AMADEJ ŠTRAJHAR AND BLAŽ KOZJEK
6th concert in the Young Virtuosi International Music Series
Amadej Štrajhar began his musical journey at the Ipavci Šentjur Music School with Boštjan Jager. He continued his studies at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet in the class of Matjaž Jevšnikar, then completed his undergraduate studies at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana with Jure Gradišnik, under whose guidance he is also pursuing his master’s degree. During the winter semester of 2025/26, he took part in an Erasmus+ exchange programme at the University of Music in Karlsruhe, studying with Reinhold Friedrich. He has won first prizes at numerous national and international competitions, including TEMSIG, the Woodwind & Brass Competition in Varaždin, the PaMus Flow Global Music Competition and the UniversityBrass Competition, an internal brass competition at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. This year, he received first prize and a gold plaque at TEMSIG, while the FiveBrass Brass Quintet, of which he is a member, won third prize at the Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition in Birmingham. He has further developed his skills with renowned trumpet players and teachers, including Reinhold Friedrich, Gábor Tarkövi, Roman Rindberger, Jeroen Berwaerts and Marco Pierobon. He recorded a half-hour programme for trumpet and piano for RTV Slovenia, appeared in the Young Virtuosi feature on Ars radio and received the Škerjanc Award in 2021. In the 2024 season, he was a member of the Mediterranean Youth Symphony Orchestra, and in the 2025 season, he joined the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Sae Lee is one of the most sought-after collaborative pianists of her generation. *“Her ability to interact subtly with musicians, her exceptional command of the instrument and her outstanding artistic level captivate audiences.”* (*Mainichi newspaper*). After studying at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Sae graduated with honours in piano and chamber music from the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied with Michel Beroff and Éric Le Sage. She has won first prizes at several competitions, including the International Piano Competitions of the City of Padua and the Albert Roussel Competition, as well as the Fnapec, Carlo Soliva 14 and Cidade de Alcobaça chamber music competitions. She has performed at the prestigious Piano Enghien festival in Paris, at the Nevada-Semipalatinsk International Conference under the auspices of the Kazakh government and UNESCO, and on NHK Classic Club, a programme broadcast by Japan’s national television network. As a soloist, she has performed with the Sofia Philharmonic, the Pleven Philharmonic, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, with which she performed Olivier Messiaen’s *Turangalîla-Symphonie*. She also collaborates artistically with internationally renowned ballet dancers, including Aurélie Dupont, director of the Paris Opera Ballet, and Kevin O’Hare, director of the Royal Ballet in London. She is a member of the teaching staff at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana.
Blaž Kozjek was born in Domžale in 2003. He began studying the trombone at the Domžale Music School with Luka Einfalt and Damjan Tomažin, then continued his education at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet in the class of Andrej Karba. He completed his undergraduate trombone studies at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana with Dušan Kranjc and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden in the class of Jan Donner. He has received numerous awards, including prizes at TEMSIG, the UniversityBrass Competition, an internal brass competition at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, the Woodwind & Brass Competition in Varaždin and the IPV Solo Competition for tenor and bass trombone. He has performed with various orchestras, including the Slovenian Youth Orchestra, the Slovenian Armed Forces Wind Orchestra, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana Orchestra and the SNG Maribor Opera Orchestra. He is a member of the FiveBrass Brass Quintet, with which he performs and achieves success at international competitions. As a soloist, he has performed with the KGBL Symphony Orchestra and the Domžale-Kamnik Symphony Orchestra. He has further developed his skills with renowned trombonists, including Fabrice Millischer, Stefan Schulz and Gerald Klaunzer.
Nika Tkalec is a pianist, piano teacher at Vrhnika Music School and professional associate at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. She completed her lower-level music education in Krško with Branimir Bilišek, graduated with honours from the Ljubljana Secondary School of Music and Ballet in the class of Janez Lovše, and in 2011 earned her degree from Tomaž Petrač with the special distinction *summa cum laude*. She also pursued further studies at the Madrid Conservatory of Music with Pilar Bilbao. As a soloist, she has performed with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana Orchestra and other ensembles. She also works as an accompanist pianist.
