The Saxophone Ensemble of the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana

Miha Rogina, conductor

PROGRAM

Adam Gorb (1958—): Burlesque
Claude Debussy (1862—1918): L’isle joyeuse
Barbara Thompson (1944—2022): Perpetual Motion suite
Jean-Denis Michat (1971—): Psychose
Gustav Holst (1874—1934): Planets

The Saxophone Ensemble of the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, led by Miha Rogin, has been operating since 2010. In its traditional form, it consists of three sopranos, three altos, three tenors, two baritone and one bass saxophone. Some compositions require additional instrumental variations, such as sopranino and contrabass saxophone.

Their sonic flexibility allows them to work with both original works and transcriptions. They can approach the sound of an organ or piano, as well as a symphony orchestra or big band. They exploit all the technical capabilities of the saxophone, from the overtone register to quarter-tone intervals, multiphones and other modern techniques, i.e. a level of reproduction that is a fair challenge even for solo concert performances.

Their repertoire includes genres from baroque to contemporary music, as well as popular music and jazz. They collaborate with other departments of the UL AG, such as the Department of Conducting and the Department of Composition. With the Percussion Studio of the Academy of Music, they performed I. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, as well as works by D. Muck, R. Camp and L. Beria. They performed at the Emona and AS Bled festivals. Japanese composer Masa Matsuura dedicated two compositions to them, Toya and Cytokinesis 2, which they premiered in May 2017, and in 2019, composer Matej Bonin (Eppur si muove II) and Japanese composer Emi Maeda (Earth pulsation continues) wrote compositions especially for the aforementioned ensemble.

Introduced as ‘The Best Saxophonist of Today’s Younger Generation’ by The Sax magazine, Miha Rogina is renowned for his innovative interpretations of musical works. He is a winner of 10 international competitions. He has collaborated with many leading musicians such as Pierre Boulez and Fabio Luisi and has performed on major international concert stages across Europe, Asia, America and Africa, such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Paris Salle Pleyel, the Salzburg Großes Festspielhaus and the Izumi Hall in Japan. He began his saxophone studies in Ljubljana with Prof. Matjaž Drevenšek, and continued in France with Prof. Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Prof. Vincent David and at the prestigious CNSM de Paris with Prof. Claude Delangle, where he graduated with highest distinction. He furthered his studies at the renowned Eastman School of Music in the USA. In 2015, he completed his studies in orchestral conducting with honors at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where he studied with Johannes Wildner, Bertrand Debilly and U. Lajovic, and in 2019, he continued his studies in choral conducting with Prof. Thomas Lang at the same institution. As a soloist, he has performed with numerous orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Thai Philharmonic, the Hoffer Philharmonic, the Bruges, Saint Maur and Paris Laureates symphony orchestras, as well as the Slovenian Philharmonic and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. As an active chamber musician, he regularly collaborates with concert pianist Sae Lee, with whom he performs around the world as Duo Kalypso. Miha Rogina is a professor of saxophone at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. Since 2013, he has been a visiting professor at Senzoku Gakuen University in Tokyo, and since 2017, he has also been a visiting professor at the Osaka College of Music (Japan) and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He leads master classes at universities in Japan, Great Britain, Latvia, Poland, Finland, Germany and Austria, and serves as a member of the juries of domestic and international competitions. As a conductor, he has led several orchestras, including the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the SNG Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Ensemble of the Paris Conservatory and the Wind Orchestra of the Academy of Music. He is a member of the Vienna choir Wiener Singverein, with which he has collaborated under the leadership of great conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, Daniel Barenboim, etc.