ALJOŠA KAVČIČ AND MAJ ŠPACAPAN
- concert in the Young Virtuosi International Music Series
Aljoša Kavčič is a jazz pianist and composer based in Vienna. He is currently studying jazz piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Before that, he graduated in jazz piano from the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, where he studied with Marko Črnčec, having previously completed his studies at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet. He performs at major jazz festivals, including the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Jazzinty, Jazz Kamp Kranj, Jazztime Rijeka and the Imago Sloveniae Festival, and regularly gives concerts throughout Slovenia and Europe. He has received numerous awards for his artistic work, including three first prizes at TEMSIG, an award for original composition and arrangement for big band at the En Big Band išče tvoj talent competition, the Škerjanc Award (2024), an EMCY award and second prize at the Jazzon competition (2026). He collaborates with a range of ensembles and musicians, including the RTV Slovenia Big Band, Smrdel Brothers Collective, Primož Grašič, Nina Strnad, Jure Pukl, Vid Jamnik, Kristjan Krajnčan, Boštjan Simon and others. His artistic work combines piano interpretation, improvisation, composition and arranging.
Maj Špacapan comes from Ozeljan. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine and expanded his musical education to include jazz at the age of fourteen. He continued his studies in jazz guitar at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, graduating in 2022 under the mentorship of Klemen Smolej. In the same year, he began studying at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory in Trieste, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 2025. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree with Professor Riccardo Chiarion. He has further developed his skills at masterclasses led by renowned jazz musicians, including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Nelson Veras, John Stowell, Emmet Cohen, Greg Osby, Ares Tavolazzi and Žan Tetičkovič. He has also attended the international JazzUp workshops and the Creative Jazz Clinic in Velenje. As a guitarist, he performs with ensembles spanning a variety of musical styles, including Drago Mislej – Mef, Lovelorn, Tish, Slovenian SKA Jazz Collective, Simone Lanzi Quartet and Big Band NOVA. He has performed at festivals such as MareziJazz, Trieste Loves Jazz, Kamfest and Folkest. Since 2024, he has taught electric guitar in the advanced programme at the Nova Gorica Music School. In 2026, he released his jazz debut album, Serendipity.
Fabricio Henrique Pereira Bertrami, a Brazilian jazz drummer from São Paulo, began his musical journey at the age of four. He is currently studying at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory in Trieste, where two other musicians from Trieste are also studying: trumpeter Giovanni Nevyjel and bassist Giacomo Ieraci. All three are active in jazz and improvised music and collaborate on various musical and recording projects.
