Matjaz Drevensek
Affiliation: Zagreb Saxophone Quartet - Baritone Saxophone
Ljubljana Academy of Music - Saxophone Professor
Artist's Biography
MATJA DREVENEK, professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, has collaborated with eminent musicians and music pedagogues (S. Bichon, V. David, C. Delangle, Ph. Geiss (F), A. Bornkamp (NL), P. Epstein, S. Mauk, E. Rousseau, D. Richtmeier, K. Tse (USA), T. Muek, M. Prohaska (HR), I. Golan (IL), Quartetto Academia (I), I. Grafenauer, M. Bekavac, Slovenian Brass Quintet, Slowind Quintet (SLO)...).
As member of the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet and the Saxofakind Septet, as well as in duos with pianist Z. Peter, percussionist A. L. Barber, harpsichordist M. Lazar, and as soloist in the Percussion Plus and Studio for Percussion ensembles, he has given concerts in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA, as well as at festivals, such as the A Tempo in Podgorica, the Biennale de la Cration Musicale et Chorgraphique de l'Essone in Orsay, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Europa Musicale 2000 in Munich, Europhonia in Zagreb, the European Month of Culture '97 in Ljubljana, Festival of 20th Century Chamber Music Radenci, Festival musicale internazionale Nei suoni dei luoghi '03, Festival Music September 2004 in Maribor, Lent Festival in Maribor, ISCM World Music Days - Slovenia 2003 in Postojna and Piran, ISCM World Music Days - Music Biennale Zagreb 2005, the International Summer Festival in Ljubljana, the Musical Rostrum in Opatija, Musicora in Paris, the Music biennale Zagreb, NOMUS 2003 in Novi Sad, the Ohrid Summer, Open Europe 2000 in Berlin, the Osor Musical Evenings, Saxophonia 2005 in Latvia, the Skopje Summer, the Slovenian Music Days, the Split Summer, Trieste Prima 2006, 8th Festival of Chamber Music Julian Rachlin & Friends in Dubrovnik, the World Saxophone Congresses in Pesaro, Valencia, Montreal, Minneapolis, and Ljubljana.
He has been soloist with the following orchestras: the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (under the baton of A. Drčar, H. Graf, Th. Guschlbauer, D. Itkin, U. Lajovic, M. Letonja, J. Simonov), the Maribor Philharmonic (S. Robinson, M. Tarbuk), the Chamber String Orchestra of the Slovenian Philharmonic, Camerata Labacensis, the Slovenian Army Orchestra, the Slovenian Police Orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra and Big Band of the Croatian Radio Television, the Zagreb Soloists, the Symphony Wind Orchestra of the Croatian Army, and Emory Wind Ensemble. He is a member of the Soloists Chamber Orchestra of the Society of Slovene Composers (KOS) and the solo saxophonist in the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has premiered works of numerous composers, such as B. Bjelinski, D. Boič, D. Detoni, S. Glojnarić, J. and R. Golob, J. Gregorc, N. Hall, S. Horvat, J. Kalčič, I. Krivokapič, M. Lazar, B. Lazarin, W. Liebhart, J. Matičič, P. Merk, B. Papandopulo, I. Petrić, M. Prohaska, M. Ptaszyńska, R. Radica, P. Ramov, M. Rudjak, P. avli, P. ivic, I. tuhec, M. Tarbuk and T. Uhlik.
He has taken part in 19 discographic editions, the most important among them being Croatian Saxophone Music, Z Quartet, Cascades, Tsunagari, Ruben Radica: A Selection of Works, Contemporary Croatian Composers - Srđan Dedić (all with the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet, which have won 7 discographic Porin Awards), and Duo – Matja Drevenek, alto saxophone & Zoltan Peter, piano.
He is a winner of various prizes in the field of art music and education (kerjanc Award, the Plaque of the Ljubljana Central Borough, Milka Trnina Award, the Croatian Musical Institute Prize, the Nada Popović-Bukovinac Foundation Prize, etc.).
He has led a number of summer schools, Hic Faros, Hic Ars on the island of Hvar, the Musical Summer in Podsreda Castle, Alps – Adriatic – Danube in Krko; apart from being artistic director of the International Saxophone Meetings and International Saxophone Competition in Nova Gorica, and Saksofonija Orchestra, he is also president of the Saksofonija Music Society, which was organizing the 14th World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana in 2006. From 2002 to 2006 he was president of the Jeunesses Musicales Slovenia. He has been member of juries at domestic and international (Bayreuth, Krko, Limoges, Nova Gorica, Riga) competitions of young musicians.
