MePZ Obala -
Mixed Choir Obala Koper
The Mixed Choir Obala Koper unites singers from the Slovene Primorska region since 1977. Almost 400 singers have been part of the choir through the years, and together, they have interpreted a wide repertoire of choral compositions from different periods and by numerous authors, with which they have achieved the highest prizes at national and international vocal competitions. The Mediterranean character of the singers is visible in the energy and enthusiasm of the choir, which was inspired by the founding conductor and honorary member Mirko Slosar, who led the choir for 13 years. His work was continued by Walter Lo Nigro, Ambrož Čopi, Maja Cilenšek, Sebastjan Vrhovnik, and since September 2017, by the renowned composer Andrej Makor. Additionally, the choir devotes itself to fostering high quality choral singing and to spreading the culture of choirs with the organization of the International Choir Festival Koper, which enriches the cultural landscape of Slovene Istria every two years. Obala has won twelve gold plates at the national choral competition Naša pesem in Maribor, and an impressive number of prizes abroad, among which, for instance, the Tonen 2000 competition in the Netherlands in 2006, the German competition in Miltenberg in 2010, the Italian Seghizzi competition in 2011, the habaneras competition in Torrevieja in 2013, the Zlata vila in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2014, the Croatian competition in Split in 2015, and the Grand Prix at the Italian competition CorAmare 2019. Obala often performs at official municipality and state events, cooperates with other choirs and orchestras and also stimulates the production of music by commissioning new compositions. At the eve of its 40th anniversary, the choir published a double CD with the title Sledi … (Traces …), which summarizes its activity under the leadership of Sebastjan Vrhovnik.
