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In the spring of the year 2001 Planinski kvintet embarked upon a comprehensive tour of Slovenia. In and of itself this is no major feat, as other Canadian-Slovenian groups had gone before us (Veseli Vandravčki, Zvoki Slovenije, as well as numerous folklore groups from across Canada), and certainly many others will follow. However, what made this tour special was the fact that it marked the first and only time a Canadian-Slovenian group has embarked upon a tour with the support of a major Slovenian media outlet. As a group, we had been to Slovenia before, making a few radio appearences, a visit on the TV programme "Po Domače", as well as performing at a couple of Veselicas. It must be understood that as a band, we were used to playing for a few hundred people. Bands from our circuit who visit Slovenija would typically play at Gostilna's and Veselica's, with perhaps an appearence on a variety TV show. This is what one would expect of a polka band touring Slovenia. However, this time, we would be faced with something quite different.
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For
Planinski kvintet, the timing could not have been more fortunate.
We had just completed our first album of original music, the majority
of it written entirely by band members. More importantly, Slovenia
was gearing up to celebrate its 10th anniversary of independence.
As a result, there were numerous large-scale events scheduled that
happened to coincide with our visit.
As
we found ourselves heading into our first true Slovenian tour, we
knew that we were sponsored by Radio Ognjisce and that we would
be performing with many of the top acts in the Slovenian narodno-zabavno
music scene. However, none of us truly appreciated what was in store
for us until we arrived at Studenec for our first concert. It's
one thing to hear it, but entirely another thing to live it. To
the man, we were in awe of the scale of the first show. What was
even more touching was the incredibly warm ovation we received after
our performance. Used to playing dances, this was our first true
concert as a group-curtain call and all. Events such as this are
unparalleled in our circuit back home in Southern Ontario, so it
was a treat to be sure.
To
be involved in such a tour was an incredible shift for us weekend
warriors. It is certainly an odd experience to be driving around
and hear commercials for your concert on the radio; to pick up the
TV listings and find a photo of your group; to open a newspaper
and read about your visit. The media coverage was incredible. We
quickly discovered that this was certainly no vacation. When we
weren't performing, members of the group were scattering across
this Alpine nation making radio appearences or sitting down for
newspaper inverviews. We had virtually no time to visit family members
or to see the sights. This however, was a small price to pay for
this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The media support went a long
way to open even more doors for us despite the fact that our tour
had already far exceeded our expectations. While most appearences
were scheduled in advance, some of the highlights of the tour were
last-minute additions, steming from our various media appearences:
We were invited to play at Postojna in front of over 10,000 people
(and many more through a live simulcast on TV and radio)!. We also
had the opportunity to film an hour long Planinski kvintet TV special
at Otočec, featuring our CD in its entirety.
This website feature is intended to be a retrospective of the incredible
opportunity that was bestowed upon Planinski kvintet. It is true
that while our tour has generated responses as far away as Australia,
few people back home in Canada were aware of the fact that we were
representing them. Through these pages we hope to share the memories
of this wonderful experience with our family, friends, and fellow
Canadian-Slovenians. Our love of Slovenia and Slovenian music is
genuine, and this tour was the realization of a dream.© 2001 - Planinski Kvintet.