“Sensitivity and a wealth of nuances”, “pearly ease and aplomb” are only a few of the traits critics attributed to the young pianist Florian Feilmair. Born in 1989, he has already captured a considerable number of important prizes, among them the “Klassik.Preis.Österreich” (Austrian Prize for Classical Music) for his interpretation of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Mozarteum Orchestra at the “Gradus ad Parnassum” competition, in which he also won in the piano category. In 2011, he won first prize in the international piano competition “Neue Sterne” in Wernigerode, Germany and in 2013 he won 2nd Prize at XXVII Concurso Internacional de Piano Cidade Ferrol (Spain) and 3rd Prize in the international piano competition “Premio pianistico Silvio Bengalli”(Italy). In 2014, Feilmair won 2nd Prize in the New Orleans International Piano Competition (USA) and the 2nd Prize at the International Piano Competition Verona. After lessons at the Seewalchen Music School, Florian Feilmair was initially a student of the Anton Bruckner private university’s basic artistic degree programme in Linz under Naoko Knopp. After graduating, he returned to his native city of Vienna, where he was initially taught by Christopher Hinterhuber and ultimately accepted into the Vienna Music University in 2008 as a student under Jan Gottlieb Jiracek von Arnim. Feilmair regularly performs in important Austrian venues, for example in the Vienna Konzerthaus, Musikverein Vienna or in the Brucknerhaus Linz. In January 2014 he gave his debut at Großes Festspielhaus Salzburg. Florian Feilmair appears as soloist in concerts among others with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Münchner Symphoniker, the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Brucknerorchester Linz, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Wernigerode, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonie Salzburg and the Daegu Symphony Orchestra in Korea. He is also active as a chamber musician, partnered mainly in a duo with his brother, clarinettist Benjamin Feilmair.

The soprano Maja Ceglar (1989) was born in Ljubljana. She obtained a psychology degree and in 2013 she passed the matura examination in music (singing) at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana, where she studied singing with Tatjana Vasle. She is currently continuing her studies as a postgraduate student at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under the supervision of Pia Brodnik. During the course of her training she has won several prizes at competitions (2nd prizes at international competition Lazar Jovanović in Serbia, Bruna Špiler in Montenegro and Marbor, Slovenia; more times gold diplomas and first prizesat national TEMSIG competition). In 2014 she took part in the Academy of Music’s subscription concert series, where she sang Mendelssohn’s setting of Psalm 42 “Wie der Hirsch schreit”, together with the mixed choir of the Academy of Music, conducted by Sebastjan Vrhovnik. That same year she performed Samo Vremšak’s Four Songs for Soprano and Piano at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall on the anniversary of the composer’s death and sang in the world premiere of the opera War and Peace by the American composer Larry Coryell and the premiere performance of Andrej Misson’s Christmas Mass. Performances in the year 2015 included a solo recital as part of the concert cycle “Youth to Youth” organised by Glasbena Mladina Ljubljanska and performances of Mozart’s Mass in C Major and Mass in G Major with the St Cecilia Academic Choir. She also sang Gounod’s Mass No 6 “Aux cathédrales”. In 2016 she appeared as the sparrow in the children’s opera Brundibár by the Czech composer Hans Krása. She was also one of the soloists in a performance of Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, part of the Academy of Music’s concert “Gabriel Fauré – Musique Religieuse”. She has sung the role of the Second Lady in The Magic Flute, with the Academy of Music and is currently preparing the roles of the Countess in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, due to be performed next season as part of SNG Opera & Ballet Ljubljana’s Opera Studio project, and the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, which will be performed next year by the Academy of Music.

Pianist Tanja Šterman graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in 1995, in the class of Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak. Following graduation she spent two years at the Academy of Music in Budapest, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under the supervision of Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak in 2001. She has attended international masterclasses given by renowned teachers. While a student, she won one first prize and two second prizes at the TEMSIG young musicians’ competition. In 1993 she won the Academy of Music’s Student Prešeren Prize. Her performing career includes numerous solo recitals and chamber concerts. She has appeared three times as a soloist with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1994 performed as a soloist with the Padova Chamber Orchestra. She is currently employed as an associate at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.

In cooperation with:  Österreichisches Kulturforum Ljubljana

Programme

L. van Beethoven: Sonate No 18 in E flat major, op. 31

L. van Beethoven: Sonate No 32 in c minor op. 111

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Das Veilchen K. 476

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Come scoglio (aria Fiordiligi from opera Cosí fan tutte)

Vincenzo Bellini: Per pietà bell’idol mio

Vincenzo Bellini: Casta Diva (aria Norme from opera Norma)

Charles Gounod: Au printemps

Charles Gounod: Je veux vivre (aria Juliette from opera Roméo et Juliette)

Antonín Dvořák: Když mne stará matka op. 55, št. 4

Antonín Dvořák: Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém (aria Rusalka from opera Rusalka)

Giacomo Puccini: Sole e amore

Giacomo Puccini: Si, mi chiamano Mimi (aria Mimi from opera La bohème)