Free tickets for the concert are available at Križanke Box Office.

Amadej Štrajhar, trumpet
Mateja Hladnik, piano

Neja Anderle, saxophone
Sae Lee, piano

Programme:
O. Böhme: Concerto for trumpet and Piano in F minor, Op. 18
B. Martinů: Sonatine for Trumpet and Piano, H 357
L. Bernstein: Rondo for Lifey for Trumpet and Piano from Brass Music
***
G. P. Telemann: Fantasia for Flute No. 1 in A major, TWV 40:2 (arr. for Soprano Saxophone)
V. David: Échos Éclates for Soprano Saxophone
F. Martin: Ballade for Alto Saxophone and Piano

Amadej Štrajhar, born in 2004 in Celje, became fascinated by the sound of the trumpet at the age of four. He began his musical journey at Šentjur Music School under Boštjan Jager. He completed his studies at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet last year under Matjaž Jevšnikar, and is currently in his first year at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, studying under Jure Gradišnik. He gathered quite a few prizes during his time at the conservatory, including: TEMSIG (2020) – Gold award, first prize; PaMus Flow Global Music Competition (2021) – First prize; Woodwind & Brass International Competition in Varaždin (2021) – First prize; TEMSIG (2022) – Gold award, second prize (trumpet quartet); TEMSIG (2023) – Gold award, first prize. He has recorded a 30-minute programme for trumpet and piano for RTV Slovenia, and been a guest in the Young Virtuosi section of the ARS radio station. He has also taken part in the prestigious Concertino Praga Competition and appeared with Jeunesses Musicales Ljubljana. His proudest achievements are receiving a Škerjanc Award in 2021 and appearing as a soloist with the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet Wind Orchestra. In addition to his regular education, Amadej has also studied with renowned teachers at home and abroad, including Roman Rindberger, Jürgen Ellensohn, Marco Pierobon, Kirill Soldatov, Gábor Tarkövi, Balázs Nemes, Marco Bellini, Jure Gradišnik, Tibor Kerekeš and Stanko Arnold.

Mateja Hladnik completed the secondary music school programme in Celje before graduating from the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Janez Lovše in 2003. While a student she spent a semester as an Erasmus exchange student at the Kristiansand Conservatory of Music in Norway. After graduating, she took up a position at Celje Music School as a piano teacher and accompanist at the elementary and secondary levels. She is currently employed as a senior associate and accompanist at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.

Neja Anderle, born in 2003, began her musical journey at the age of ten at Radovljica Music School under the tutelage of Rok Felicijan. In 2015 she took part in her first competition, the Emona International Wind Festival, where she took the gold plaque when barely 12 years old. She was awarded a gold plaque and first place at the 2016 TEMSIG Competition, and second place at the Svirél Competition. In 2017 she took part in the Femus Competition in Subotica, where she received a maximum 100 points, a gold plaque and first place in her category. She was also subsequently announced as the overall winner of the competition. That same year, with another 100-point tally, she won first prize and a gold plaque at the Svirél Competition. In 2018 she was again awarded a gold plaque at the Emona International Wind Festival, and was accepted into the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where she studied under Lev Pupis. In 2019 she continued her run of success at the TEMSIG Competition, and won a host of awards at the Varaždin Woodwind & Brass International Competition. In 2020 she was one of eight finalists selected at the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition. However, the final was cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. She received a Škerjanc Award in 2020 and holds a Ministry of Culture Scholarship. In 2021 she received a special prize at the Josip Nochta Competition in Zagreb. That same year, she recorded a recital at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall as part of Jeunesses Musicales Ljubljana and was selected as one of the winners of the Young Hopes 2021 Competition. A year later she continued her string of gold plaques and prizes, winning a special prize for best performance of a Slovenian composition, and was overall winner of the PaMus Flow Global Music Competition 2022. In March 2022 she joined the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she studies under Vincent David. In 2023 she gave a solo recital at Radovljica Music School and as part of the Jeunesses Musicales Ljubljana concert series “Glasbena ulica”, and also appeared at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw with a saxophone quartet. Between 2018 and 2022 she was leader of the SOS Junior Youth Saxophone Orchestra, and appeared as a soloist with the Radovljica Music School Youth Wind Orchestra, the Jesenice-Kranjska Gora Wind Orchestra, the Krka Wind Orchestra and the Wind Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. She also regularly attends masterclasses and seminars around Europe given by some of the best-known saxophonists, including Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Arno Bornkamp, Miha Rogina, Joonatan Rautiola and Nicolas Arsenijević.

Sae Lee is one of the most sought-after collaborative pianists of her generation. According to Japanese newspaper Mainichi, she is able to captivate audiences “with her ability to interact subtly with musicians, her exceptional proficiency on the piano and her outstanding artistry.”  After studying at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Sae Lee graduated with distinction in piano and chamber music at the Paris Conservatory with Michel Beroff and Eric Le Sage. She has won first prize at several competitions, including the Città di Padova and Albert Roussel international piano competitions, and the Fnapec, Carlo Soliva and Cidade de Alcobaça chamber music competitions. She has appeared at the prestigious Piano Enghien Festival in Paris, at the Nevada-Semipalatinsk International Conference sponsored by the Kazakhstan government and UNESCO, and on the Japanese national television programme NHK Classic Club. She has performed as a soloist with the Sofia Philharmonic, the Pleven Philharmonic, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, with which she performed Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie.  She has worked with world-renowned ballet dancers such as Aurélie Dupont (director of the Paris Opera Ballet) and Kevin O’Hare (director of The Royal Ballet, London). She is currently employed at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.