There have been a lot of suggestions and discussions regarding the name of the festival, a name that would represent the town of Koper, its history and the vision of the festival.
The will of the organisers is to give young musicians a chance to showcase their abilities and their work, as well as give others the chance to get a closer look into the wide variety of vocal music in different cultures. Nowadays, being a part of a vocal group is very important for the development of one’s creativity and also the ability to adapt and function within a group. Hence the name that has a connection to goddess Athena’s shield, which is a strong symbol of Greek mythology and in this case represents the support of choral music and shelter from all the negative influences of the modern world – the influences that tend to keep younger generations from being creative and creating music within vocal groups.
Aegida was the name of an island which previously stood on the area Koper stands today. The island is said to have emerged during a fight between god Poseidon and goddess Athena. Athena’s shield called aegida (origin of the name Aegida) fell into the water during the fight and it turned into an island. This is the tale of how Koper presumably first came to be, according to Greek mythology.
