NEOBRASS BRASS QUINTET
Jernej Maček and Kristjan Zupan, trumpet
Marko Arh, horn
Žan Kopše,trombone
Uroš Menegatti, tube
SCHAKA BRASS QUINTET
Matej Kravcar and Dominik Rus, trumpet
Blaž Ogrič, horn
Tine Plahutnik, trombone
Rok Grubelnik, tube
SAXOPHONE ENSEMBLE OF THE LJUBLJANA ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Domen Koren and Boštjan Rojc, soprano saxophone
Nika Deželak and Kristina Neli Lampe, alto saxophone
Vida Vatovec and Agata Živoder, tenor saxophone
Timotej Jerman and Arijan Mačak, baritone saxophone
Programme:
S. Scheidt, arr. C. De Jong: Canzona Bergamasca
M. Arnold: Quintet for Brass, Op. 73
L. Handeroso: Dixie Bach
J. S. Bach, arr. A. Frackenpohl: Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
J. Gallus, arr. A. Misson: Ecce, quomodo moritur iustus
V. Ewald: Brass Quintet No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 5
U. Rojko: Diapento (Wall-Rage)
K. Beffa: Octopus
The Neobrass Brass Quintet consists of five students of the Ljubljana Academy of Music: trumpeters Jernej Maček and Kristjan Zupan, from the class of Franc Kosem; horn player Marko Arh, who studied with Boštjan Lipovšek; trombonist Žan Kopše, who is a student of Dušan Kranjc; and tuba player Uroš Menegatti, a second-year student in the class of Roland Szentpáli. Under the guidance of Jure Gradišnik, the quintet came first in the highest age category at last year’s TEMSIG (Young Musicians of Slovenia) competition, receiving a gold plaque. In 2020 the quintet has given concerts in Ljubljana, Celje, Koper and Slovenske Konjice in conjunction with Jeunesses Musicales Slovenia.
The Schaka Brass Quintet consists of five young musicians from various parts of Slovenia, all of them graduates of the Ljubljana Academy of Music, who are joined by their love of music, their enjoyment of communal music-making, and a sincere friendship. The quintet consists of trumpeters Matej Kravcar and Dominik Rus, horn player Blaž Ogrič, trombonist Tine Plahutnik and tuba player Rok Grubelnik. They began playing together as a brass quintet in the 2017/18 academic year under the guidance of Franc Kosem and have also studied with other acclaimed brass performers such as Leonhard Paul (Mnozil Brass), Chris Coletti (Canadian Brass) and Marco Pierobon (Gomalan Brass). They won a gold plaque at the national TEMSIG (Young Musicians of Slovenia) competition in 2019. Distinguished by their professionalism, reliability and flexibility, they work hard to create a programme that will appeal to the widest possible audience. Their love of making music together and the positive energy they radiate ensure that there is always a good atmosphere at their concerts.
The Saxophone Ensemble of the Ljubljana Academy of Music, directed by Miha Rogina, has been playing since 2010. In its traditional form, the ensemble consists of three soprano saxophones, three alto saxophones, three tenor saxophones, two baritone saxophones and one bass saxophone, although some compositions require further variants such as the sopranino saxophone and contrabass saxophone. The resulting flexibility of sound allows the ensemble to tackle both original works and transcriptions.
Its repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music and also includes popular music and jazz. The ensemble also collaborates with other departments at the Academy of Music, such as the Conducting department and the Composition department. In collaboration with the Academy of Music’s Percussion Studio, the ensemble has performed Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and works by Daniel Muck, Régis Campo and Luciano Berio. It has appeared at the Emona Festival, the Kogoj Days festival in Trieste and the AS Festival in Bled. The Japanese composer Masa Matsuura has dedicated two compositions – Toya and Cytokinesis 2 – to the ensemble. In 2019 the Slovene composer Matej Bonin wrote a piece especially for it (Eppur si muove II), as did the Japanese composer Emi Maeda (Earth Pulsation Continues).
