Cello attaca is a cello ensemble made up of the current and former students of Slovenian cellist Karmen Pečar. For many years, Karmen Pečar has acted as a concert master of the Cellomania project, which was started and led by Croatian cellist and pedagogue Valter Dešpalj. Having grown up in an environment that supported socializing and playing music together with other cellists, she wished to share this valuable experience with her students and encourage them to enjoy the beneficial effects of active listening and playing in a chamber group on their development and growth. The Cello attaca! ensemble was given its first opportunity to perform by Festival Bled and its artistic director Jernej Brence. Since then, the ensemble has grown in size and repertoire, and this year it has finally received its first invitations to perform on concert stages across Slovenia.

Marko Hatlak is a Slovenian accordionist whose musical path began at the age of six in the music school of his hometown, Idrija. After graduating from the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet he continued his studies in Germany – first in Weimar and later in Würzburg where he finished his postgraduate studies under the renowned professor Stefan Hussong. Fifteen years of performing solo concerts and sharing the stage with many acknowledged solo artists, ensembles, orchestras and conductors have led him to his unique and unmistakeable approach. The musical genres he performs – tango, ethno, baroque and contemporary- are brought closer to the audience through music and story-telling, thus forming a genuine bond with the listeners.