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

Žan Pečenik, euphonium

Blaž Kozjek, trombone
Mateja Hladnik, piano

Programme:
V. Cosma: Euphonium Concerto
P. Hindemith: Sonata for Bassoon and Piano
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E. Reiche: Concerto for Trombone and Piano No. 2 in A major
E. Crespo: Improvisation No. 1 for Trombone Solo
L. E. Larsson: Concertino for Trombone and Piano No. 7, Op. 45
E. Bozza: Ballade for Trombone and Piano, Op. 62

Žan Pečenik is a graduate of the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where he studied under Nejc Merc for all four years. At secondary school he took part in a large number of national and international competitions in the solo and chamber ensemble categories. He has performed extremely well at competitions, including a first gold plaque at the Woodwind & Brass International Competition in Varaždin in the solo category and a first gold plaque with special commendation for achieving 100 points with the SlideZone Chamber Ensemble. He has attended masterclasses with world-renowned teachers such as Roger Bobo, Steven Mead, Thomas Rüedi and James Gourlay. Over the years he has appeared as a soloist with various orchestras, most notably in April 2019 with the Wind Orchestra of the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet, when he performed The Green Hill  by Bert Appermont. He has been a regular member of the Paloma Wind Orchestra of the Municipality of Šentilj since the age of ten and a member of Slovenia Brass Band since 2017. He received the Dr Roman Klasinc Diploma for outstanding artistic achievements in music for 2018/19. He is currently continuing his musical training at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, where he is a first-year undergraduate student under Nejc Merc.

Blaž Kozjek is a 20-year-old trombonist from Domžale. In the second year of primary school he began attending trombone classes at Domžale Music School, where he completed six years of elementary music education under Luka Einfalt and two years of secondary music education under Damjan Tomažin. After completing primary school education, Blaž enrolled at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where he studied trombone for four years under Andrej Karba and passed his general school-leaving examination. He received a large number of prizes at competitions during his time at the conservatory. He won a silver plaque and third prize at the TEMSIG Competition in 2020; this was followed by a gold plaque and first prize in the 2023 edition. He was awarded first prize at the 2021 edition of the Woodwind & Brass International Competition in Varaždin and third prize at the 2022 Luigi Cerritelli International Music Competition. He has attended masterclasses given by a number of renowned trombone players, including György Gyivicsan, Jesper Busk Sørensen, Fabrice Millischer and Tomer Maschkowski. He has also taken part in the Musica Creativa summer camp, and played with the Slovenian Youth Orchestra (SMO) and Ljubljana International Orchestra (LIO). He performed as a soloist within a trombone quartet with the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet Symphony Orchestra in 2023. He works regularly with the Godba Domžale Cultural Society and the Domžale-Kamnik Symphony Orchestra. He is continuing his trombone studies at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Dušan Kranjc.

Mateja Hladnik completed the secondary music school programme in Celje before graduating from the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Janez Lovše in 2003. While a student she spent a semester as an Erasmus exchange student at the Kristiansand Conservatory of Music in Norway. After graduating, she took up a position at Celje Music School as a piano teacher and accompanist at the elementary and secondary levels. She is currently employed as a senior associate and accompanist at the Ljubljana Academy of Music.