On March 31, 2026, in the City Hall of the Banski Dvor, our choir held a concert dedicated to marking a significant anniversary, 25 years of successful work of the Mixed Choir "Davorin Jenko".
Preparations for this significant date began last year. We had the idea to mark our silver jubilee with several events. We decided to organize two concerts, one with the ceremonial academy and one with our friends. We wanted to present the history, performances of the choir at various events, how others see us and some personal impressions in printed form. We also planned to create a photo exhibition that we would initially be set up in the Association, and which could later be shown in other places. In order to look beautiful and festive on stage, we needed new clothes. That was a big financial burden, which we managed to solve thanks to the funds of the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad.
Thank you notes should have been prepared for those who made a huge contribution to the development of our choir and became very successful and recognizable in the cultural milieu of the city. We knew that these were big commitments and we didn't waste time, we got to work. First we started with the clothes, our small creative team "Bees", as we called ourselves: Olga, Vanja and the two Ljiljanas created, chose the materials and had the clothes sewn. And miraculously, everyone was satisfied with the results. Another "big" job was the preparation of texts for the Choir Bulletin. Some of the texts related to the history of the choir, who were the founders, how it all went, who the conductor was, where we were guests, etc.
We also wanted to convey some personal impressions about the choir, how others see us, how they experienced working in the choir. That's why we asked people close to the choir to give us their impressions related to the choir. Olga and I were most involved in the Bulletin. Our idea was to leave a written record, gathered in one place, and not just facts about the choir, but also some personal impressions related to the choir members. We interviewed Stanko Prosen, the founder of the choir, who gave us a lot of information about how the idea of founding it came about, how the activity went, who the choir members were, where they performed, etc. In collecting materials, articles, photographs, the legend of the choir Ziza helped us a lot. And of course, all of that had to be translated into Slovenian, which was done by our dedicated teacher Metoda. Bernarda masterfully did a very important task, how to arrange it all nicely, fit it in, create it, and lead the conference. A lot of effort was invested, but it paid off. Everything took place in a festive atmosphere, the choir performed its musical program, which was expertly selected by our conductor Vanja.
The program was enriched by two young artists, saxophonist Pavle Fedešin and accordionist Nikola Jerilović. And as is customary for anniversaries, Certificates of Appreciation were awarded. The oldest members, Stanko Prosen and Aziza Škulj, were presented with certificates of appreciation for their talent, musicality and enthusiasm, with which they contributed to the development of the Mixed Choir "Davorin Jenko" into a successful choir that nurtures Slovenian folk songs, by the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, HE. Damian Sedar.
The representative of the Public Institute for Cultural Activities, Klavdija Kotar, presented jubilee Gallus badges to choir members for active participation in the choral field of amateur culture. Gallus awards were received by: Muhamed Musić, Zora Kasalović, Nada Hoptijan, Mirko Vidaković, Ivan Memon, Tatjana Cucek and Jožefa Tatić. Mrs. Kotar also presented the Choir with a Certificate of Appreciation for 25 years of successful work in the field of choral singing and for dedicated preservation of choral singing, language and cultural heritage, awarded by the Public Institute for Cultural Activities, which was received by conductor Vanja Topić Vještica.
The President of the Association, Ivan Memon, presented letters of appreciation to conductors, Vanja Topić Vještica, MA and Dušan (Vere) Urošević, PhD. The letter of appreciation was made for professor Aleksandar Jeremić, which will be presented later.
The president of the Association presented Letters of Appreciation for support in organizing the celebration of 25 years of the MePZ "Davorin Jenko": to the Public Institute for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia, which was received on behalf of the Institute by Ms. Klavdija Kotar, and to the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad, which was received on behalf of the Office by the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to BiH, H.E. Damijan Sedar.
The Association has prepared Letters of Appreciation for all members of the choir, for their loyal and dedicated engagement in the work of the choir, which will be presented at a special ceremony.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to BiH, H.E. Damijan Sedar presented the Certificate of Recognition and Acknowledgement to the Mixed Choir "Davorin Jenko" for his invaluable contribution to preserving Slovenian song and national identity among compatriots in Banja Luka, on behalf of the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad, which was received by conductor Vanja.
The attendees were addressed by the authorized signatory in the Department for Family Care and Demography, Adriana Basara, on behalf of the City Administration of Banja Luka, who greeted the attendees on behalf of Mayor Draško Stanivuković. She emphasized that preserving tradition, language and customs is an invaluable asset. Those who pass it on to their children and grandchildren preserve their identity, but also enrich us all.
We had the pleasure of completing our jubilee with the presence of Mrs. Branka Bukovec from the Association for the Development of Voluntary Work in Novo Mesto, Zvone Žigon, PhD, Consul of the Republic of Slovenia in Banja Luka, as well as RTRS journalist and editor of the show "Mala Evropa" Draško Ignjatić, who covered our event with his team.
The choir ended its performance with Oto Pestner's song, "I love you, Slovenia", everyone present sang with the choir, and some even danced. This wonderful evening filled with emotions, a beautiful Slovenian song and pride that we succeeded in our intention to mark our silver jubilee very successfully, we immortalized it with a joint photo shoot.
Ljiljana Memon
