INGENIUM ENSEMBLE

"If after listening anyone says that perfection does not exist, then I do not know what could be better than that."

(Heraldo de Aragón/Critic de Música/Víctor Rebullida/4.11.2014)

ABOUT US

Singers

Ema Pavlič
Soprano

Matjaž Strmole
Baritone

Blaž Strmole
Tenor

Ambrož Rener
Bass

Petra Frece Šilak
Mezzo-soprano

Domen Anžlovar
Tenor

"Your talent and wonderful sound is striking!"

(Katarina Henryson - The Real Group)

Ensemble

INGENIUM ENSEMBLE is a vocal ensemble of six singers from Ljubljana (Slovenia). The group was founded in 2009.

The repertoire of the a cappella sextet knows hardly any boundaries and ranges from sacred music of the Renaissance and Romanticism to jazz and pop songs. Special attention is paid to arrangements of Slovenian folk songs as well as compositions by contemporary composers from Slovenia. Regardless of which genre these six singers choose, musical excellence and great entertainment are guaranteed.

In addition to numerous performances in its home country, concert tours have taken the ensemble throughout Europe, including Germany. France, Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria and Switzerland. Ingenium has won prizes at numerous international competitions, including the Leipzig International A Cappella Competition (Germany), the Bad Ischl International Choir Competition (Austria), and the "Tolosako Abesbatza Lehiaketa" in Tolosa (Spain), where the ensemble won 1st prize in both the sacred and secular sections of the competition, as well as the audience prize.

In January 2015, the ensemble was awarded the "Golden Emblem" by JSKD (Public Fund for Cultural Activities in Slovenia) for outstanding achievements in vocal music.

The Ingenium Ensemble singers are: Ema Pavlič (soprano), Petra Frece Šilak (mezzo-soprano), Blaž Strmole (tenor), Domen Anžlovar (tenor), Matjaž Strmole (baritone) and Ambrož Rener (bass).

DISCOGRAPHY

Album Journey Of Life

Join us on a musical journey through our Slovenian home country and abroad as we explore life from perspective of its different stages.

Following the opening cosmic dance in the eternal cycle of the universe, we will relive youthful exuberance, falling in love for the first time, finding a soulmate, pursuing happiness, maturnig and becoming aware of our own transience. This anthology of our favorite folk songs and popular tunes celebrates our growth through the past decade since the founding of the ensemble and highlights our creative passion for vocal music.

This is our way to live and love.

Zemlja pleše (Mojmir Sepe, Gregor Strniša, arr. Samo Ivačič)

Jnjen čeua jti gna’ (Folk Song from Resia, arr. Pavle Merku)

Marko skače (Folk Song from Prekmurje, arr. Lajko Milisavljevič)

Zrejlo je žito (Folk Song from Prekmurje, arr. Blaž Strmole)

Slovenske dežele (Slovenian Folk Song Medley, arr. Blaž Strmole)

Dessus le Marché d’Arras (Orlando di Lasso)

Hello Mary Lou (Gene Pitney & Cayet Mangiaracina, arr. David Wright)

Krokodilčki (Jože Potrebuješ, arr. Blaž Strmole)

This Marriage (Eric Whitacre, Jalal Al-Din Rumi, Kabir Helminski)

Dan ljubezni (Tadej Hrušovar, Dušan Velkaverh, arr. Blaž Strmole)

Dajte, dajte (Folk Song from Istria, arr. Aldo Kumar)

Kako kratek je ta čas (Folk Song from Carinthia, arr. Lojze Lebič)

Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg, arr. Blaž Strmole)

Time to Say Goodbye (Francesco Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto, arr. Blaž Strmole

My Way (Claude François, Jacques Revaux, Paul Anka, arr. Blaž Strmole)

Album Ingenium

In January 2014 the debut album “Ingenium” of Ingenium Ensemble has been released. The CD was recorded in Slovenia in cooperation with Barnaby Smith, the artistic director of the renowned British vocal group VOCES8, who was in charge of both recording and production. The final phase of making the album was made in the Abbey Road studios in London.

The album represents a selection of different types of music that represents the variety of their repertoire: Italian Madrigal with a combination of love and military theme (Giovanni Gastoldi: Amor Vittorioso, Giaches de Wert: M’ha punt’ Amor), exotic Portuguese villancico (Gaspar Fernandes: Pois con tanta Graça), German protestant motet (Heinrich Schütz: Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes) Latin motet by Slovenian composer (Damijan Močnik: Verbum supernum prodiens), Orthodox piece (Stevan Mokranjac: Njest svjat), English romantic song (Robert Pearsall: Light of My Soul), arrangement of the French medieval song (Blaž Strmole: L’homme armé), Slovenian folk song and arrangements on folk tunes (France Cigan: Domov v slovenski kraj, Hilarij Lavrenčič: Petelinček je zapiel, Matija Krečič: Vöra bije) and the arrangement of contemporary popular song (Billy Joel, arr. Phillip Lawson: Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel).