The internationally renowned and highly active drummer, composer and bandleader Klemens Marktl presents his newly formed band "New York Xperience", featuring an all-star lineup from the New Yorks jazz scene. Through his international career as one of the most sought-after drummers in Europe and the U.S., Marktl consistently collaborates with jazz stars from around the world.

In March 2024, this exceptional drummer released his album under the name Klemens Marktl – Xperience, featuring Grammy-nominated saxophonist Tim Armacost (NY). Armacost is one of the most in-demand musicians from New York's downtown scene and has been making waves internationally for years with his New York Standards Project. He and Klemens Marktl have been musical partners for years, performing together in New York as part of the quartet led by legendary pianist Don Friedman in renowned jazz clubs such as Smalls Jazz Club, Kitano Jazz Club, and more.

For this project, Marktl was able to enlist none other than Dave Kikoski, arguably the most famous pianist of the New York jazz scene for over 30 years. Kikoski has made a lasting impact on the international jazz scene with his harmonically inventive, rhythmically energetic, and technically flawless piano style. He has played in numerous bands led by Roy Haynes, Bob Berg, the Brecker Brothers, Seamus Blake, the Mingus Big Band, and many more, shaping the modern sound of the quintessential New York jazz style. In the spring of 2019, during an extensive tour, a remarkable live recording was made with the Klemens Marktl Trio featuring Dave Kikoski, which was released under the prestigious label Fresh Sound Records.

Alongside Klemens Marktl and Dave Kikoski, New York bassist Doug Weiss completes the fiery, swinging rhythm section, providing the harmonic and rhythmic foundation while inspiring the soloists to reach new heights. Weiss is known for his versatility, effortlessly moving between traditional jazz and avant-garde or experimental settings. With his deep, warm sound and ability to shine both as an accompanist and soloist, he has established himself as one of the most sought-after sidemen in jazz. His remarkable technique and keen sense of rhythmic and harmonic subtlety have earned him a special place in the jazz world. He has been a core member of bands led by Al Foster, George Coleman, Eddie Henderson, Clifford Jordan, Chris Potter, Joe Lovano, Seamus Blake, Mark Turner, Brad Mehldau, Kevin Hays, Peter Bernstein, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brian Blade Fellowship, Bill Stewart, and many others.

An internationally captivating quartet featuring outstanding soloists and a swinging rhythm section that always knows how to fuel the soloists with the necessary energy!

Under the name New York Xperience, this high-energy band is deeply rooted in acoustic jazz while embracing the modern "New York sound" that Klemens Marktl regularly immerses himself in during his stays in the city for inspiration. His music blends melodies and grooves with rhythmic finesse and high-energy swing. Marktl’s compositions are rhythmically diverse yet melodically accessible, providing a strong foundation for improvisation and dynamic interaction among the musicians.

As part of their European tour, this exceptional quartet will present Klemens Marktl’s newly released album Xperience feat. Tim Armacost (Sax) on ATS Records.

The 71st International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from May 13 to 16, 2025. Organized by the International Music Council in collaboration with RTV Slovenia's Ars Programme, this marks the first time the event is hosted in Slovenia.

Established in 1955, the IRC serves as a global platform for promoting contemporary music through radio broadcasting. Over the years, it has facilitated the dissemination of works by more than 400 composers, with selected pieces receiving extensive international airplay.

The 2025 edition coincides with the 80th anniversary of the Slovenian Composers’ Society and will feature concerts by the Slovenian Philharmonic and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, a special concert will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra.

The concert programme accompanying this year’s Rostrum includes:

• Saturday, 10 May 2025: Slovenian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Matinee – Presentation of the International Rostrum of Composers and works from the SOS concert programme at the Marjan Kozina Hall of the Slovenian Philharmonic.

• Tuesday, 13 May 2025: Discussion with Slovenian composers at the Julij Betetto Hall (Kazina) and a concert by accordionist Luka Juhart at the Club of Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana, featuring works by Slovenian composers who have succeeded at the Rostrum over the past decade, along with music by Vinko Globokar.

• Wednesday, 14 May 2025: Slovenian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra concert titled Awarded, featuring the most successful works from various editions of the Rostrum.

• Thursday, 15 May 2025: Kromatika concert by the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra.

• Saturday, 17 May 2025: Closing concert from the Ars cycle “The Queen’s Visits” on Bled Island with Marko Hatlak, Polona Gantar, and Miro Božič.

The accompanying programme has been prepared in cooperation with the Slovenian Philharmonic, the Slovenian Composers’ Society, Cankarjev dom, and the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. All concerts will be broadcast live on Program Ars.

Cast: Chet Baker, Carol Baker, Vera Baker, Dean Baker, Missy Baker, Dick Bock, William Claxton, Flea, Hersh Hamel, Chris Isaak, Lisa Marie
Language: English, Spanish, Slovenian subtitles
Original medium: 35mm B&W print 
Screened version: 4K DCP restoration 

An intimate documentary about one of jazz's most enigmatic icons – trumpeter Chet Baker.

Featuring a series of outspoken interviews with Baker’s friends, family, associates and lovers, the film reveals the turbulent life of a groundbreaking artist venerated as the innovator of cool jazz who captivated audiences across the globe while struggling with his own dark demons. Archival footage from Baker’s earlier life is interspersed with performances from his last years, further highlighting the musician’s genius and the singular sound of his trumpet and voice.
 

Panel: Dr. Dean Komel, Dr. Alix Landgrebe, Dr. Vlasta Jalušič
 

The book Pisma 1925–1975 in druga pričevanja includes correspondence between Hannah Arendt, the German-born American political theorist and philosopher of Jewish descent, and her former professor, the philosopher Martin Heidegger. The letters reveal their complex personal and intellectual relationship, providing a unique insight into their thoughts, feelings and reactions to key events of the 20th century, including Nazism, wartime and post-war reflections. Illuminating, subtle and intimate, the correspondence offers a fascinating glimpse into the inner lives of two extraordinary thinkers.
 

In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Ljubljana and the Faculty of Arts

The performance lasts 60 minutes.

Twenty successful seasons of Piaf, Edith Piaf

The normal life of a theatre show can usually be counted on the fingers of one hand. If counting on three fingers, we’ve got a success story; if on all five, it’s a sensation. Extremely rare are the performances that count their years on the fingers of both hands. These are legendary shows. There are hardly any performances that need a third set of fingers to count on. These are solitary exceptions, monoliths that defy time and at the same time attest to the indestructible power of theatre, which is otherwise subject to transience. And that is why such a monolith, transcending the theatrical life of all ten fingers, is particularly worthy of attention.

Piaf, Edith Piaf is such a monolith. Twenty, yes, twenty years have passed since its premiere at Kavarna Union, on the ideal, but sadly no longer operational stage of perhaps the finest cabaret venue in Ljubljana. Anyway, what happened that December evening in Kavarna was by no means meant to survive, alive and kicking, over a span of two decades. Non-existent budget, but boundless enthusiasm, a young creative team at the beginning of their theatrical journey, not enough time, too much work and the determination to see the project through, no matter what form it would end up taking. It has evolved into a form with no superfluous detail, in which nothing gets “stale”, none of Vesna's gestures has “gathered dust”, everything in its place, clear, pure, direct, emotionally charged, powerful.

The success of Vesna's vocal-theatrical take on Edith Piaf – still with musical accompaniment by (also appearing as an actor!) Joži Šalej – was certain at the premiere, and later confirmed by the Borštnik Award for Best Actress, by numerous tours and the 20th anniversary of the production.
And it will be confirmed by the anniversary show in Cankarjev dom's Linhart Hall.

Nobody could fail to notice her.
Nobody could imitate her.
Nobody can forget her.
Her name was Edith Piaf.

It seems the icon of Edith Piaf has lodged itself firmly in people’s consciousness: a gentle, fragile girl who rose from street singer to soul-stirring chanteuse. Nobody could have sung as beautifully and uniquely as Edith without not only having glimpsed but also tasted the dark side of life. The saying “only those who have endured hell can speak of paradise” undeniably applies to Edith.

The production was selected to compete in the 2004 Maribor Theatre Festival (Borštnikovo srečanje), where award-winning Vesna Pernarčič received the Best Actor Prize.

Vesna Pernarčič

Vesna first began performing professionally in her third year at the Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television as Mirandolina in P. Turrini’s Die Wirtin directed by Samo Strelec (ZATO Theatre, Ptuj). After graduation, she joined the acting ensemble of the Slovenian Permanent Theatre in Trieste. After three years, she became member of the Prešeren Theatre Kranj, where her first role was that of Micka in Županova Micka (The Mayor’s Daughter) directed by V. Taufer. She is currently member of the Prešeren Theatre Kranj.

Selected awards: žlahtna komedijantka (awarded to actors in Slovenian comedy, 2019, 2012, 2007, 2005), Best Actor Award at the Maribor Theatre Festival (2018, 2004), Prešeren Fund Award (2014)

The renowned German writer and journalist Norman Ohler follows up his worldwide bestseller Blitzed, an exploration of Nazi drug use, with Tripped: LSD for Mom, in which he recaps the mid-century birth of psychedelics, laying out the impact of psychoactive substances on society and politics, this time in the post-World War II era. 

A suspense-ridden, astonishingly vivid read verging on science thriller, the book takes us from the discovery of LSD and psilocybin to their impacts on modern medicine, legislation and public discourse. Ohler breaks down the three key roles of drugs: medicine, mind control tool and intoxicant. He also shares how the strict anti-drug laws have held back the therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs despite evidence suggesting that they help alleviate symptoms of mental disorders such as depression or dementia.

The journalist Patricija Maličev will talk to the author about his archival research in Europe and the US, touching on the prominent names that shaped the history of psychedelics use – from Aldous Huxley to Elvis Presley – and the experiment he carried out on his own parents.

The event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Slovenian.
 

Oliver Frljić is regarded as one of Europe’s most emblematic directors of the last two decades when it comes to the theatre of rebellion. His productions are punctuated with social revolt, expressing popular dissent against nationalism of any kind, the politics of the Catholic Church (which he is well familiar with), capitalism, the blindness it generates and the poverty it leaves in its wake, homophobia, the repercussions of colonialism, as well as patriotism and melancholy.

As an authority on post-Yugoslav and European space as such, Frljić claims that neither area has dispensed with historical fascism and its legacy. His shows often explore revisionist interpretations of political history, not least, he says, because we live in a time when countries each in their own way consent to at least one or more forms of fascism. But in the end, as one of Frljić’s productions has shown, what unfailingly remains is the casualty count, the lives destroyed, or victims claimed. Sometimes the aforesaid conditions provide the impetus for new political projects.

The April edition of Critical Cabaret will see Patricija Maličev in talk with Oliver Frljić, discussing the above issues, as well as his upcoming show Inkubator, which is scheduled to open at the Mladinsko Theatre in a few weeks' time.
 

The Slovenian Contemporary Dance Biennial – Gibanica awards two prizes.
•    The Gibanica Grand Prix will be awarded by an international expert jury composed of: 
Sandra Neuveut, director of CNDC La Briqueterie, France
Catja Loepfe, director of Tanzhaus Zürich, Switzerland
Monica Gillette, co-director of the Tanztriennale Hamburg, Germany 

•    The Audience Award is given to the dance performance that receives the most votes by the audience. 
The Award Ceremony will be led by Daniel Petković, joined by the dancers from the choreographic laboratory. 


* You can access the Club with the elevator from the Small gallery (Mala Galerija)


More about the international expert jury:
Catja Loepfe is since 2014 artistic director of Tanzhaus Zürich in Switzerland. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she began her career as a freelance art curator and workshop organizer. She directed Zürich’s Rote Fabrik Theater (1999 – 2007) and worked at Gessnerallee Zürich (2007 – 2012), ending as its interim director. She then led the Zürich tanzt Festival and was member of the Artistic Board of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. 

Sandra Neuveut is the director of The Choreographic Development National Center – La Briqueterie since 2021 and served as president of the Association of Choreographic Development National Centers in 2024, and its treasurer in 2025. She was artistic advisor at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris for the projects Chantiers d’ Europe (2019) and was deputy director of the Musée de la danse in Rennes, led by the choreographer Boris Charmatz (2009-2018). She teaches regularly at universities and on vocational training programmes and holds the title of Knight of Arts and Letters, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.

Monica Gillette is a dance dramaturg, facilitator and Co-Artistic Director of the Tanztriennale 2026 in Hamburg. She has accompanied several EU-funded projects, including Dance Well, Migrant Bodies – Moving Borders, Dancing Museums – The Democracy of Beings, Empowering Dance and Aerowaves’ Moving Borders. She is a dramaturg and transformation coach at Tanzhaus Zürich and researcher for EDN – European Dance Development Network, resulting in the 2024 publication Practices of Care and Wellbeing in Contemporary Dance: Evidence from the Field.
 

Mari Kvien Brunvoll (vocals, electronics, percussion, zither) / Stein Urheim (vocals, guitar, flute, electronics) / Moskus: Anja Lauvdal (vocals, piano, synthesiser, harmonium, electronics) / Fredrik Luhr Dietrichson (bass, cello, vocals) / Hans Hulbakmo (drums, percussion)

As soon as Mari Kvien Brunvoll stepped on stage for the first time, she was immediately hailed as one of the biggest Norwegian talents in years. Vocally there’s nothing she can’t do – something that Druga Godba was quick to realise when it invited her to appear at the 2011 edition just as she was starting out. You better believe that her return has been worth waiting for.

This time round she’ll be appearing as part of a five-piece band that came together for Branches & Limits, a work commissioned for the Vossajazz festival in Norway in 2023. That concert thrilled critics and audience alike with its directness, and its unusual combination of written material, spontaneous improvisation and musical expression. The music, written by Mari and Stein and then developed in collaboration with the Moskus trio, takes an open-minded and improvisational approach to the interplay of the known and the unknown. Although these musicians are part of the wider context of Norwegian jazz, they have put genre to one side for this project to create a wholly new, independent musical landscape that even the sharpest eyes and ears will have trouble pinning down. You might, for just a second, wonder whether they’ve created this music with the sole aim of playing at Druga Godba. However you frame it, last year’s debut album, Barefoot in Bryophyte, is balm for the ears – but you won’t quite know how it’s going to make you feel until the joyous quintet take to the stage.