy).

There is no charge but a collection is taken to support the work of the Barka charity in Slovenia.

Nearest underground Blackfriars. St Paul’s and Mansion House nearby.