APZ UP:

University of Primorska Academic Choir

Conductor Ambrož Čopi

Curriculum vitae
The opportunity of founding the University of Primorska Academic Choir (Akademski pevski zbor Univerze na Primorskem) in October 2004 arose only one year after the founding of our new University of Primorska. At first it was only a female choir, but later it became a mixed choir with over 40 singers. The choir is sponsored by the University of Primorska Student Organization.

The singers in the choir come from all parts of Slovenia. They are students of the University of Primorska and they want to spend their free time in a creative and active manner. The choir repertoire includes sacred and secular works from renaissance to present time. A very special attention is dedicated to songs of the composers from the Primorska region. New songs from the young composers are regularly included in the repertoire. In performances of vocal-instrumental pieces they work together with the "Vladimir Lovec" Chamber Orchestra of the Koper Art Grammar School.

The choir regularly appears in events and concerts organized by the University of Primorska, and it broadly performs in concerts in Slovenia and abroad. It's first international success are two gold medals and first prizes at 12th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music in Préveza, Greece in July 2006 in categories of female and mixed youth choirs. The latest success was a gold medal at 20th National Choral Competition NAŠA PESEM 2007 in Maribor, Slovenia in April 2007.

From the very beginning the conductor of the choir is the composer Ambrož Čopi. He works together with his assistant Maja Cilenšek and vocal pedagogue Vida Matičič.

PRIZES AND AWARDS
12th International Choral Competition of Sacred Music in Préveza, Greece (2006)
- gold medal and first prize - mixed youth choirs category
- gold medal and first prize - female choirs category

20th National Choral Competition NAŠA PESEM 2007 in Maribor, Slovenia (2007)
- gold diploma
- special prize for best performance of renaissance composition

Ambrož Čopi (1973 - )
is one of the youngest Slovene composers. He was born in 1973, and he lives in Bovec (Slovenia). After finishing the Secondary Music School in Ljubljana, he studied composition and piano at the Ljubljana Academy of Music. In 1996 he graduated in composition 'cum laude' in the class of professor Dane Škerl. He has been further developing his abilities and technique, led by other acknowledged musicians like Uroš Rojko and Janus Vajda.

His music has won numerous awards at various competitions, and a number of songs have been commissioned to be performed at various competitions and festivals. He has been working for many years with the choir APZ Tone Tomšič (conducted by Stojan Kuret); the CD Lirični akvareli (Watercolours), a collection of Čopi's compositions edited in 1998, is the result of this co-operation.

During the years at the Academy, he re-established the Bovec Music School and founded the Iskra Chamber Choir (1992-2001), one of the best Slovenian female vocal groups. 1998 he founded the Nova Gorica Chamber Choir and has conducted it until 2004 with great success.

Today he is the conductor of the Obala Mixed Choir, the University of Primorska Academic Choir and the ‘'Vladimir Lovec'' Chamber Orchestra of the Koper Art Grammar School where he also teaches musical theory. He has been awarded a number of prizes for his interpretations with the choirs. He as well frequently holds lectures at seminars and workshops in Slovenia and abroad.

Contact information:
Akademski pevski zbor Univerze na Primorskem
University of Primorska Academic Choir
Pristaniska ulica 3, 6000 Koper, SLOVENIA
e-mail: apzup@soup.si, web: www.soup.si/kultura/apz
President: Uros Malnarsic (mob phone +386 31 523 461)
Conductor: Ambroz Copi (mob phone +386 40 900 012)