Soloists:
Brina Vuković, mezzo-soprano
Ivo Gustinčič, piano

Programme:
L. van Beethoven: Allegro con brio from Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
W. A. Mozart: “Non so piu”, Cherubino’s aria from Le nozze di Figaro
P. I. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a, TH. 219

The Symphony Orchestra of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet has been active since the school was founded in 1953. Its aim is to introduce students to orchestral playing and familiarise them with the orchestral literature, while at the same time offering the best students the opportunity to perform with the orchestra as soloists. Some concert recordings are available on three compact discs released to mark the school’s anniversaries. Over the last 20 years, the orchestra has performed more than 15 works by Slovene composers specifically dedicated to the young musicians of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet. The orchestra has also recorded two concerts for RTV Slovenia and performed at an event marking the bicentenary of music education in Slovenia. The past directors of the Symphony Orchestra of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet have been: Vinko Šušteršič, Franc Rizmal (1987–1991), Tomaž Habe (1991–2011), Živa Ploj Peršuh (2012–2014). In 2014 the conductor and pianist Slaven Kulenović took over as director of the orchestra. Under his leadership the orchestra has given a number of noteworthy performances both in Slovenia and abroad: Germany (Dresden, Munich), Austria (Graz), Hungary (Budapest), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo, Zenica). The orchestra regularly collaborates with Jeunesses Musicales Slovenia at concerts in Gallus Hall at Cankarjev Dom.

Slaven Kulenović is one of the most successful young conductors in Slovenia and an artist with a refined sense for a range of musical styles. He is the conductor and artistic director of the Domžale–Kamnik Symphony Orchestra and also leads the Symphony Orchestra of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet. His career highlights include standout performances with the Ljubljana Conservatory in Dresden, Munich, Graz, Budapest, Sarajevo and Zenica, and an appearance as conductor at World Music Days 2015. Kulenović collaborated with RTV Slovenia on recordings of the concert marking the 70th birthday of composer Lojze Lebič and the Christmas Gala concert of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in numerous countries. He has attended conducting masterclasses with Mark Stringer, George Hurst, Wolfgang Dörner, Klaus Arp, Andrey Boreyko, and George Pehlivanian. He has conducted the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Sarajevo Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, the Orchestra of the SNG Maribor, the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Ljubljana Academy of Music, among others. He has debuted numerous works by Slovene composers. He teaches piano and chamber music at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, and is a sought-after artistic collaborator and accompanist (in which capacity he has worked at the SNG Ljubljana and the SNG Maribor).