4th
November 2009
Ljubljana, Slovenian
Philharmonic, Kozina Hall
„MARINA&FRIENDS"
Together
with friends-performers Marina celebrated her 65th birthday with a
charity concert dedicated to Beli obroc Slovenije, an organization
that works with victims of domestic violence. More than 20 musicians
appeared in the program, with all of whom Marina is connected - one
way or another - artistic, pedagogical and life experiences:
colleagues, former students, young artists who were Marina's
protegės... The concert, with the President of Slovenia Dr. Danilo
Türk and First Lady Barbara Miklič-Türk attening, resonated with
great success in a celebratory atmosphere. The patronage ring
included personalities from public life, such as Prime minister B.
Pahor, Protector of Human rights, the present and the former mayor of
Ljubljana and a considerablče number of government ministers. The
monies collected enabled Mrs. V. Nussdorfer, president of Beli obroč,
to give a prechristmas gift of food vouchers to a number of families
in need.
4th November 2009
Ljubljana, TUMA Publishing
House
FRAGMENTS OF
HAPPINESS AND PAIN (a book of poetry by Marina Horak is published)
The colletion of
poems, which Marina has prepared for many years - in four
languages: Slovenian, German, French and English - saw the light of
day precisely on the day of the celebratorxy concert. All poems are
original by the author, although some are doubled in two or three
languages.
11th November 2009
Ljubljana, RTV
Slovenija, Studio 14
J. MATIČIČ: SUITA
ŠT. 3 (recording for the archives)
Marina recorded for
the Program Ars (classical channel of the National Radio) Suite nr. 3
for piano solo, in the presence of the composer Janez Matičič.
15th December
2009
Ljubljana, Blue
Salon, Hotel Union, Glasbena mladina ljubljanska (Jeunesses musicales
of Ljubljana)
„STUDENT&PROFESSOR"
In
the concert series „Student&professor" Marina performed
together with four students of the Music Academy, who participate in
her chamber music class. Kaja Smogavec, clarinet, Katja Konvalinka,
soprano, Barbara Sorč, mezzosoprano and Urška Horvat, violoncello
joined her in a program dedicated to Felix Mendelssohn at the
occasion of the composer‘s 200th birth anniversary.
5.
januar 2010
Ljubljana, Slovenian
Philharmonic, Osterc Hall
Chamber evenings of
the Music Academy
HOMAGE TO PROFESSOR
EMERITA HILDA HORAK
Students
from Marina's chamber music class performed a varied program
dedicated to the memory of her mother, professor at the Academy
1945-1974.
Tonka Pogačnik,
Jaka Trilar, Stefani Grbić, Maksim Bogdanov, Miha Klemenc, Barbara
Sorč, Viktorija Kaminskaja, Klara Gomboc, Kaja Smogavec and Irena
Urbanc played Rachmaninov's Trio Elegiac nr. 1, Genzmer's Sonata
zfor dob le bass and piano, Dvořak's Gypsy Melodies for
mezzosoprano and piano and Bartok's Contrasts.
8th January 2010
Gorizia,
Italy
Music Center „Emil
Komel"
Marina held an
all-day seminar. In the morning she delivered a lecture for music
teachers about different new, psychologically supported approaches to
music teaching, and the afternoon was devoted to to workshops with
practical work with students in a group situation. The first one was
for the youngest (6-9), the second mostly for high school students.
14th January 2010
Slovenj Gradec,
Concert hall at the Musci school
Organizer Cultural
centre
AN EVENING OF CHOPIN
In this town with a
great music tradition - the birthplace of composer Hugo Wolf -
Marina gave the upbeat to the celebrations
of Chopin's 200th birth anniversary with a program of nocturnes,
mazurkas, preludes, polonaise op. 26, barcarolle op. 60 and
fantaisie op. 49
27th
January 2010
Pittsburgh PA, USA
Duquesne University,
Carnegie Mellon University
MASTER-CLASS
Jointly
for both these universities Marina held a master-class, in which 4
students played, whereupon a further student from Carnegie Mellon and
the pianist Becky Billock, doctor in performance, spontaneously asked
for individual lessons. Becky wrote: „It was such an
absolute pleasure getting to meet you and I really appreciated so
much the time you spent working with me on the Higdon piece. It's
been so fun to come at it with a new approach today. It already
sounds like a totally different piece!"
Prof. Keneth Burky,
who hosted this event, wrote: „ As
Chair of the Piano Department at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania (USA) I had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Horak for a
two-hour Piano Master-class on January
27th, 2010. Four students performed for Ms. Horak, after
which she gave in-depth insights into the music performed. Her ideas
were superb and all the students left with a different perspective on
how to fell the music. Her teaching manner is delightful and put the
students at ease. She has the unique
ability to get the students to think and interpret the music with
their mind and soul. I certainly hope that
we can have Marina Horak return to our
campus to give another master-class and possibly a recital. Her love
of teaching and performing are a gift which
I hope she will continue to share to the students of the world for
years to come."
3rd February 2010
Middletown NJ, USA
Public Library,
Concert series presented by Monmouth
Conservatory, Red Bank
PIANO
RECITAL
Marina has
been for the third time a guest of the Pubčic Library, where
concerts are held ona reghular basis. This time she performed
Schubert's sonata op. 42 and Chopin's Preludes op. 28 &
Fantaisie op. 49. The organizer Kathleen Ligon wrote: "I hope your
California concert is as wonderful as the one in Middletown - we
are so fortunate to be able to host your concerts ... „ and the
presenter of the cycle, Russian pianist Prof. Vladislav Kowalsky
commented: „Thank you for your wonderful concert".
13th February
2010
Walnut Creek CA, USA
Grace Presbyterian
Church, Concert presented by Mount Diablo
Music Education Foundation
PIANO
RECITAL
At the concert,
offered by Marina as benefit event for the preservation of music in
schools, the program included Schubert's sonata op. 42 and a choice
of Chopin: polonaise, mazurka, barcarolle and 2 nocturnes. Organizer
Joan Miller of the siad Foundation was enthusiastic and invited
Marina again for next season.
14th February
2010
Clayton CA, USA
Senavsky Piano
Studio, 207 Falcon Place
MASTER-CLASS
After the successful
workshop Marina held at the Diablo Valley
Community College, 3 years ago, this time there were five candidates
applying for the afternoon master-class, in which were heard Ravel
(Jeux d'eaux), Schumann (Aufschwung), Rachmaninov (Prelude op.
3/2), Chopin (Nocturne op. 48/1 and Prokofjev (Suggestion
diabolique). In the press release we read: „Feedback from
perfromers indictes that her aooriach has much merit. „Marina
understands music on a whole different level" says Steve Senavsky.
„What she can do with a piece is simply magical". A simila class
is planned for the Concord area in spring 2011."
19th February 2010
Davis CA, USA
Sakabe Piano Studio,
Morro Bay Avenue, (at 6 pm)
PIANO
RECITAL „Romantic evening with Schubert & Chopin"
Program:
Schubert sonata op. 42 and Chopin preludes op. 28 & fantaisie op.
49.
19th February 2010
Davis CA, USA
Sakabe Piano Studio,
Morro Bay Avenue, (at 8 pm)
MASTER
WORKSHOP FOR PIANO TEACHERS
Piano teachers Keiko
Murata, Amy Sakabe and Marceline Lee have nelisted Marina's help in
working through a demanding program: Bach French suite nr. 5, Chopin
Etude op. 25/1 and Beethoven Appassionata op. 53, 1. mvt.
20th
February 2010
Davis CA, USA
Sakabe Piano Studio,
Morro Bay Avenue, (from 9 am to 9 pm)
The
day started with a workshop for the youngest group of six children
(aged 6 to 8), followed by two master-classes: 1) for children aged
10 to 12 let and 2) for high school students ho played a demanding
program: Beethoven sonatas op. 13, op. 10/2 and op. 31/3, Debussy
Toccata and L'ilse joyeuse and Schubert Moments Musicaux. Comments
by participating students:
YURIKA MULASE: I am musically refreshed
... she is hilarious, she makes me want to love the human race as
much as she does ... she spent like 30 minutes helping this boy relax
because he said he was afraid of performing ... and she just like sat
there with him and did breathing exercises and talked to him and he
actually slightly overcame his fear of
playing in front of people, it was amazing.
She's amazing I love her...
BEN JIN: She was so happy and chipper
and everything ... and she has THE COOLEST metaphors ever.
PETER WANG: I just had a one-hour
talk with her, it was sooo interesting ...
She is such a nice, complete human being, you feel so good after
talking to her. A person that balanced is so rare to find...
27th February -
28th March 2010
Hong Kong, China
YAU PIANO ART CENTER
(private music conervatory)
Marina will for one
month be guest-professor-in-residence at this high standard private
piano school in Hong Kong.
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PIANO NEWS magazine 6/2007, Germany |
"Connecting
nationalities"
Festival Terra
Magica in Croatian Porec
Concerts ...
(... numeorus
concerts during the three weeks festival, so everyone - even if staying only
for one week - has the opportunity to listen to the teachers, guests and both
festival directors in concert. This is an important addition, since pupils and
students want to hear how the teachers they have experienced for days in
lessons bear up on the stage. And as far as this goes, there was really nothing
to complain about this year ...)
For
example, Marina Horak who teaches in Ljubljana,
played a wonderful evening with an exciting and dramatic, skillfully
constructed program of Chopin. A compilation of Mazurkas, Fantaisie and
Preludes was fascinatingly structured in such a flowing way, that one was led
to / convinced to / believed to discover new connections. Very soon her playing
unveiled a high performing art in terms of the sound shaping, the wonderful tempo
rubato, and the natural intuitive sense for the melancholy and for the
narrative force en miniature. It is strange, that this much travelled
pianist does not have a stronger presence in our awareness, for this Chopin
evening showed true pianistic greatness.
Carsten
Dürer
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Marina Horak and young Slovenian pianist Tadej Horvat (who recetly
fnished his Master's Degree at the University for Arts in Bern)
performed with the Academic choir Berner Singstudenten two
concerts in Langethal and Bern, on December 5th and 7th. The main
item on the programme were Brahms Liebsliederwalzer Op. 52. The
pianists also performed Grieg's Norwegian Dances for piano four-hands.
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From October 31st and November 10th Marina Horak toured Serbia. First she
was guest of the Music School in Zrenjanin, where she gav e a recital and then the next day gave a lecture and a master-class. After that she
participated at the World Conference of EPTA (European Piano Teachers
Association), held from November 2nd to 5th in Novi Sad. She held two
lectures: under the title "Chopin-his Polish essence" she uncovered the
secret code of Chopin's writing, and contributed to the round table ISSTIP
(International Society for Study of Tension in Performance) with a lecture
on Meditation as a path to self. The journey continued with four recitals in
the towns of Pančevo, Kruševac, Valjevo and Mladenovac, with a programme
devoted exclusively to Chopin's works. Besides she gave a master workshop in
Valjevo and finished the tour with a full day master-class at the Academy of
Music in Belgrade.
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Marina Horak's Croatian Summer |
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From July
22nd and August 8th
Marina was giving a master
workshop at the summer academy of the Terra Magica Music
Festival in Poreč (Croatia).
She helped participants – young professionals and students - from Slovenia, Croatia,
Japan and China to uncover their creative
potential. She played in the mixed festival concert dedicated to Beethoven and
performed a Chopin recital, which she repeated at the Festival Arena
International in Pula.
The review in the newspaper Glas Istre stated that she is a »Poet of the piano,
with a charismatic artistic personality«, that »this was an unrepeatable encounter
with Chopin's music, which will remain a lasting memory of the audience as an
example of outstandingly intelligent musical deliberation« and further that »she presented a Chopin freed
of all artificial and non-inventive recycling, performing monotony of forced
and enforced pretentious readings and immodest unaware exhibitionist models«, showing
»a high level of focusing, concentration and convincing stability« and »realizing
a truly and undoubtedly a strong musical event… potentially the most excellent
concert production of classical music this year in Pula«.
On August
21st, Marina and the young pianist Igor Seme played
at the Hvar Summer Festival (Dalmatia) a programme of piano duets (Dvorak: Legends, Grieg: Norwegian Dances
and Rahmaninov: Six Pieces Op.11), with an addition of two solo piano pieces: Igor
with Piazzolla's tango "La muerte del angel" and Marina with Sonata
Eroica Op. 1 by Croatian Zlatko Pibernik, in the presence of the
composer.
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Between February 12th and March 4th 2007 Marina Horak was a guest at several Universities and Music institutions in the . She was teaching, leading music workshops and master-classes and gave recitals.
From February 14th to 17th she taught piano majors / as guest professor at the Rowan University Glassboro in New Jersey, where she gave a successful recital and a short workshop in the previous season. Professor of Music Veda Zuponcic commented: "I
want to thank you for the extraordinary week we have had, thanks to
your wonderful work with our student. It is rare that my piano majors
are so enthusiastic about a master class or a lesson with a guest
professor; it was something special for them to request additional time
with you. Your warmth, expertise and talent as a communicator came
through to the students and we are all grateful for your generosity of
time and spirit. My colleagues on the piano faculty were equally
impressed and we all felt that we had quite the piano festival this
week! You will come back again, I am sure, and we will be sure to
arrange a recital as well next time."
After that she visited the School of Music at the Texas Technical College in Lubbock, as a guest of Dr. William Westney, author of the book The Perfect Wrong Note, who - just like Marina - developed a special technique of creative teaching.
Next stop was Los Angeles, where on February 23rd she gave a piano master class & workshop on the invitation of Prof. Antoinette Perry at the University of South California.
Next day she was invited by music director Željko Marasović to give a
piano recital at the Kirk of the Valley, where she had great success
with standing ovations. Next engagement was at the Diablo Valley College (Concord, California),
where nine active participants (in the presence of a capacity audience)
enthusiastically followed her instr5uctions in a six-hours Sunday
workshop titled "Freeing the Creative Self". From February 26th to 28th
she was pianist-in residence at the music department of the University of California Davis.
On Monday she gave a lecture-recital on "Influences of folklore in
piano works of Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian composers " (A.
Srebotnjak, M. Kozina, J. Matičič, Tajčević, Slavenski et al.), on
Tuesday she gave a recital with works by J. Matičič, L. M. Škerjanc, L.
Janaček and C. Debussy, rounding it off on Wednesday with a
master-class and some lessons for piano majors.
She finished her tour on Saturday, March 3rd with a recital programme titled "Slavic Dreams and Dances" in Middletown, New Jersey, where she was immediately asked to come back next season.
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An evening of sonatas for violin and piano |
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Kočevje, Concert hall of the Music School
January 8th 2007
Spanish violinist Raquel Castro and pianist Marina Horak played to
full capacity audience a program of three sonatas (Elsner, Janaček and
Ravel) and Romances by Clara Schumann. They dedicated the performance
of Janaček's Sonata to the memory of recently deceased pianist Pirmož
Lorenz..
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Jubilee concert of composer Janez Matičič |
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In the concert studio 14 of the Radio and Television Slovenia , the 21
st november 2006 saw a large number of musicians celebrating the 80th
birthday of composer Janez Matičič. Among them Marina Horak, who played
Palpitations, written for her in 1971. Critic Jure Dobovišek wrote in
the daily Delo that "Marina Horak, who premiered the piece (both in
Ljubljana and Paris), was present with the impuls of the unsurpassed
committed interpreter", whereas Gregor Pompe of the daily Dnevnik
stated that "she prepared a near ideal performance".
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Concert evenings of songs by Albanian Kosovo composer Zeqirja Ballata
From 30th October to 3rd November 2006 soprano Pija Brodnik, bass Alfonz Kodrič, narrator Avni Dalipi, the composer himself and pianist Marina Horak as accompanists - acting together as Contempora Ensemble - performed in 4 concerts; first in Ulcinj, Montenegro, then in the city of Prishtinë
and the towns of Prizren and Mitrovice. The concerts, in which eight
solo songs and Gjema (Lament) for soprano, bass and two pianos were
performed, were received well both by the audience and the media, and
received a write-up also in the Slovenian main daily by one of the
foremost Slovenian journalists Alenka Puhar: article titled Rruga, 21st November 2006)
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Maribor Music School and Conservatoire |
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October 20th and 21st, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day
Concert Hall of the Music School / Conservatoire in Maribor
Marina was invited by the State Music School / Conservatoire in Maribor
to conduct a two-day workshop. She devoted Friday and Saturday from
morning till evening to guiding in her own creative style younger and
older pupils on the path of joy in finding their own expression in
music. On the first day 9 children from 7 to 14 played, whereas the
second day was devoted to 9 medium and high grade students aged 15 to
19. Of the numerous teachers present, the two in charge of organizing
the event, expressed their impressions. Lidija Maletič, wrote: "Dear
Prof. Horak, I wish to thank you for your intense, interesting work, so
rich in experiences, that you did in Maribor. For me the Friday
workshop was highly stimulating ... it was one of those that does not
leave one indifferent, but instead encourages to continue further to
search with heart and a great measure of imagination for new ways of
solving all sort of difficulties".
And Tatjana Dvoršak said: "In the past there were only very few people who marked my future. You now have a very special place among them."
Furthermore, Maita Milutinović described the quintessence of Marina's teaching: "Explosion on two legs! That is Marina Horak.
Stubbornly,
steadfastly she stands behind her beliefs. She attacks every cliché and
directs us on the path towards one's own self and towards the search
for one's own expression, one's own self. And this is not an easy path.
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