Hot off the press:
Arvo Pärt: Out of Silence

With the participation of: Anuša Plesničar, Dr. Gregor Pompe and Steven Loy

Widely regarded as one of the greatest contemporary composers, Arvo Pärt is also the most performed living composer of contemporary classical music.

Throughout his career, Pärt has developed a distinctive minimalist style centred on tintinnabula – a self-invented, meditative compositional technique characterized by sparse, two-voice textures and a profound influence from Gregorian chant and Orthodox liturgy. His music reflects a deeply rooted spirituality and faith. From 2011 to 2018, Pärt was the most performed living composer in the world. His best-known works include Für Alina, Spiegel im Spiegel, and Silouan’s Song.

Anuša Plesničar, Gregor Pompe, and Steven Loy will discuss Pärt’s spiritual biography, written by his friend, the American Orthodox priest Peter C. Bouteneff.

At Cankarjev dom, the book will be available for purchase at a promotional price.

Viola player Anuša Plesničar studied at the Academy of Music Ljubljana, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the Detmold University of Music, where she earned her master’s degree. She also completed a bachelor’s degree in musicology at the Faculty of Arts University of Ljubljana, where she is currently pursuing her doctoral studies. She is a member of the Slovenian String Sextet (Slovenski godalni sekstet) and regularly collaborates with Slovenian symphony and opera orchestras.

Gregor Pompe (born 1974 in Ljubljana) studied comparative literature, German language, and later musicology at the Faculty of Arts University of Ljubljana, where he received a student Prešeren Award for his undergraduate thesis. He began his academic career as an assistant at the Department of Musicology, earning his PhD in 2006 with a dissertation on music semantics and postmodernism. He was appointed Assistant Professor in 2009 and Associate Professor in 2014, and has served as Head of the Department of Musicology since 2012. His areas of research include contemporary music, music semantics, and opera. The Slovenian Musicological Society presented him with the Mantuani Award in acknowledgement of his scholarly work. He serves on several expert committees, including those of the City of Ljubljana, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovenian Philharmonic.

Steven Loy is a Slovenia-based conductor known for his strong commitment to contemporary classical music. He is the founder and artistic director of Neofonía, a new music ensemble that has introduced numerous important late 20th- and early 21st-century works to Slovenian audiences, including notable performances at the Predihano festival in Cankarjev dom. Loy regularly conducts and records with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, performing both contemporary and standard repertoire. He also collaborates with smaller ensembles such as the Slovenian Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra, Slovenian Percussion Project, MD7, and Slowind. As a guest conductor, he has worked with leading European ensembles, including Klangforum Wien and the SWR Experimentalstudio Ensemble. He is also active as a composer, with performances by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. Loy teaches orchestral conducting as an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Music University of Ljubljana.

In cooperation with the publishing house Družina