Uroš Lajovic

UROŠ LAJOVIĆ (born 1944, Ljubljana) established one of the most prestigious conducting schools at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he has been a full professor since 1990. Hundreds of students from around the globe have studied under him. Lajovic also taught at the Academy of Music in Zagreb from 2011 to 2014 and at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana from 1984 to 1988. Lajović has led master classes in Stockholm, Konstanz, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vilnius, and Dubrovnik. He has extensive experience conducting orchestras throughout Europe in a variety of roles, including principal conductor, artistic director, and guest conductor. His accomplishments have been recognized with state honors and awards. He earned his degrees in composition and conducting from the Music Academy in Ljubljana in 1967 and 1969, respectively, both with honors. He participated in composition master classes at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Bruno Maderna in 1969 and 1970. He specialized in conducting under Hans Swarowsky at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, receiving in 1971 a master's degree with honors. In 1976, he won second prize at the Guido Cantelli International Conducting Competition at La Scala in Milan. He has received the Prešeren Prize three times, Slovenia's highest distinction for artistic achievements in various fields. The last time he received the award was for his performance of Mahler's First Symphony in Ljubljana in 1981. From 1971 to 1991, he was the conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, serving as first assistant conductor until 1978 and then as permanent conductor. During this period, he was also the principal conductor of the RTV Ljubljana Chamber Orchestra from 1974 to 1976 and the RTV Zagreb Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1981. After 1991, he continued conducting the orchestras as a guest conductor. He conducted the Slovenian Philharmonic until 2007 and served as its principal conductor from 2015 to 2017. He conducted the Zagreb Philharmonic from 1984 to 2004. He founded and was the artistic director of the Slovenicum Chamber Orchestra from 1989 to 2001. He was the principal guest conductor of the Danish Symphony Orchestra in Odense from 2004 to 2005. From 1998 to 2003, Mo. Lajovic was the artistic director of the Maribor Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2001 to 2007, he was chief conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic. Additionally, he was a regular guest conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in China, and the Slovenian Philharmonic. His international conducting appearances include dozens of symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as opera companies, in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the United States, Taiwan, Hungary, and Japan. He has worked with the Moscow State Orchestra, the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra, the Voronezh Symphony Orchestra, the Residenz Orchestra in Ankara, and the orchestras in Ostrava, Prague, and Katowice ; several orchestras in Berlin; the Münchner Philharmoniker; the SWR Orchestra in Stuttgart; the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg; the Vienna Philharmonic; the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra; the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra; and the Tokyo City Orchestra, among others. He was awarded the White Angel Medal of the Republic of Serbia in 2006 for his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2013, he received the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art.