The Society of Slovene Composers (DSS) is a voluntary professional association of composers and musicologists. It had been founded on December 22, 1945.

BASIC TASKS:

	To instigate the creation of new Slovene music
	To publish scores as well as CDs and tapes etc.
	To organize concerts of contemporary Slovene music
	To co-operate with similar institutions abroad
	To represent and promote Slovene composers and to provide legal protection on their behalf
	To represent foreign publishers

THE HISTORY:

The predecessors of the Society, whose aim it was to publish works by Slovene composers, were: the national music association Glasbena matica (1872-1945); the music magazines: Novi akordi (New chords - 1901-14), Pevec (The Singer - 1921-38), Zbori (Choirs - 1925-34) in Nova muzika (New Music - 1928-29). To begin with, the Slovene section of the Society was part of the Yugoslav Association of Composers, which came into being in the early Thirties of the 20th Century. It counted 48 members and took care of promoting Slovene composers and protecting their rights. From 1966 onwards the Society issued its own publication: the DSS Bulletin. Until 1991, the Society was incorporated in the Federation of the Organizations of Yugoslav Composers. Thereafter, it became an independent Society, adding to its activities the section for church music in 1999 and the Young ComposersClub in 2000. In 2001 the Section for Jazz music renewed its activities and two new sections, one for educational music and one for choir music were added. Currently the Society counts 111 members.

ACTIVITIES:

PUBLISHING: Between 1951 and 1954, the publishing section of the Society (Edicije DSS - ED. DSS) cooperated with the State Publishing House Drzavna založba Slovenije, and subsequently became affiliated to it as an independent unit. Up to the present day, Edicije DSS published 1562 works by Slovene composers.

DISCOGRAPHY: The Society takes care of the recordings of contemporary Slovene music on disc and tape. Approximately 5 CDs are issued every year. So far the series Ars Slovenica, each CD featuring one composer, boasts an output of 29 CDs in total.

LOAN OF SCORES AND ORCHESTRAL MATERIAL: Since 1972 the Society has been acting as the Slovene representative for the following European music publishers: Edition Peters - Frankfurt, Breitkopf & Härtel - Wiesbaden, Schott Music International - Mainz, Universal Edition - Vienna and Boosey & Hawkes - London. The Society is the official representative for all loans of scores and material from the above-mentioned publishing houses for the whole of Slovenia.

CONCERT ATELIER (KA DSS): Since 1965 concerts at the Concert Atelier have been offering first-class world premieres of new works by Slovene composers. To date there were 268 concert performances, often in conjunction with exhibitions of Slovene painters and sculptors.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES: it is our concern to exchange information on international level and to encourage the participation of our members at international festivals, symposiums, congresses and music trade fairs the world over.

Likewise, we endeavour to inform the general public, as well as comparable professional institutions about our activities, in particular about concerts, and to arrange exchange concerts with the latter.

The Society founded its own section of the International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM). Our members regularly attend conferences and meetings of the ISCM.

As a highlight of the cooperation with the ISCM, the Society of Slovene Composers will organize the World Music Days (WMD) in 2003. This event will take place at various venues all over Slovenia, between September 29th and October 3rd, 2003.

THE NIGHT OF SLOVENE COMPOSERS: Ever since 1989 an annual concert, called The Night of Slovene Composers, was organized by the Society. In1998 this event became part of the Slovene Music Days, arranged by the Ljubljana Festival. The concert provides an opportunity for all members of the Society to present their new works in public.

MUSICA DANUBIANA is a festival of music by composers from countries through which flows the river Danube: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Rumania and Slovenia.

COMMISSIONING OF NEW WORKS: every year the Society commissions a number of new works, which are subsidised by the Ministry of Culture. This is a most important effort, as it aims to conserve the quality of Slovene music and to affirm its reputation both at home and abroad.

SO FAR PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY WERE: Karol Pahor, Matija Bravnicar, Vilko Ukmar, Danilo Svara, Uros Krek, Bojan Adamic, Pavel Mihelcic, Janez Gregorc, Marko Mihevc and Jani Golob.

FINANCE: The activities of the Society are kindly subsidised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and are further made possible with financial contributions of the City of Ljubljana, SAZAS, Plesko Printing Services, and Radio Slovenia.