ADRIAN VATOVEC, HONORARY CONSUL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Adrian (Jadran in Slovenian), was the initiator and the leader of the Music school of the Slovenian Association Adelaide during the years 1970 to 1983.
The pupils performed at cultural programs, accompanied the play Midsummer Night, and performed for Mothers and Fathers Days.
Adrian told us:
“My involvement with the Adelaide Slovenian community has been teaching Slovenian songs to students, attending Slovenian language classes during the 1970s, teaching the Slovenian music band Glasba Avstralija in the 1980s, and I have been a choir master for Slovenski pevski zbor Adelaide (Slovenian  Choir Adelaide) from its inception in 1992 until the present day.”

From the book Chronicle of Slovenian Schools and Slovenian Language Teachers in Australia, by Draga Gelt, 2010
Adrian Vatovec music
1995 – Present (21 years)
Composing, songwriting, production:

  • Wrote and produced theme song for world’s largest Christmas Pageant, held annually in Australia:
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=69JuG_viPSY&list=FL4_TweWFlh-905nyeRFssgQ&index=10&feature=plpp_video
  • Composed and produced music for Tushek Renovatio T500 Supercar:
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ToEcjsCTg&list=UU4_TweWFlh-905nyeRFssgQ&index=2&feature=plcp
  • Wrote and produced song recorded by Vlado Kreslin, described as “one of the greatest rock artists you have probably never heard of”. See Vlado Kreslin & Adrian Vatovec – Play with Fire:
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvQ3qM4JVmo&feature=BFa&list=FL4_TweWFlh-905nyeRFssgQ
  • Other compositions recorded include Andras Csontha, concertmaster of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra / professor of violin at Franz Liszt Music Academy, Hungary; The Australian Youth Choir.
  • Music composed for Artist-in-residence, Adelaide Festival of Arts, opening ceremony.
  • Music compositions held in some of the world’s best libraries – National Library of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Library of Congress (USA), New York Public Library (Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound), The British Library (UK), National Library of Slovenia

Web pages:

Adrian Vatovec becomes the 1st Honorary Consul of RS in South Australia

Linkedin

Adrian (Jadran) Vatovec from Adelaide and his love of music 

Slovenian Song

Dream on (music)

You are too much (music)

Works by Adrian Vatovec

Radaris – Adrian Vatovec

Letter from Adrian Vatovec, Adelade Voice of Slovenia

Adrian as a Consultant

Iskani ključ – in Slovenian
Adrian’s Work we can find:

YouTube:

Vlado Kreslin and Adrian Vatovec

Chris Mas Chinese music

Slovenia Australia Channel

Chris Mas – Christmas

Facebook Adrian Vatovec

Slovenian Club Adelaide

National Library of Australia

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

State Library of South Australia

State Library of Victoria

State Library of New South Wales

State Library of Queensland

State Library of Queensland more

State Library of Western Australia

LINC Tasmania – State Library of Tasmania

International:  Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica (NUK), Ljubljana, Slovenia – National and University Library of Slovenia

                       New York Public Library

                       Library of Congress

                       The British Library

                       National Library of New Zealand

Soundcloud – Adrian Vatovec

More information and photographs of Adrian’s talent you can find in the book Anthology of Slovenian Musicians in Australia by Katarina Vrisk, 2016, available from the author as a hard copy only.

Adrian is as well Editor and producer of the  SLOVENIA South Australia Newsletter in Slovenian and English languages.

in National Library of Australia

in State Library of South Australia

in Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica (NUK), Ljubljana, Slovenia – National and University Library of Slovenia

in Digitalne knjižnice Slovenije – dLib.si

 

Adrian’s essay about being a Slovenian (published in the book I am a Slovenian Too, by Draga Gelt, 2014:

Slovenian migrants were one of over fifty countries that passed through Bonegilla reception centre between 1947 and 1971, before being dispersed to other areas in Australia to build a new life. Many people started their Australian life at Bonegilla, including my mother Leopolda who also gave birth to me at the centre. Bonegilla was the largest migrant reception centre in post World War II Australia where during its twenty four year history more than three hundred thousand people passed and today, when considering spouses and children, has a direct impact on over 1 million people in Australia. Bonegilla, situated in the precinct of the twin cities of Albury Wodonga on the Victorian and New South Wales border celebrated its 65th Anniversary in 2012 as a migrant camp. Today, Block 19, the last surviving block at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre, was given heritage listing in 2002 and is managed now by Parklands Albury-Wodonga. The word Bonegilla is Aboriginal, from the Koori people, and it means “place of the meeting waters”. This is a symbolic location to hold a migrant reception centre where you have an immigrant and an Australian culture meeting and sometimes colliding. It is with this description that I introduce my song “Two Streams”. It is about living and growing with two cultures. The accordion in the song represents the Slovenian way of life and the piano, the Australian way of life. This song is dedicated to our Slovenian immigrants, who have significantly contributed to Australia’s social and economic prosperity, since first setting foot on Australian soil.

In the poem/song Two Streams he expressed his feelings:

Two Streams
blood flows through my veins
from two streams it’s fed
from two valleys bled
viewed from the air
your mother saw the lights
the first of the southern sky
and the accordion
sounds a way of life
from two streams
the piano
echoes in the hall
from two streams
through the rocky seas
calm water brings to rest
your mother’s lioness chest
pressure in the air
a contract to uphold
village life is sold
and the accordion
sounds a way of life,
from two streams,
the piano
echoes in the hall,
from two streams
imagination packed in a suitcase
along with every dream
census up but never shows
emotion lines, battle bars
you blow me away
asked a child of yours
where did she get her smile?
the strength that’s in his bones?
blood flows through my veins

from two streams it’s fed
the journey never ends
and the accordion
sounds a way of life,
from two streams,
the piano
echoes in the hall,
from two streams,
blood flows through my veins

To enlarge click on image  {Gallery dir=’Adrian-Vatovec’}