Anej Gorenjak, trumpet
Špela Horvat, piano

Programme:
Gabriel Fauré: Impromptu No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 86
Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata and fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Mikhail Mchedelov: Variations on a Theme by Paganini
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Alexandra Pakhmutova: Trumpet Concerto in E flat minor
Paul Hindemith: Trumpet Sonata

Leto Križanič Žorž is a multiple award winning harpist, with 17 first places at international and national competitions to her credit. She has won several prizes at TEMSIG competitions, from her first appearance in 2012 to her most recent in 2024, where she won an award for achieving a perfect score of 100 points and a commendation for the best performance of a work by a Slovene composer. She graduated with distinction from the State Music Conservatory Jacopo Tomadini in Udine, where she studied with Patrizia Tassini. She is currently completing a master’s degree at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, studying with Stephen Fitzpatrick. She has attended masterclasses with world-famous harpists and teachers. She is a recipient of the Dr Roman Klasinc Prize for outstanding achievements at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet. She holds an Ad Futura scholarship from the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and is supported by the Zavarovalnica Triglav Young Hopes programme. She is a protégée of the Gallus Foundation and over the past year has appeared with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) at the Salzburg Easter Festival, with the Mozarteum University’s Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s First Symphony and Humperdinck’s opera Hansel and Gretel, and in the spring concert series of the Bad Reichenhall Philharmoniker (Bad Reichenhall Philharmonic Orchestra). She has performed as a soloist with the Amadeo Orchestra and, as an invited musician, works with young musicians on performances of original new works, collaborates with various chamber ensembles and participates in studio recordings.

Anej Gorenjak is a third-year student at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where he studies trumpet with Matjaž Dobrovnik. Before enrolling at the conservatory, he completed seven trumpet classes, six percussion classes and three piano classes at Ravne na Koroškem Music School. He is a member of several ensembles including the Big Band at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet and has performed and competed internationally. He has studied with renowned trumpeters such as Jure Gradišnik, Roman Rindenberger and Sergei Nakariakov. Among his biggest achievements are numerous international prizes, including a first prize at the 2023 American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, which gave him the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. That same year he gave a solo performance at the St Nicholas’s Charity Concert in Cankarjev Dom’s Gallus Hall. He regularly attends masterclasses and has enjoyed considerable success at competitions including the TEMSIG competition, the Davorin Jenko International Competition, the Distant Chords Competition in Split and the Amadeus International Music Awards (at which he won a gold prize in 2023).

Špela Horvat began her musical training at the Karol Pahor Music School in Ptuj and continued it with Mitja Vrunč at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet. In 2019 she completed her master’s degree at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, where she studied with Tatjana Ognjanović. She has performed at many concerts throughout Slovenia and beyond, including a recital at the Slovenian Philharmonic and a guest performance at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. She has also performed with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In 2018 she appeared as the pianist Karmela Kosovel in the documentary film Karmela.  In 2019 she performed Alexander Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor  at the Slovenian Philharmonic. In 2020 she recorded solo piano works by Claude Debussy for Radio ARS. She has further refined her skills at seminars given by renowned musicians. She currently teaches at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where she also works as an accompanist.