The Youth Choir of France Bevk Primary School Tolmin is a significant presence in Slovenian choral music and the broader cultural scene. Its driving force, conductor Barbara Kovačič, has enabled the choir to operate at a high level both nationally and internationally for many years with her creative ideas. She places special emphasis on in-depth work with singers, organizing numerous vocal workshops with invited pedagogues to foster the choir’s development.
For years, the choir has collaborated with outstanding Slovenian conductors such as Stojan Kuret and Petra Grassi, as well as vocal coach Martina Burger. Their activities are closely linked to local, national, and international projects carried out in cooperation with experts, professional institutions, and both Slovenian and foreign schools. The choir maintains a strong connection with Slovenian composers (Tadeja Vulc, Ambrož Čopi, Andrej Makor, Patrick Quaggiato, Matej Kastelic…), regularly incorporating their new works into its repertoire.
Beyond involving a large number of children, fostering a long-standing tradition, and integrating into the cultural environment, the choir consistently achieves remarkable results at regional, national, and international competitions. Their vocal unity, compelling interpretations, and carefully curated repertoire never fail to impress both audiences and juries. They are frequently invited to perform in Slovenia and abroad, serve as demonstration choirs for choral conducting workshops, and participate in archival recordings for the national radio.
One of their most notable recent achievements was winning a gold award with distinction and first place in the youth choir category at last year’s international choral competition in Belgium. With their consistently high results in competitions, they serve as significant promoters of their municipality and country.