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

Manja Slak, violin
Beata Ilona Barcza, piano

Pia Rener, double bass
Maja Klinar, piano

Programme:
George Enescu: Impromptu concertant
Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18
***
Giovanni Bottesini: Tarantella and Elegy No. 1 in D major
Lars-Erik Larsson: Concertino for double bass

Manja Slak graduated from the class of Elisabeth Kropfitsch at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna before going on to pursue a master’s degree and further postgraduate studies at the same institution with Anton Sorokow. She won a first prize at the 7th Ars nova Trieste International Music Competition and was awarded the Paolo Spincich Prize at the final concert of first-prize winners (with the Sensibile Piano Trio). Other accolades include a first prize at the Don Vincenzo Vitti International Music Competition in Castellana Grotte (Italy), a second prize at the Accademia Musicale Competition, a first prize and special prize for brilliant and expressive performance at the International Competition for Young Instrumentalists Musicale Euritmia, and a gold plaque and third prize at the Svirél international competition. In 2022 she won the absolute first prize at the International Competition of the International Crescendo Academy in Buje, Croatia and performed in the concert of first-prize winners.

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.

Pia Rener developed a love of music at a very early age. She started playing the violin at the age of four with her first teacher, Polona Češarek. After seven years of music school, she decided she wanted to focus on one specific stringed instrument. She chose the double bass, which she began studying with Janez Avšič, and soon adopted it as her instrument. Having completed her studies at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium and the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, she is currently enrolled at the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the class of Zoran Marković. Having won a first prize, gold plaque and special prize for achieving a score of 100 points at the TEMSIG competition in 2018, she repeated the feat at TEMSIG 2021. This year she took part in TEMSIG 2024 and won a first prize and a gold plaque. In May 2024 she took part in the 16th String Festival – International String Players Competition “String Fest” in Sremska Mitrovica, where she won a first prize, a gold plaque, a special prize for achieving a score of 100 points and the title of laureate.

Pianist Maja Klinar graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the class of Aci Bertoncelj. She attended several international masterclasses during her studies, including with Pierre Sancan. She is currently employed as an associate at the Ljubljana Academy of Music and also works as a teacher. She regularly serves as an accompanist at masterclasses in Slovenia and abroad.