Celje Is Singing: Jurče Vreže and the Youth Choral Festival

The exhibition on the Youth Choral Festival, prepared by the Museum of Recent History Celje, offers an insight into an eighty-year story in which music, youthful energy, and dedicated professional work intertwine. The festival, which began in 1946 as the Festival of Youth Song, grew from a modest regional gathering into the oldest and most important international competition of youth choirs in Slovenia, and one of the central cultural events of Celje.

The exhibition narrative begins with Jurče Vreže (1906–1987), a teacher, conductor, and visionary who recognized the unifying power of singing. Even before the Second World War, he encouraged the establishment of youth choirs; after the war, with remarkable energy, he conceived a festival that would shape Slovenian and Yugoslav youth choral singing for decades. As the chief organizational secretary and the “driving force” of the MPF, he oversaw its development until 1979, while also fostering the professional growth of conductors, encouraging composers to create new works, and establishing an extensive festival library of youth choral literature.

The exhibition highlights the key milestones of the festival: from the first mass concerts, featuring up to four thousand young singers, to the introduction of competitive categories, international juries, and professional symposia. The MPF became a space for young singers to meet and connect, an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge, and a platform for the premiere performances of new compositions. Its accompanying activities – exhibitions of music literature, seminars, round tables, and workshops – have significantly shaped and influenced the festival’s development.

The exhibition is both a look into the past and a tribute to the many singers, conductors, composers, organizers, and hospitable citizens of Celje who, through their work and dedication, have helped create one of the most remarkable traditions of Slovenian choral culture.

 

Exhibition text translations

Jurče Vreže (1906–1987)

Vreže was born in the village of Bobovo near Šmarje pri Jelšah as the seventh of eight children. Due to modest social circumstances, he would not have been able to pursue education if it had not been for his uncle, Janez Krstnik Vreže, a priest and professor at the teacher training college in Maribor. After completing the fifth grade of primary school in Šmarje, Jurče moved to Maribor, passed the entrance exams for the classical grammar school, but later transferred to the teacher training college because of his interest in music. His uncle supported him and even personally provided him with the basics of musical education. Already in his second year, Vreže composed the operetta The Blacksmith’s Student, conducted the school choir, and between 1924 and 1926 also led the school octet. He played the piano and violin and sang in the choir of Glasbena matica and the Mixed Choir of Maribor.

His first post was in Šoštanj (1926), where he immediately became a choirmaster. In 1928 he founded the choir Zvonček, which, alongside the Trbovlje Slavček choir, became one of the best Slovenian youth choirs. The choir—composed of primary and lower secondary school pupils—sang in three parts, which was rare at the time. Vreže was an important figure in the cultural life of Šoštanj; in 1936 he co-founded an illegal reading room together with his students. In addition to concerts, he also staged plays (e.g. Hlapec Jernej, Domen) and organized Slovene cultural evenings.

Before the war, Vreže, who held liberal views, was closely connected with the working class in Šoštanj and led several choirs: the Workers’ Choir Ivan Cankar (1933–1935), Vzajemnost (1936–1938), Solidarnost (1939–1941), and the Šoštanj Octet. He was socially conscious; for example, he used concert proceeds to take children to the seaside. In 1940 he was transferred to a modest rural school in Pečice (in the Brežice district), where he had no opportunities for choral work, and later to Austria as a bank clerk, where he remained until the end of the war.

After the war, following several transfers (in 1945 he worked as a teacher in Sv. Ema near Podčetrtek, and a year later became head of the Home of Play and Work in Celje), he took a position in 1947 at the Second Lower Grammar School (later renamed the Third Primary School), where he founded a youth choir that would later rank among the best in the country. He worked there as a music educator until his retirement in 1968. In 1946, he initiated the district youth choral festival in Celje, which later had a significant impact on the development of youth choral singing in Slovenia and Yugoslavia. In the same year, he also organized the first conducting seminar, which later became a regular form of training for choir conductors.

In 1961 he became a pedagogical advisor and consultant for music education, and at the same time began collecting youth music literature, textbooks, and manuals for music teaching, bringing them together into a festival library. In addition to youth choirs, Vreže also conducted several adult choirs, including the Celje Choral Society, which he led for ten years after Egon Kunej (1946–1956) and which was later renamed KUD France Prešeren, ranking among the best choirs in the country.

Alongside his dedication to music, Vreže was also devoted to his family. In 1938, in Šoštanj, he married the teacher Leopoldina Kostanjec (1901–1952), and the following year their son Jurij (1939–1959) was born. In 1960 he married Zdenka Vrščaj (1923–2017), a singer in his choir ŽPD France Prešeren. The following year their daughter Nada was born, who also sang in several choirs. Vreže was deeply involved in musical life and enjoyed socializing with musicians and conductors; he often hosted them at his second home at Sv. Rok above Šmarje pri Jelšah.

Jurče Vreže died on 18 December 1987 in Celje.

 

Vreže’s Musical Work

In 1936, Jurče Vreže, together with Maks Pirnik, Emil Ulaga, Jože Zorn and others, founded the Association of Youth Choir Conductors (DMPZ), initially based in Slovenske Konjice and later in Maribor, and served as its president. The aim of the association was to promote youth choral conducting in schools, cultivate contemporary music with social themes, encourage singing culture, organize choral reviews, provide professional training for conductors, and publish youth choral literature. The association organized reviews and small festivals and even planned a larger festival in Maribor, though this remained unrealized at the time. It also published three issues of the journal Youth Choirs. This was the first systematic attempt to organize youth choral activity, which Vreže continued immediately after the war with the Youth Choral Festival in Celje.

Vreže worked as a teacher until 1968, while also serving as the chief organizational secretary and the driving force behind the Youth Choral Festival (MPF), a role he held until 1979. He implemented his vision of establishing choirs in schools, organized choral reviews and conducting seminars, encouraged composers to create new works, and collected and edited youth choral literature. He also served as chairman of the music commission for youth choirs at the Association of Cultural Organizations of Slovenia. Even later, he remained active, continuing to shape the content and form of the festival and overseeing the festival’s youth choral library. From 1972 onwards, he also led the Concert Agency in Celje, which, through subscription series, provided a rich programme of musical events, excursions to Ljubljana and Zagreb, and numerous events for young audiences.

For his extensive and multifaceted work, Jurče Vreže—considered a founding figure of Slovenian youth choral conducting—received numerous awards and recognitions. Among the most important were: the Award of the District Council of Cultural and Educational Societies of Celje (1959), the Order of Labour with Silver Wreath (1972), the recognition of the Music Youth of Slovenia (1975), the highest recognition of the Music Youth of Yugoslavia (1976), the Šlander Award of the City of Celje (1976), honorary membership in the Association of Music Pedagogues of Yugoslavia (1979), the Prešeren Award of the Cultural Community of Celje (1980), the Žagar Award (1982), and the Coat of Arms of the City of Celje (1986).

After his death (1987), the organizing committee of the Youth Choral Festival decided in 1989 to honour his memory by establishing an award named after him for the best youth choral composition, but the idea was not realized at the time. This long-standing intention is finally being fulfilled at the 37th Youth Choral Festival in 2026, marking the 120th anniversary of Vreže’s birth, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of his professional career, and the 80th anniversary of the Youth Choral Festival. The Jurče Vreže Award is awarded to the best choir of the competition.

 

(International) Youth Choral Festival Celje

The Youth Choral Festival Celje (MPF) is the oldest and most prominent international competition for youth choirs in Slovenia; it can be ranked alongside festivals in Nantes (France), Neerpelt (Belgium), Olomouc (Czech Republic), and Arezzo (Italy). It is also one of Celje’s most distinguished cultural events. The festival began in 1946 as a large gathering of district youth choirs; its initiator and long-time co-organizer was Jurče Vreže, who led the festival until 1979, when its organization was taken over by the Institute for Cultural Events Celje. Today, the main organizer is the public institute Zavod Celeia Celje.

From its early years, the festival had a strong impact on the development of youth choral singing in Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia. It hosted the best Slovenian and Yugoslav choirs, as well as numerous international ensembles. For decades, the MPF functioned as a competitive event, distinguished by its mass performances of young singers. Beyond competition, however, it has always fostered other important dimensions: bringing young people together, presenting achievements in choral singing, and encouraging intercultural exchange. Over its 80-year history, the festival has evolved through various stages—from regional to national, federal, international, and again national and international, alternating over time.

Throughout this period, the festival has involved numerous organizers, conductors, and jury members (including Jurče Vreže, Andrej Svetek, Dr Emil Rojc, Egon Kunej, Boris Ferlinc, Pavel Bukovac, Edvard Goršič, Branko Rajšter, Danijel Grum, MA Vid Marcen, Ciril Vertačnik, Dr Dragica Žvar, as well as Nenad Firšt, David Preložnik, Gregor Deleja, among many others), and composers (such as Blaž Arnič, Karol Pahor, Rado Simoniti, Peter Lipar, Makso Pirnik, Radovan Gobec, Slavko Mihelčič, Pavel Šivic, Ubald Vrabec, Jakob Jež, and others). There are simply too many contributors to name them all—especially when considering the many members of organizing committees (responsible for transport, accommodation, catering, concert management, etc.) and the numerous families in Celje who, for many years, warmly hosted singers from other regions and countries.

Special mention should also be made of the work of the music committees, long led by Egon Kunej, which spent two years preparing each festival cycle (issuing calls, reviewing applications, selecting participating choirs). During the festival itself, an important role was played by (international) expert juries composed of distinguished conductors and musicologists. Since 1997, Slovenian jury members have included, among others, Edvard Goršič, Tomaž Faganel, Jernej Habjanič, Damijan Močnik, Dr Dragica Žvar, Martina Batič, Helena Fojkar Zupančič, and Sebastjan Vrhovnik.

Through the Youth Choral Festival, Celje has established itself on the musical map as one of the capitals of choral singing in Slovenia, Europe, and beyond. With its long-standing tradition, international character, and rich accompanying programme, the festival remains a key pillar of Slovenian choral culture and an important contributor to the European cultural space.

 

Development of the Festival

In 1960, the festival outgrew its local framework and became a republic-level event, featuring selected Slovenian youth choirs as well as choirs from other parts of Yugoslavia and neighbouring regions. From 1963 onwards, the festival was held biennially, accompanied by regular parallel activities. The MPF acquired a competitive character in 1965, when competitions were introduced in four categories, with compulsory repertoire and awards. In 1973, it became an international competition, as foreign choirs were included in the competitive programme for the first time.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the MPF was the central choral event in Yugoslavia: mass concerts in the City Park brought together between 2,000 and 3,000 singers, and the festival attracted some of the most distinguished youth choirs from home and abroad. The eighty-year history of the festival is inseparably linked with outstanding individuals whose professional work has shaped—and continues to shape—its artistic profile in the field of youth choral singing. The organization of the festival has always included (federal and international) music committees and juries, which play a particularly important role in its competitive segment.

Accompanying Activities

From the very first conducting seminar and singing school in 1946 onwards, the festival developed a rich range of professional accompanying activities:

• international exhibitions of youth and pedagogical music literature,
• conferences of music educators on teaching and learning,
• round tables and music workshops,
• competitions for new youth choral compositions and the publication of the special series Youth Choirs. By 1981, as many as 14 volumes of youth music literature had been published.

Occasionally, the festival also featured premiere performances of works by Slovenian composers.

The 1990s and a Turning Point

In the 1990s, the festival took place in changed social and political circumstances. In 1991, it was cancelled due to political instability, while the following year a substitute festival was आयोजित, dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the death of Iacobus Gallus. Gradually, the festival regained its international character, although with fewer participants. In 1995, new awards were introduced (Audience Award, Best Slovenian Choir, Award for the Performance of Contemporary Music), as well as a competition for children’s choirs.

In the late 1990s and after 2000, further organizational changes followed: choirs from Central Europe returned to Celje, new concert formats emerged, and additional accompanying events were introduced (e.g. Pesemca, Night of Slovenian Composers, Celje Musical Walks). Mass concerts remained a symbolic constant, although after 2005 they moved from the City Park to other venues (Celje Hall, Narodni dom, Celje Castle).

Throughout its history, the Municipality of Celje has played an important role as a supporter and partner, often acting as co-organizer or co-financer. The festival has traditionally enjoyed honorary patronage from national and local representatives (such as the President of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Culture, and the Mayor of Celje).

In the New Century

Since 2005, the festival has been organized by the Institute for Cultural Events and Tourism Celeia Celje. It has remained international and thematically diverse, although somewhat smaller in scale after 2010. In 2020, the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic, while in 2022 a national edition was held, dedicated to the composer Jakob Jež.

A significant milestone came in 2024, when the festival became the host of the biennial national competition of youth choirs (in cooperation with the Public Fund for Cultural Activities), while the national competition of children’s choirs remains in Zagorje ob Savi.

The Contemporary Festival

In recent years, the festival has been strengthening again: in 2025, the MPF hosted 522 singers from six countries, while the mass event Choir BUM brought together 5,100 singers in the Zlatorog Hall. The festival thus remains a central platform for meeting, competition, and professional development of youth choirs from Slovenia and abroad.