University of Primorska Academic Choir

The choir performs under the auspices of Student Organization of University of Primorska (ŠOUP) since its establishment in 2004. In the choir, there are about 40 students of University of Primorska with some other choral enthusiasts. A composer and conductor Ambrož Čopi leads the choir. He has been leading it for the first decade of its activity and now again, since October 2016. His assistants, that help him with the leading of the choir, are Andreja Tomažič Hrvatin and Luka Vetrih. In the 11^th and 12^th season, the conductor was Mirko Ferlan. 

The Choir embraces a whole range of music genres and styles, from the Renaissance to modern music. Particular attention is dedicated to the compositions authored by the composers of the Primorska Region; moreover, the choir is enriching its repertoire with rarely performed works and novelties composed by the world composers and the younger generation of Slovenian composers. The choir engages with musicians from the Primorska region and cooperates with a variety of other national and foreign choirs, by hosting highly acclaimed concerts of quality vocal and instrumental music in the cycle Simfonic voices for non-profit it shapes an important part of culture landscape of the Slovenian coast in the last ten years.

Academic choir of the University of Primorska regularly performs at all major events organized by the University and arranges concerts in Slovenia and abroad. It is successfully presenting itself at national and international competitions; at Slovenian national choral competition “Naša pesem” the choir achieved four golden plaques (Maribor 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2014) with Ambrož Čopi and one silver plaque (2016) with Mirko Ferlan in the category of mixed choirs. One golden plaque was achieved in the category of female choirs (2014) with Ambrož Čopi. At a regional competition in Postojna (Slovenia) APZ UP received two golden awards with honours, one in 2011 with Andreja Tomažič Hrvatin and one in 2015 with Mirko Ferlan.

The choir also achieved many first places and golden plaques in international competitions (Prèveza (Greece) – 2006, Varna (Bulgaria) – 2008, Cantonigròs (Spain) – 2011, Makedonia – 2011, Vilnius (Lithuania) – 2012, Split (Croatia) – 2012, Milazzo (Italy) – 2013, Prijedor (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 2013, Istanbul (Turkey) – 2014, Derry (Northern Ireland) – 2014 with Ambrož Čopi, and in Herceg Novi (Montenegro) – 2015, Paralia (Greece) – 2016 with Mirko Ferlan). APZ UP was also invited to many choral festivals. In 2009, it performed as a finalist at the European Grand Prix in Choral Singing in Tours, France. 

In 2010 the Ministry of culture of the Republic of Slovenia awarded the choir a status of an Association of public interest, which is an important award of activity and a success for the choir. In all of the years the choir has collected many awards, prizes and plaques: In 2016 Public Fund for Cultural Activities of Republic of Slovenia gave it the Gallus plaque as the highest award for music activity. In 2015, the Association of Cultural Societies of the Municipality of Koper gave the choir a silver award and a plaque for special achievements in the previous year. In May 2015 APZ UP received an award for 10 years of working from Public Fund for Cultural Activities of Republic of Slovenia and Municipality of Koper. The choir also received an award for special achievements for 2015, given by the University of Primorska. In 2014, the Municipality of Koper gave the choir an award with a Grand Plaque. In 2012, the Association of Cultural Societies of the Municipality of Koper awarded the choir a golden plaque for outstanding achievements.

From the establishment on, APZ UP has published seven CDs. In 2008 the choir released its first CD with live recordings from the concerts given in the first three years of performing, APZ UP – v živo; another CD, Mysterium, featuring the selection of pieces from the fourth and the fifth season, followed in the spring of 2010. Cooperation with an ethno group called Vruja is presented on a CD named Istriantico and the fourth CD named Mozaiki features a selection of songs from concerts and competitions from the same period (2010–2012). The CD released on the 10th anniversary of the choir is named Sonority. It is a gift to the singers of the choir, as it holds records of the last two seasons (2012–2014), which were very successful for the choir. The choir performed many compositions on the record for the first time and some were performed for the first time in Slovenia. The program contains compositions sung in eight different languages and tries to present a young musical creativity of the region. In the same season the 6^th CD, Tebe pojem (2014) was released. It presents orthodox legacy of composers of Primorska and it is the only one with this genre of music in Slovenia. The 7^th CD called Fantazije (2014) is also the first CD by a young composer of Primorska Andrej Makor, who was a member of APZ UP in the past. It contains prime work of one if the most sought choral composers in the country and it is a holistic presentation of the coastal choirs (Youth Choir of the Music School Koper, Mixed Choir of the Gymnasium Koper, Mixed Choir Obala and APZ UP). The last CD - Lux was created on the occasion of the choir's 15th anniversary. The choir published sacral compositions by contemporary Slovenian composers, most of which were dedicated to the choir.

Achievements and awards:

MIXED CHOIR
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR AMBROŽ ČOPI 
• 8th International Choral Competition »Cracovia Cantans« (Poland, 2017):
- first place in category of sacral music,
- second place in category of mixed choirs.
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR MIRKO FERLAN
• 5th International Choral Competition »Music&Sea« (Greece, 2016):
- first place in category of folk music,
- first place in category of mixed choirs,
- Grand Prix winner – trophy for the best choir of the competition.
• 24th Slovenian Choral Competition Naša pesem Maribor (Slovenia, 2016):
- silver plaque.
Regional competition of Primorska choirs and small groups, Postojna (Slovenia 2015):
- gold award with distinction,
- special award for the best performance of a song written from 20th century to the present day, Libera me (Lajos Bárdos),
- best mixed choir of the competition.
• 1st Herceg Novi Choir Festival (Montenegro, 2015):
- first place in youth category and absolute first place,
- cash prize for the best choir of the competition.
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR AMBROŽ ČOPI 
• 2nd Derry International Choral Festival (Ireland, 2014):
- first place (90.00 points),
- trophy and cash prize for the best choir of the competition.
• 4th International Choral Competition Istanbul (Turkey, 2014):
- first place (97.3 points),
- trophy and cash prize for the best choir at the competition.
• 23rd Slovenian Choral Competition Naša pesem Maribor (Slovenia, 2014): 
- golden plaque,
- third prize with a cash prize for the choir with the third highest number of points.
• 12th Choral Festival Zlatna Vila, Prijedor (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013): 
- first place, plaque Zlatna vila (Golden Fairy),
- special recognition award for the performance of the songs from the Renaissance Sweet honey - bees sucking (John Wilbye).
• 3rd International Choral Competition Incanto mediterraneo 2013 (Milazzo, Sicily, 2013): 
- gold award, trophy of the festival Incanto Mediterraneo.
• 16th International Festival Cro Patria, Split (Croatia, 2012): 
- first place, gold cathedral for the performance of the song Moj cv'jet - My flower (Luke Wenceslas Mayernik).
• 3rd International festival and Competition »Laudate Dominum«, Vilnius (Lithuania, 2012):
- Grand Prix,
- gold medal and first place,
- special prize for the best performance of a compulsury composition Laudate Dominum III. (Jurius Calcas).
• 22nd National Choral Competition »Naša pesem«, Maribor (Slovenia, 2012):
- gold medal,
- special award for the best performance of a Renaissance composition Unser keiner lebet sich selber (Heinrich Schütz).
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR ANDREJA TOMAŽIČ HRVATIN 
• 5th Regional competition of Primorska choirs and small groups, Postojna (Slovenia 2011):
- gold award with distinction,
- special award for the best performance of song written from 20th century to the present day, Daemon irrepit callidus (György Orbán).
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR AMBROŽ ČOPI 
• International Choral Festival Ohrid (Macedonia, 2011):
- first prize in the category of mixed youth choirs,
- special award for the implementation of contemporary composition »Vem, da je zopet pomlad« of the slovenian composer Lojze Lebič.
• 29th International Choral Competition Festival de Musica de Cantonigròs, Cantonigròs (Spain 2011):
- first place in the category of mixed choirs.
• 21st National Choral Competition »Naša pesem«, Maribor (Slovenia, 2010):
- gold medal.
 • 21st European Grand Prix Competition for Choral Singing, Tours (France, 2009):
- finalist.
• 30th International May Choir Competition »Prof. Georgij Dimitrov«, Varna (Bulgaria, 2008):
- Grand Prix Varna 2008,
- first prize in category of mixed choirs,
- special prize for the best performance of a Bulgarian song by a foreign choir.
• 12th Days of Sacred Music »Cro Patria«, Split (Croatia, 2007):
- third award (the Bronze Cathedral) for the performance of a contemporary composition.
• 20th National Choral Competition »Naša pesem«, Maribor (Slovenia, 2007):
- gold medal,
- special award for the best performance of a Renaissance composition.
• 12th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music Prèveza (Greece, 2006):
- gold medal and first place in the category of youth choirs,

FEMALE CHOIR
THE CHOIR WAS LED BY CONDUCTOR AMBROŽ ČOPI 
• 4th International Choral Competition Istanbul (Turkey, 2014):
- first place (95.7 points).
• 23rd Slovenian Choral Competition Naša pesem Maribor (Slovenia, 2014): 
- golden plaque,
- special award for the best female choir.
 • International Choral Festival Ohrid (Macedonia, 2011):
- first prize in the category of female youth choir.
• 29th International Choral Competition Festival de Musica de Cantonigròs, Cantonigròs (Spain 2011):
- second place in the category of female choir.
• 12th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music Prèveza (Greece, 2006):
- gold medal and first place in category of equal voices choirs (female choir).