Cecilija Oblonšek

Cecilija Oblonšek (* 1982), after finishing the Anton Martin Slomšek Diocesan Gymnasium in Maribor, continued her studies at the Faculty of Pedagogy in Maribor, Department of Music, where she graduated in Music Pedagogy in March 2007. During her studies, she attended the Fran Korun Koželjski Velenje Artistic Gymnasium - music, module B, singing and instrument, organ, and graduated in 2006 with a final concert. After the first year of studies at the Faculty of Pedagogy, she started her studies at the Faculty of Theology (Maribor Unit), majoring in theology, where she graduated in September 2007. During her studies and afterwards, she took part in seminars and workshops in the field of organ, choral music and liturgy. In 2016, she completed her studies at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ljubljana with a doctoral thesis entitled Creativity in liturgical and inculturation processes in relation to Slovenian liturgy. Since 2008 she has been working at the same faculty as an assistant at the Chair of Liturgy and Liturgical Music in the field of church music. She also works as a professional director of the Institute for Church Music and on the editorial board of the slovenian edition of Magnificat, a monthly publication designed for daily use, to encourage liturgical and personal prayer.

She works as a lecturer and (co-)organiser of liturgical-music workshops and trainings. During her studies, she began her professional activity by writing professional and popular articles both in the field of music and liturgy, regularly publishing professional articles with musical-liturgical content in the magazines Cerkev v sedanjem svetu (Cerkev danes), Pastoralni pogovori, Tretji dan, Božje okolje, and monthly in the liturgical-prayer magazine Magnificat. In cooperation with other experts, he gives lectures at liturgical-pastoral courses for psalmists, organists and pastoral workers in various Slovenian cities and parishes. He also teaches Liturgy, Song and Music and Doctrine of the Sacraments at the Theological-Pastoral School in Celje, Maribor and Murska Sobota. In 2010 she became a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Liturgy and Church Music in Maribor and Secretary of the Commission for the Organ, which operated within the Metropolis of Maribor. She was a member of the editorial board of the magazine Tretji dan (Third Day), a member of the Council of the magazine since 2011, and since 2017, the Area Editor for Liturgy and Church Music. Since 2013, she has been a member of the editorial board of Magnificat and, together with her colleagues at the Institute for Church Music, she has been the music content designer for the magazine. 

As she and her colleagues prepare materials for the Institute for Church Music, which, among other things, strives to integrate chant into today's rites in the Catholic Church in Slovenia as effectively as possible, this area is also becoming an important part of her scientific research, as can be seen in the bibliography, and at the same time, as part of her professional and pastoral work, she wishes to put theory into practice through workshops and training courses, and to stay in touch with the situation "on the field".