Free Registion Available Here: https://cleveland-kurentovanje.ticketleap.com/preseren-day-2024/
You are invited to a night of poetry, jazz, fine art, and festivities in celebration of Prešeren Day—a major national holiday in Slovenia that celebrates Slovenian culture and is held annually on February 8. Presented in coordination with Slovenian Consul General, Alenka Jerak, the event features celebrated poet Ray McNiece and talented jazz artists Leo Coach, Alan Nemeth, and Friends, all of whom share familial ties to Slovenia and are highly respected artists who call Cleveland home.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., performance will be from 6:30–7:30 p.m. followed by a cocktail hour and optional guided art tours.
Following the performance, attendees will have a unique chance to engage in a guided tour of one of the most extensive private collections of work by the esteemed Slovenian-born artist Gregor Perušek. This is the first time this remarkable collection will be on display to the public. Displayed within the Diemer Mansion, which is situated adjacent to the Slovenian National Home complex, this permanent installation showcases Perušek's singular talent and offers a rare glimpse into his nationally recognized body of work.
These intimate tours will be expertly led by volunteer board members of the Slovenian Museum and Archives, who will provide insightful commentary, sharing the stories behind Perušek's masterpieces and offering a deeper appreciation of his fascinating life and work. An online recording of the tour will also be made available.
Additionally, a cocktail reception with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and Slovenian wine will follow the conclusion of the performance thanks to the generous support of the Slovenian General Consul.
About the Artists:
The Leo Coach Trio features Rick Kodramaz on bass, Alan Nemeth on drums, and Leo Coach on piano/keyboards.
Website: https://leocoachmusic.com.
Raymond McNiece is the author of eleven books of poems and monologues and is the tenth poet serving a two-year term as the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate. McNiece has been presenting his shows, writing, and performance workshops for students from kindergarten through college for over twenty-five years. He has worked for the Ohio Arts Council Arts in Education Residency Artist programs as well as doing presentations and workshops for The Center for Arts Inspired Learning (formerly Young Audiences) of Northeast Ohio. He started his own educational company, Page to Stage Productions, in 1994. McNiece has worked as a consultant for WordForward in Singapore and for the nationally touring project Poetry Alive. He is also an adjunct professor at John Carroll University. He was recently certified into Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Roster, one of only twenty such teaching artists nationally.
Website: http://raymcniece.com/enter-rays-place.html
Suzanne Ondrus, Ph.D. is third generation Slovenian American. Her ancestors are from Bevke outside of Ljubljana. Her work delves into love, different cultures, history, racism, body image, African fashion, and women’s sexuality. Her first book, Passion Seeds, a long distant love story between an American and Burkinabe, won the 2013 Vernice Quebodeaux Prize. Summer 2023 she won first prize in both poetry and fiction in the Geauga Park contest for nature writing. She was Gordon Square Review’s 2022 runner up winner for prose, the 2013 Reed Magazine Markham Poetry Prize winner. Her work has taken her internationally as a 2017 featured UNESCO World Book Capital poet in Guinea, Conakry and as a 2018-2020 Fulbright Scholar to Burkina Faso, West Africa. Her recent poetry book, Death of an Unvirtuous Woman (Finishing Line Press) examines domestic violence and homicide in an 1881 Ohio German immigrant couple. Death of an Unvirtuous Woman in play form was performed at Cleveland Public Theater’s Pandemonium event this past September. She holds a doctorate in comparative literary and cultural studies from The University of Connecticut, an M.F.A in poetry from Bowling Green State University, a M.A. in creative writing from Binghamton University and a B.A. in international business and management from Wells College. She’s conversational in Slovenian, fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and German and has worked in Guinea, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Russia, Germany, Nigeria, Guatemala, and Colombia. Hear her read on her YouTube channel Suzanne Ondrus and find her updates on suzanneondrus.com.
Nancy Redd, who in the tradition of her father has a passion for jazz music. She began singing at the age of four. She began her classical training in flute by the age of nine. Being selected for the Cleveland All City Orchestra and the Cleveland Music Solo and Ensemble Competition as a youngster encouraged her to pursue formal training. While in high school and college she studied music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Baldwin Wallace College. While earning her degree in Sociology and Psychology from Baldwin Wallace College, she continued private lessons and of course working with father in local bands. Her classical and jazz training over the years have allowed her to be a quiet storm. Alternating between flute and vocals she brings a unique and pleasant interpretation of jazz. She has performed at local venues, such Wade Oval, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and The Cleveland Public Library Women in Jazz Series. Nancy has opened for Grammy Award Winning Artist Solomon Burke and the Four Tops. She is also a song writer and actress appearing in local television commercials. However it is her mission to keep “Real Jazz” alive and to maintain the class and integrity of the genre.
Website: https://nancyreddjazz.com/home
Gregor Perušek (1887–1940) was born in Jelovec, Slovenia. At age fourteen he immigrated to Cleveland, and in 1931 founded the Yugoslav School of Modern Art in one of the Slovenian National Home storefronts. A self-taught painter who was also keenly aware of contemporary artistic movements, Perušek often depicted industrial scenes and fantastic landscapes that conveyed the immigrant struggle during the Great Depression. The Perušek Collection at the Slovenian National Home serves not only as a testament to the artist’s unique talent, but also as a compelling record of the Slovenian immigrant experience.
About the Sponsors
The Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland is the only professional diplomatic/consular representation in the city of Cleveland and in the entire state of Ohio. The Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland is dedicated to promoting cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the ten States that comprise the office's consular jurisdiction (Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa and Colorado)—especially in the fields in which both countries and their citizens, as well as their economic and cultural organizations and institutions, have a shared interest, with particular attention to the Slovenian community in the United States.
Website: https://www.gov.si/en/representations/consulate-general-cleveland/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLOinCleveland/
The Slovenian Museum and Archives is nonprofit (501c3) organization whose mission is to preserve and share Slovenian ethnic identity and its various migration experiences in a sophisticated, multi-functional and interactive dwelling. SMA provides an educational, cultural and literary resource for families and includes an archive, library, and museum. In conjunction with the Center for Slovenian Studies at Cleveland State University, SMA renders invaluable services to historians, researchers, students, and genealogists.
Website: https://www.slovenianmuseum.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SlovenianMuseumCleveland
Accessibility Information:
Slovenian National Home Accessibility Information: Please see https://www.clevelandkurentovanje.com/accessibility
Diemer Mansion: Unfortunately, due to the age of the building, the building that will be open for optional guided tours of the Gregor Perušek art collection is not wheelchair accessible. There is a full flight of concrete stairs to enter the mansion. Once inside, there is a full flight of wooden stairs with a handrail to access the paintings on the second floor of the building.