GRAND OPENING OF THE 37th IMAGO SLOVENIAE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AND SUMMER IN LJUBLJANA OLD TOWN
THE EVENT IS PART OF THE JUNE IN LJUBLJANA FESTIVAL
SLOVENIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Conductor: Kakhi Solomnishvili
Soloists:
Marta Sesar, flute
Jože Rošer and Blaž Ogrič, horns
Ivan Šoštarič, cello
Manja Slak, violin
Programme:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Overture to the opera The Magic Flute, KV 620
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Rondo in D major, KV 184 for flute and orchestra
Antonín Leopold Dvořák (1841–1904), In Nature, Op. 91
Michael Haydn (1737–1806), Concerto for 2 Horns in E-flat major, M.C56 – Movement III (Rondeau. Allegretto)
Antonín Leopold Dvořák (1841–1904), Forest Silence, Op. 68 for cello and orchestra
Uroš Krek (1922–2008), Rhapsodic Dance
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Introduction and rondo capriccioso, Op. 28 for violin and orchestra
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah, Op. 47
At the Opening concert of the 37th Imago Sloveniae International Festival, the best members of the Slovenian Philharmonic orchestra will present themselves as soloists alongside the Orchestra, under the baton of the new chief conductor of our central philharmonic institution, Kakhi Solomnishvili.
The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, with roots dating back to 1701, is one of the oldest musical institutions in Europe. The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra came to its glory after the founding of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra in 1947, with local resident conductors and guest greats such as Carlos Kleiber, Riccardo Muti and Daniel Harding. It offers Ljubljana audiences a variety of subscription cycles, including standard orchestral repertoire from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the most modern music and music from earlier stylistic periods, demonstrating the musicians’ versatility. It brings together the best local musicians, joined since 1990 by a number of outstanding foreign instrumentalists. Foreign countries have also been able to experience the successes and strong traditions of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra – over the past decades, tours and guest appearances have taken the Orchestra to the most prestigious halls and high-profile festivals around the world.
Kakhi Solomnishvili, an outstanding young conductor of Georgian roots, took over the role of the Principal Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic this year. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Georgian Tsinandali Award for outstanding achievements in music. Since 2022 he has been working with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra and Teatro Colón, where he made his debut with the premiere of I. Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress. He has worked with various national and international orchestras, including Frederic Chopin’s Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the Israel Sinfonietta and the Georgian Sinfonietta. He has been working with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra since 2023 and is a regular conductor of the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Marta Sesar, solo flutist of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana in the class of Prof. Matej Zupan and is now a Master Professor of Flute. She is currently pursuing further studies at the renowned Universität der Künste in Berlin with Prof. Christine Fassbender. She has frequently presented her musical skills as a soloist and chamber musician at national and state competitions and has received numerous prizes. She has trained in seminars with various masters such as Christina Fassbender (Germany), Paolo Taballione (Italy), Hansgeorg Schmeiser (Austria), Andrea Oliva (Italy), Manuel Morales (Spain) and others. Since 2022 she has been working as a solo flutist in the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hornist Jože Rošer is a member of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and an assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He also plays in several chamber ensembles and performs as a soloist with orchestras. In March 2022, he impressed with his musicality and technical sophistication in two concerts. With the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra he performed Richard Strauss’s First Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, and with the RTV Slovenia Symphony and three fellow horn players he performed Robert Schumann’s challenging Concerto for Four Horns and Orchestra.
Before graduating from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, the award-winning musician Blaž Ogrič had already achieved many high rankings in youth competitions.In 2007 he won the International Competition for Young Soloists and Chamber Ensembles in Belgrade, in 2011 he was awarded first prize at the TEMSIG competition, and in 2015 he won first prize at the competition in Varaždin.He has also received the Škerjanč Prize and the University of Ljubljana’s Prešeren Student Prize.He has studied at masterclasses with renowned professors Radovan Vlatković, Johannes Hiterholzer, Luiz Carlos Garcia, Dale Clevenger and Will Sanders. He has played with such great conductors as Neville Marriner, Philippe Jordan, Daniel Harding, Christoph Eschenbach. He has worked with various European orchestras (Camerata Salzburg, Zadar Chamber Orchestra, HNK Ivan pl. He regularly performs in various chamber ensembles and is particularly well known as an excellent soloist. In 2019 he became a solo horn player in the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
After graduating from the Ljubljana Secondary School of Music and Ballet, cellist Ivan Šoštarič continued his studies at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under the tutelage of Ciril Škerjanec, where he graduated and completed his specialist studies. During his student years he performed as a soloist with both the Academy of Music Orchestra and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also played with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Puccini Festival Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, and since 1995 he has been employed as Deputy Head of the Cello Section of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, he performs as a chamber musician in various ensembles, such as the All Capone Štrajh Trio, the Ljubljana Cello Quartet and the Yost Quartet, with whom he has recorded several CDs. He has worked as a teacher at the Ljubljana Vič – Rudnik Music School and as a mentor in the Symphony Orchestra of Young Musicians.
The outstanding violinist Manja Slak graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Prof. Elisabeth Kropfitsch and received her Master’s degree from Prof. Anton Sorokov. She has won numerous prizes, such as first prize at the Ars nova Music Competition in Trieste and the Paolo Spincich Prize at the final competition for first prize winners with the Piano Trio Sensibile, first prize at the Don Vincenzo Vitti Competition in Castellana Grotte, Italy, first prize and a special prize at the Musicale Euritmia competition for young instrumentalists, as well as a golden plaque and the third prize at the Svirél Competition and the first prize at the International Academy Crescendo Competition in Buja, Croatia.In 2023 she successfully auditioned for the Berlin Opera Academy and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.She has performed numerous concerts as a concertmaster and is a regular substitute violinist in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.She has been a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (GMJO), the European Youth Orchestra (EUYO), the Britten Pears Orchestra in London and the European Philharmonic Orchestra Switzerland.
Admission is free.
*In case of rain, the concert will take place at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.
In collaboration with:
