Gaja Žnidaršič, violin
Beata Ilona Barcza, piano

Inuaria Flute Quartet
Katarina Kastelec, flute
Lara Oblak, flute
Nuša Dolinšek, flute
Alja Boštjančič, flute

Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12, No. 1
Ernest Chausson: Poème, Op. 25
Antonio Bazzini: Scherzo fantastique, Op. 25
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Edvard Elgar, arr. Guy du Cheyron: Chanson de matin
Joseph Lauber: Visions de Corse, Op. 54
Jani Golob: Four for four
Marija Esih: Sketch

Gaja Žnidaršič (born 2004) began learning the violin at the music school in her home town, Cerknica, at the age of seven. Her first teacher was Mojca Brank. She continued her musical journey at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where she was taught by Žiga Brank. She is currently a first-year violin student at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, where she continues to be mentored by Žiga Brank. She regularly participates in national and international competitions, where she competes for the highest honours. She has come first in her category at two editions of the International Competition “Giovani Musicisti” of the City of Treviso and at two editions of the Svirél international competition (in 2014 and 2015). In 2017 she was the winner of the Young Virtuosi International Competition in Zagreb. In 2019 she won a third prize at the same competition. She has also been successful at national TEMSIG competitions, with a second place in 2018 and a first place in 2021. She entered TEMSIG 2023 with the chamber group Apeiron and scored a third place. She has also achieved top placings at the Primorska Regional Young Musicians Competiton, the Tartini International Competition (2022) and the 2nd International Matija Bravničar Violin Competition (2023). In December 2023 she appeared as soloist with the Cantabile Symphony Orchestra at Cankarjev Dom. She won a first prize at TEMSIG 2024. She works regularly with various orchestras and attends seminars with renowned teachers such as Vasilij Meljnikov and Emilio Percan, among others.

Beata Ilona Barcza is a pianist and chamber musician from Hungary. She obtained a master’s degree from the Faculty of Music and Visual Arts of the University of Pécs in 2013. As a student, she took part in many competitions and won several first prizes. She gives regular recitals at the National Theatre of Pécs together with the outstanding soprano Marianna Váradi. She is also interested in early keyboard instruments, dedicating an additional three years of study to the harpsichord in Hungary, joining a fortepiano masterclass in Ithaca (USA) at the invitation of Malcolm Bilson and participating in Dalibor Miklavčič’s pedal piano masterclass in Ljubljana.

The Inuaria Flute Quartet was founded in the 2022/23 academic year under the mentorship of Karolina Šantl Zupan. The quartet is made up of four students from the Ljubljana Academy of Music: the flautists Katarina Kastelec, Lara Oblak, Nuša Dolinšek and Alja Boštjančič. Their flutes are frequently joinedon stage by piccolo, alto flute and bass flute. The quartet performs at various events, concert series and festivals and also gives numerous concerts of its own around Slovenia. In September 2023 the flautists performed at the 27th International Lace Festival in Lepoglava. In March 2024 they took part in the national TEMSIG competition, achieving absolute first place in the chamber groups category and receiving a gold plaque and a special diploma for the best performance of a work by a Slovene composer. In April 2024 the flute quartet collaborated with the composer Simon Kravos at an international student symposium organised by the Ljubljana Festival under the title Musical Interpretation: Between the Artistic and the Scientific, presenting the birth of the piece Evocatio and the collaboration between composer and performers in its creation. In September 2024 the flautists performed five concerts in various parts of Slovenia as part of the Autumn Serenades organised by Jeunesses Musicales Ljubljana.