Eva Švajdová
Ladislav Libica (1940) is a member of the old family of bagpipers from the central Slovakia village of Braväcovo. He spent his childhood in the town of Brezno where he has remained to live. He is an electrician who worked for his whole active life in local machine plant Mostáreň Brezno. Libica worked here from 1956 until 1998. When fifteen, Libica started to be active in folk ensemble Mostár/Bridge Builder that had been established in 1955. He collected information how whistles and fujara flutes are made from the people in his near and far neighbourhood – mainly from the popular makers (Plieštik, Paciga, Rybár). He started to make them by himself when he had been registered as whistle and fujara maker at the Folklore Festival Below Poľana in the village of Detva in 1974. Libica was awarded for his fujara flutes in the competition for makers in 1975, 1976 and 1978 and for his hand-made whistle in 1985. He received an award as a fujara flute and whistle player in 1986 and 1989. He also received an award from the organisers of the competition in Detva in 2001 and 2002. Ladislav Libica was an active regional folk musical instruments player. He was a member of a folk ensemble for fifty years and a solo player for thirty years. Ladislav Libica was awarded the title of master of folk art production for the preservation and development of folk musical instruments – the fujara flute and whistle in 2011.