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

Urška Gutnik, violin
Beata Ilona Barcza, piano

Ema Krečič, cello
Tadej Horvat, piano

Programme:
H. W. Ernst: Introduction and variations on the Irish theme »The Last Rose of Summer«
C. Franck: Violin Sonata in A major
***
L. van Beethoven: Sonata for cello and piano No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1
P. Vasks: Grāmata čellam
R. Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73

Urška Gutnik began playing the violin at the age of 8 in Vrhnika Music School under Nina Demšar and later under Nastja Cajhen Rode. She continued her training at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet in the class of Žiga Brank, under whom she is now completing her undergraduate studies at Ljubljana’s Academy of Music. She has received numerous awards both in national and international competitions; first prize at the 2021 Young Musicians of Slovenia (TEMSIG) competition, second prize, and prizes for best interpretation of a capriccio and the most demanding works at the Young Virtuoso 2021 competition in Zagreb, first prize at the Ars Nova International Music Competition in Trieste, and first prize and 100 points at the international Fantast competition in Bečej, Serbia.  She has performed as a soloist with the Domžale-Kamnik symphony orchestra and the symphony orchestra of the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet in concerts in Munich, Ljubljana, Celje and Graz. In November 2019 she also performed in the “Meet me at the Magistrat” recitals held by Jeunesses Musicales Ljubljana, and together with the trio Les petits couchons she played in the GM Oder cycle of concerts throughout Slovenia in the 2019/2020 season. She regularly hones her skills in seminars held by professors such as Latica Honda-Rosenberg, Leonid Sorokow, Igor Ozim, Stefan Milenković, Vesna Stanković, Božena Angelova, Vasilij Meljnikov etc.

The pianist Beata Ilona Barcza began her musical career with piano lessons at the Joseph Haydn Music School in Fertőd, Hungary. She continued her studies at the Faculty of Music and Visual Arts of the University of Pécs, graduating in 2012 as a pianist and in 2013 as a piano teacher. She then went on to pursue doctoral studies. Barcza has taken part in numerous competitions and won several first prizes. She has also participated as a pianist and accompanist at many festivals, international competitions (Europa Cantant Festival, Bovec OrkesterkamP, Svirél) and masterclasses. Other collaborations include working and performing with many Slovenian musicians, including Tibor Kerekeš, Rok Zgonc, Žiga Brank and Matej Grahek. As a pianist, she gives regular recitals at the National Theatre in Pécs together with the excellent soprano Marianna Váradi. She is currently employed as a répétiteur at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.

Ema Krečič began playing the cello at the age of six in the Ljubljana Vič-Rudnik Music School under Damir Hamidullin. After completing primary school she enrolled in the Carinthian State Conservatory in Klagenfurt under Igor Mitrović and at the same time passed her maturation exam at the Episcopal Classical Grammar School in Ljubljana. She continued studying the cello at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, where she graduated in June 2021 under Karmen Pečar. In the 2020/21 winter semester she took part in an exchange at the Mozarteum in Salzburg under Clemens Hagen. In 2021 she won the Student Prešeren Prize of the Ljubljana Academy of Music for all her achievements. Ema is continuing her studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg under Enrico Bronzi from October 2021 onwards.  She often participates in national and international competitions. In April 2019 she won at the international Petar Konjović competition in Belgrade. She won first prize at the Young Musicians of Slovenia (TEMSIG) competition in June 2021, twice (in 2009 and 2015) she won the gold award and the bronze in 2012 and the silver in 2018. Throughout the course of her studies she attended many masterclasses by renowned professors such as Jens-Peter Maintz, Philippe Muller, Reinhard Latzko, Giovanni Gnocchi, Marco Testori etc. In February 2019 she responded to an invitation and together with pianist Beata Barcza recorded the Sonata for cello and piano X in E-major by Giuseppe Valentini for the RTV Slovenija archive. After successfully passing an audition, in March 2020 she performed, as a soloist together with the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Catherine Larsen-Maguire, the Variations on a Rococo Theme by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Besides performing solo recitals she regularly plays in chamber groups and also devotes her time to singing. For two years she was a member of the St. Stanislav grammar school’s girls’ chamber choir led by Helena Fojkar Zupančič. She later sang in the girls’ chamber choir of the Edgar Willems Music Centre and the Mixed Choir of St. Nicholas in Litija. Since 2016 she has also been training solo singing and amongst other things she received third prize at the International Music MasterClass and Competition in Maribor 2020. Ema Krečič plays the Italian cello that used to belong to Heinrich Schiff. It was made by Angelo Radrizzani in 1932.

Pianist Tadej Horvat graduated with distinction from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the class of Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak in 2005. In June 2007 he successfully completed a postgraduate specialisation with Aleksandar Madžar in Bern, Switzerland. While a student he also studied accordion, organ and voice. In recognition of his achievements as a student he was awarded the Škerjanc Prize at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet, the Student Prešeren Prize of the Academy of Music (2005) and the Student Prešeren Prize of the University of Ljubljana (2006). He has performed as a soloist both in Slovenia and abroad and has competed successfully in national competitions where in 1998 and 2001 he won two first prizes and golden plaques and second prize in 2004. Performing a piano duo with Miha Haas in 2005, he won first prize and the golden plaque and a special prize for earning 100 points. He competed successfully at the international Sparkasse competition in Austria and at a competition in Zagreb, where he received special prizes for best performance of an etude by a Croatian composer and the compositions of J. S. Bach in all categories. During his studies he performed successfully as a soloist with different Slovenian and foreign orchestras and also gave a premiere performance of the Slovenian composition. In July 2014 he performed together with flautist Matej Grahek in the famous Kennedy Centre in Washington at the invitation of the Slovenian Embassy. Tadej Horvat was also the conductor of the pops orchestra Divertimento, with which he performed popular, entertaining, dance and film music. He is employed as a répétiteur and piano teacher at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, and has worked as an associate at the Ljubljana Academy of Music for several years.