Nejc Kuhar
The international prizes, glowing reviews (Washington Post, Classical Guitar Magazine, Los Angeles Daily News etc.) and the very response of the audience at home and abroad all point to an artist in the round, successfully negotiating the joined path of composition and interpretation.
Nejc Kuhar finished his Masters degree in guitar at Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts with prof. Alvaro Pierri and his Masters degree in composition with Dr. Reiner Bishof and prof. Christian Minkowitsch at Konservatorium Wien, Privatuniversität, both with honours. In 2023 he finished with Music Research PhD at Surrey university with prof. Steve Goss.
In 2019 he was appointed Associate Professor for guitar and contemporary music at University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and in 2018 Guitar Professor at Joseph Haydn Private University in Eisenstadt.
Jure Cerkovnik
Slovenian classical guitarist Jure Cerkovnik (born 1990) began studying guitar with Prof. Anton Crnugelj in Ljubljana. He then attended the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under Prof. Alvaro Pierri, where he obtained his Master's degree. He continued his education at the Zurich University of the Arts under Prof. Anders Miolin and completed a Master's degree in Pedagogy and a special Master's degree in Performance. During his studies, he was awarded the Skerjanc Award and more than 15 prizes at national and international guitar competitions. Jure teaches guitar pedagogy at the Haute École de Musique de Genève and guitar at a high school near Zurich.
As a musician and pedagogue, he works in numerous European and Asian countries. He performs at international guitar festivals in Vienna, Zagreb, Zurich, Lucerne, Aarhus, Sarajevo, Accera, Postojna and elsewhere. During 2018 and 2019, he toured Japan and Taiwan, performing as a soloist and in a duo with Toshiyuki Kumagai. In February 2017, he made his debut with a solo recital at the Vienna Konzerthaus, a central music venue in Vienna. In addition, he has performed at other renowned music venues such as Ehrbar Saal and Arnold Schönbern Center in Vienna, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Iwami Arts Centre in Japan, Euphrasian Basilica in Porec, Sarajevo National Theatre, Helsingør Theatre and Werdenberg Castle.
Mak Grgic
Touted as a “gifted guitarist” by the New York Times, 2-time Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgic [GER-gich] is a star on the worldwide stage. An expansive and adventurous repertoire attests to his versatility and wide-ranging interests. From the ethnic music of his native Balkans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music, his roles as soloist, collaborator, and Grammy-nominated recording artist are fueled by curiosity, imagination, and boundless energy. As a testament to his versatility and wide-ranging appeal, in 2018 Mak was invited by legendary singer-songwriter k.d. lang to perform as the opening act for the North American leg of her Ingénue Redux Tour.
An avid new music proponent, Mak has commissioned a multitude of new works for solo guitar and guitar with ensemble. Some of these include works by Michael Gordon, Julia Adolphe, Nina Senk, Leon First and Cengiz Eren, to name a few. In the Fall of 2022 he premiered and toured a newly commissioned guitar concerto by Michael Abels, Pulitzer Prize winner and composer for the Oscar-winning motion picture Get Out.
Mak currently holds a full time teaching position at University of South Carolina, and is a founder and CEO of Notey, a startup building a mobile music education game.