OPENING OF THE FESTIVAL
FOUR SEASONS IN BUENOS AIRES
1 July 20.30 St. Martin's Church
Entrance: 15€
Aleksandar Serdar was born in 1967 in Belgrade, Serbia. He graduated in 1988 from the "Art Acadmy of Novi Sad” , and received in 1992 his Master of Music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore where he studied with Leon Fleisher for five years and continued studies with Sergio Perticaroli at the Academy of Santa Ceilia in Rome.
Aleksandar Serdar won several international awards including Monza, Carlo Zecchi, Vercelli-Italy, Palm Beach and Cincinnati in the USA , Arthur Rubinstein in Tel Aviv (4th prize)..
Aleksandar Serdar played in Italy (Conservatory hall in Milano, Palermo, Venezia, Roma, Bari,Trento, Reggio, Torino),Unoted States (namely Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Washington DC), France (Paris-Musee d’Orsay,Auditorium du Louvre, Theatre du Chatelet, Nice, Lion, Orleon, Marseil, Toulouse, and Festivals such as La Roque d’Antheron, Sully sur Loire, St.Riquier, Piano Jacobin, Radio France Montpelier), Switzerland (at the prestigious Zurich Tonehalle), Russia (at the Saint Peterbourg festival and Moscow), Israel, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia (in Ljubljana, Bled Festival, Celje, Gorizia), Croatia (Zagreb and Dubrovnik Summer Festival), Brazil, Peru, Portugal (Lisabon festival Folles Journeaus),Maroco, Lebanon (Bustani Festival in Beirut),Thailand, Japan,Canada,Luxembourg, Germany (Munich, Nurmberg, Hamburg-Schwlesi Holstain festival, ).
Aleksandar Serdar played with such orchestras as the Dresden Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Bremen Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic, RTV Slovenia, Sophia Philharmonic, San Jose Philharmonic, Cincinnati Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Belgrade Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Athens Philharmonic,Vancouver Island Symphony, Saint Peterbourg Philharmonic, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orcestra of Santa Cecilia, Haifa Sympohony Orchestra and conductors such as Marcello Viotti, Erich Kunzel, Leonid Grin, Emil Tabakov, Mendi Rodan, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Milan Natchev, Jeansuk Kahidze, Daniel Raiskin.
Aleksandar Serdar’s CD,released by EMI Classics, in 1998 arouse strong interest from promoters and the press. His second double disc has been released in Louxembourg in December 2004.
He has recorded CD’s for the Serbian discographic house PGP with Barock repertoire, Tchaikovsky Seasons and CD with works of F. Chopin.
From 1999 Aleksandar Serdar is a senior professor at the Academy for music in Belgrade (Serbia). From 2016 he works as a part time professor at the Academy of music in Ljubljana. Aleksandar Serdar appears as a jury member at the national and international piano competitions.
"Aleksandar Serdar is clearly thoughtful musician with imagination and personality” - Gramophone, February 1999.
Karmen Pečar - Koritnik was born in 1984 in Ljubljana. She began to play cello at the age of five. In 2003, she graduated from both, the Music and Ballet School in Maribor and the Music Academy in Zagreb. Under the mentorship of prof. Valter Dešpalj at Zagreb Music Academy she finished her Masters Degree in 2005. Additionally, she studied with prof. Reinhard Latzku at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
Began to play cello at the age of five. In 2003, she graduated from both, the Music and Ballet School in Maribor and the Music Academy in Zagreb. Under the mentorship of prof. Valter Dešpalj at Zagreb Music Academy she finished her Masters Degree in 2005. Additionally, she studied with prof. Reinhard Latzku at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
Karmen Pečar - Koritnik caught the attention of the music public when as a thirteen year old girl made her debut with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra performing Elgar Concerto for Cello and Orchestra .
In 2001, Karmen won the prestigious chello competition of Dr. Luis Sigall in Chile (Vina del Mar). At the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Berlin in 2002 she won 3rd prize and 2nd prize at the International Competition Antonio Janigro in Zagreb 2004.
Karmen has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras under the direction of renowned conductors.
In 2006 the publishing house RTV Slovenia released her first solo CD of Dvorak and Šostakovič Concert for Cello and Orchestra. In 2011 the composer Črt Voglar Sojar released an authoring CD in which Carmen Pečar plays several of the composer's works - including the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra.
Karmen Pečar - Koritnik was employed for several years at the Music Academy in Zagreb as an
assistant of professor Valter Dešpalj and is currently a professor of cello at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana.
After learning violin with M. Tercelj at the Ljubljana Intermediate Music School, Jernej Brence (1965) studied with Prof. Dejan Bravničar at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana and continued his violin studies in Vienna with Prof. Michael Frischenschlager and Josef Sivo, rounding them off with a master’s degree from the Musikhochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in 1995. He perfected his playing with A. Staar, M. Russin, E. Tchugayeva and H. Fister (viola).
In 1990 he published 12 Studies and 16 Etudes for violin solo. He has been active both as a soloist as well as in various chamber ensembles, has been member of international music juries, and has led master classes for violin and viola in various countries.
As a soloist he has played with national and foreign orchestras and chamber ensembles, at home and throughout Europe. A number of Slovene compositions have been dedicated to him, and premiered by him. He has recorded with Radio Slovenia and the RAI. Since 1994 he has taught at the Ljubljana Intermediate Music School and in Austria, his pupils have won numerous prizes in and outside Slovenia.
The peak of his organizational endeavors has been his artistic directorship of the Bled International Music Festival which was, on the occasion of its tenth anniversary, awarded the Betetto Certificate for 2004 by the Society of Slovene Music Artist-Performers. His artistic activities have won him the Honorary Medal of Bled, the Society of Slovene Composers Award as well as the Society of Austrian Composers Award , the Lord Yehudi Menuhin Award,Betteto award, and his playing many excellent critics in the media.