Peter Šavli

Slovene composer and theoretician, author of scenic, orchestral, chamber piano, vocal and didactic music. His works were performed by renowned soloists and orchestras all over Europe and the USA.

 

 

 

EDUCATION:

 

- Academy of Music Ljubljana: degree in music pedagogy (1985) and composition (1988, class of Prof. A. Srebotnjak),

 

- Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA: Artist Diploma (1993-95). He studied analysis and the theory of sets with Allen Forte, composition with Martin Bresnick, Anthony Davis and Jacob Druckman, the Schenker tonal analysis with Ramon Satyendra, and solfeggio for the 20th century with Michael Friedmann,

 

- Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA: preparing a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts, 1995-1999) and studying composition with Steven Stucky and Roberto Sierra; doctoral thesis on Harmonic Density in Messiaen’s Music (1999),

 

- summer school of composition, Long Beach, California (1998): studies with Brian Ferneyhough.

 

 

 

CAREER:

 

- guest lecturer of music theory at the Syracuse University, NY, USA (1999),

 

- director of cultural education and humanist science programme at the Culture and Congress Centre Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana (1999-2001),

 

- secretary general of the Society of Slovene Composers DSS (2002), artistic director / adviser of the Night of Slovene Composers (2002), in charge of the CD production of the Ed.DSS (2002),

 

- vice-president of the DSS (2003), artistic director of the Concert Atelier (2003),

 

- lecturer for solfeggio, at the Intermediate Music and Ballet School (SGB©), Ljubljana (2003),

 

- moderator of musical-educational concert events (2000-03),

 

- holds the Slovene Ministry of Culture approved status of independent cultural worker (since 2001).

 

 

 

AWARDS AND PRIZES:

 

- Pre¹eren Prize for best students, University of Ljubljana, 1987,

 

- First Prize at the composition competition of the Council for music education, Ljubljana, 1993,

 

- the  Bradley-Keller Award for exceptional achievements in composition, Yale University, 1995,

 

- the  Blackmore Prize for composition, Cornell University, 1998 and 1999,

 

- Award of the Council for the Arts at the Cornell University, 1996.

 

 

 

WORKS:

 

To date his output comprises over 60 works, among them concertos for saxophone, piano, guitar, violin as well as  string, guitar, saxophone and flute quartets. His music features expressive contrapuntal textures and neo-impressionistic harmonic impulsion. ©avli's projects for children are both popular and communicative.

 

In 1992 the Slovene Philharmonic performed his Saxophonia – Concerto for saxophone and orchestra, with Matja¾ Dreven¹ek as soloist and Hans Graf conducting. In 2001 the Slovene Radio and Television Symphony orchestra, under the baton of Uro¹ Lajovic and with Bojan Gori¹ek as soloist, recorded his Piano concerto.