The Seviqc 2024 program has been published

Dear early music lovers,

I would like to inform you that we have published the programme of the Seviqc 2024 festival. At the same time, I would like to thank all the artists and festival venues for their high level of cooperation in a very short period of time, and especially the Municipality of Celje and the Celeia Institute for their encouragement and cooperation in the preparation.

The Seviqc 2024 festival will take place from August 9 to 23, 2024 at the venues of the Celje Music School, the Cathedral Church of St. Danijel Celje, the Old County of Celje, Snežnik Castle, Bogenšperk Castle, Celje National House, Celje Castle, Cultural Congress Centre Dolenjske Toplice and Devil's turn Soteska. It will be performed by 36 artists from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Slovenia, and Spain. The participation of Slovenian artists is 27.8%, the share of female artists is 61.1%.

Unfortunately, the Municipality of Brežice did not want to talk about the future of the festival despite my several requests since the beginning of November, but this is precisely why we built an even more pervasive festival than we would have otherwise. I wish the municipality of Brežice a successful development of its cultural landscape, even though some of its public institutions do not know or do not want to follow the legal provisions, and the municipality defends them by disparaging the programme that has contributed to the international image of Brežice for 27 years. Its cultural associations and music school are an academic example of the culture of the European Union, but this is not a municipal initiative, but an initiative of citizens who need cultural goods. For several years, I tried to tell them that only three concerts were not enough for a breakthrough festival, but obviously with my ambitions for the international recognition of the festival and the municipality, I was an unpleasant element when they didn't answer my emails and didn't pick up their phones.

We will put the tickets on sale already in January. We will start very low in terms of prices, the two main benefits: the family package and the Festival Lady Friends Club remain, the price of tickets will gradually rise relatively high in August 2024. The type of events will be with free entry. At the same time, I would like to point out that Slovenian Rail connects Celje very well with Ljubljana and Maribor. We also adapted the concert hour to this.

I am very pleased that we have successfully connected Slovenian artists with international artists in the programme and that the Ministry of Culture and the Inspectorate for Culture and Media are responding to the proposals of our group IK (Initiative for Culture) in enforcing Article 75 of the ZUJIK, the Act on the Realization of the Public Interest in Culture, and some other important issues of cultural policy. Otherwise, an amendment to this law is under public discussion, but for now only about the added Article 82.c, and we expect a comprehensive revision of the law in the next year. As I am informed, the Ministry of Culture will also pay attention to Article 75.

I greet you all and wish you again a good and successful year 2024. A lot of health, which is like a track, and life optimism, strength, and self-confidence, which are like a composition that pulls civilization forward.

Klemen Ramovš