LANA TROTOVŠEK AND MAK GRGIĆ (Slovenia / England, USA)
Lana Trotovšek, violin
Mak Grgić, guitar
Programme:
J.S. Bach (1685–1750), Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
I. Allemande
II. Courante
III. Sarabande
IV. Gigue
V. Chaconne
Manuel de Falla (1876–1946), Seven Spanish Folksongs
I. El paño Moruno
II. Seguidilla murciana
III. Asturiana
IV. Jota
V. Nana
VI. Canción
VII. Polo
Béla Bartók (1881–1945), Romanian Folk Dances
I. Stick Dance
II. Sash Dance
III. In One Spot
IV. Dance from Bucsum
V. Romanian Polka
VI. Fast Dance
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992), Histoire du Tango
I. Bordel 1900
II. Café 1930
III. Nightclub 1960
IV. Concert d’aujourd’hui
Violinist Lana Trotovšek has captivated audiences with her ‘true feel of live intuitive performance’ (The Strad ) and for bringing ‘freshness, depth and insight’ to her interpretations. Washington Post has described her as ‘Radiant’ and praised her ‘clean, refined tone with musical sense of phrasing and impeccable intonation’.
A former student of the legendary violinist Ruggiero Ricci, Trotovšek made her solo debut with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in 2012, and has since appeared with some of the world’s leading orchestras. In July 2024, she performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino at the Ljubljana Festival. The concert was recorded by Panamax and broadcast on Mezzo Live and Medici TV. She has toured with Moscow Soloists and Yuri Bashmet, performed with the London Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda, the Shanghai Philharmonic and Grammy-Award winning composer Tan Dun, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Rafael Payare and Vasily Petrenko. She also appeared with several orchestras in the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center at the Shanghai International Spring Festival and in Nanjing.
In the United States, Trotovšek has toured extensively, earning praise from the Washington Post as “radiant” and from the Philadelphia Inquirer as “an emerging voice to watch.” In Japan, she has appeared in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Yokohama, performing in venues such as Minato Mirai Hall. In 2020, her performance of a violin concerto by Deirdre Gribbin with the Ulster Orchestra was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
She has performed at some of the most prestigious venues, including Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven. Her talent has taken her beyond Europe to perform in China, Japan, Thailand, Lebanon, the UAE, Canada, Mexico, the USA.
In 2021, she received the Prešeren Fund Award. Currently based in London, she holds a professorship in violin at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Her international profile continues to grow, with recent invitations to lead masterclasses in London, Belgium, Japan, and Mexico. Her instrument is a violin crafted in 1750 by Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa.
Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, 3-time Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgić is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, collaborator, and Grammy-nominated recording artist are fueled by curiosity, imagination, and boundless energy.
As both soloist and collaborator, Mak averages eighty-five performances a year. He is a founding member in two duos—the Flamenco-style Duo Deloro with Adam Del Monte, and the new music-focused FretX Duo with Daniel Lippel, guitarist of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). As Young Artist in Residence with the Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, he founded DC8, an octet declared “an inspiring addition to the contemporary music landscape in Los Angeles” by Los Angeles Times. Other collaborations include the JACK Quartet, The Assad Brothers, violinists Augustin Hadelich, Curtis Stewart, Martin Chalifour and Chee Yun, and cellists Jay Campbell, Joshua Roman, John Sant’Ambrogio, and Clive Greensmith, formerly of the Tokyo String Quartet.
He makes two regular tours to Asia each season and performs in Europe every other month. Recent engagements include performances and residencies at the Musikverein and the Konzerhaus in Vienna; the Konzerthuset in Stockholm several venues in Portugal; Teatro Cervantes de Bejar in Castilla-Leon/Spain; the Sarajevo Music Academy; several venues in Slovenia; the Paris Guitar Foundation; Zurich University of the Arts; Taipei National Theater; Shanghai Grand Theater; and the Hong Kong International Guitar Festival.
A prolific and inquisitive recording artist, Mak Grgić explores the full expressive range of the guitar through a diverse discography. His latest album, Entourer—a Grammy-nominated collaboration with Ensemble Dissonance—celebrates Slovenian composers Leon Firšt and Nina Šenk, traversing classical, ethnic, and avant-garde idioms. Other acclaimed recordings include Mak|Bach (Grammy-nominated), MAKrotonal, and Balkanisms (Naxos). Additional projects feature La Buena Vida with flamenco guitarist Adam del Monte, and A Night in Upper Town (Grammy-nominated), as well as his debut as a composer on Peaceful Guitar.
Also, an active entrepreneur and educator, Mak has been a member of the leadership teams of several organizations including the European Guitar Festival Collaborative (EuroStrings), the Zagreb Guitar Festival, and the Connecticut Guitar Festival. He is the founder of Notey’s World, a music education platform for young learners, and the Virtual Guitar Orchestra—an internationally recognized initiative that unites thousands of guitarists across 50+ countries. VGO, a community-oriented project, lauded by the Library of Congress, exemplifies his commitment to accessibility and innovation in music education.
Complimentary tickets, courtesy of Večer, can be collected an hour before the concert at the venue. Reservations are not possible, spaces are limited.
