The “Encounters with Music” project went wherever there were children and included children in all its events. It had two main features: the activities were not concentrated solely in larger centres of culture, but also took place “outside the mainstream” and were aimed at children not only in the role of listeners, but as actors – musicians. It nurtured a perfect symbiosis of continuity down the generations; the creative workshops for children were led by professional musicians and they also stood side by side on the concert podiums. It brought to the creative process in primary schools and primary art schools a combination of the classical repertoire (Mozart) with works by authors of the 20th and 21st century (Leoš Janáček, Terry Riley, John Cage, Igor Stravinsky, Boško Milakovič, Martin Burlas, Marián Varga). It also brought with it the knowledge that music can be played on the strings of a piano, outside the fingerboard of a cello or on a single string of a cimbalom. These wonders of music were passed along by musicians such as Enikő Ginzery, Ivan Šiller, Jozef Lupták, Andrea Bálešová, the Cluster ensemble and many others. The “Encounters” were organised as an activity of the ISCM – Slovak Section from 2003 to 2010.
~ Irena Lányiová
