O. UNI. Prof. Em., Mag. art Uroš Lajovic was born on 4th of July 1944 in Ljubljana. He studied composition and conducting at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, graduating in 1967 and in 1969, respectively. For his outstanding achievements in both fields, he was awarded the 1968 and 1969 Student Prešeren Prize. He continued his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Prof Hans Swarowsky, where he graduated with honors in 1971 and was awarded the Graduating Prize ("Abgangspreis"). In 1968 and 1969, he took part in the Salzburg Summer Academy, studying conducting with Prof Bruno Maderna.
From 1972 to 1991, he was employed in the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, first as Assistant Conductor and since 1978 as Permanent Conductor. In parallel, he led the RTV Slovenia Chamber Orchestra from 1974 to 1976, was Chief Conductor of the Croatian RTV Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1981 and in 1988 founded the Slovenicum Chamber Orchestra, with which he organized an independent concert series in Ljubljana for the next twelve years and gave concerts around Slovenia. From 2001 to 2005, he was Chief Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2009, he became the Artistic Advisor and Permanent Guest Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic. Since autumn 2015 till spring 2017 he was chief conductor of Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and since 2015 permanent guest conductor of Sofia Philharmonic and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (China).
Uroš Lajovic was appointed Professor of Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, in 1989, and, in 1991, he was promoted to Full Professor of Conducting. In his conducting class, there have been around 300 students from 58 countries. Since 2011, to 2014, he has been Full Professor of Conducting at the Zagreb Music Academy. He retired from the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts in 2012. As a visiting professor, he has held conducting master classes in Stockholm (2001), Vilnius (2001), Constanta (2006), Shanghai (2012) Hong Kong (concerts and master classes in the years from 2009–2012) and Dubrovnik (2016).
In addition to his work, he has conducted orchestras across Europe, the US, Colombia (Bogota), South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Japan. During his 40-year career he has given over 1.400 concerts, conducted more than 90 different symphony orchestras and ensembles and accompanied over 900 soloists.
His repertoire consists of symphonic and opera works. He helped stage 14 operas. In addition to the standard repertoire, he has conducted over 1.500 symphonic works and premiered 80 pieces of music of Slovenian and international composers.
His work in the field of musicology includes the transcription and publication of Missa Viennensis by Slovenian baroque composer Janez Krstnik Dolar, the editorship of Figaro by Janez Krstnik Novak (stage music for Matiček’s Wedding by Anton Tomaž Linhart), and the revision and publication of Marij Kogoj’s opera Black Masks.
In November 2013 Uroš Lajovic was awarded The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.
Education
Classical High School (Gymnasium) Ljubljana
Diploma Music Academy Ljubljana – composition (Prof. Bravničar)
Diploma Music Academy Ljubljana – conducting (Prof. Švara)
Summer Academy Salzburg (Bruno Maderna)
Diploma University of Music Vienna – conducting (Prof. Swarowsky)
1963
1969
1969
1969, 1970
1971
Conductor Positions
Assistant Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia
Chief Conductor of the Chamber Orchestra RTV Ljubljana, Slovenia
Permanent Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia
Chief Conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra RTV Zagreb, Croatia
Permanent Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatia
Founder and Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestra SLOVENICUM, Slovenia
Permanent Guest Conductor, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia
Artistic advisor of the Maribor Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia
Artistic leader of the »Classic in Hermagoras« Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria
Chief Conductor, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Serbia
Principal Guest Conductor, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Denmark
Artistic advisor and permanent Guest Conductor, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatia
Artistic director of the concert Abonma »Mahler in Ljubljana«, Slovenia
Chief Conductor of Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia
Permanent Guest conductor of Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Bulgaria
Permanent Guest conductor of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, China
1971 - 1978
1974 - 1976
1978 - 1991
1979 - 1981
1984 - 2002
1989 - 2001
1991 - 2005
1993 - 2003
2000 - 2002
2001 - 2006
2004 - 2005
2010 -
2011
2015 - 2017
2015
2015
Faculty Positions
Faculty for Musicology, Ljubljana - Docent
University of Music, Vienna – invited Professor
University of Music, Vienna – Professor in ordinary
University of Music, Vienna – Professor Emeritus
Conducting Masterclass, Vilnius
Conducting Masterclass, Constanz
Academy of Music, Zagreb – invited Professor
Academy of Music, Zagreb – Professor in ordinary
Conducting Masterclass, Shanghai
Conducting Masterclass, Hong Kong
1984 - 1988
1989 - 1991
1991 - 2012
2012
2001
2006
2009 - 2010
2010 - 2014
2013
2013
Awards
Students’ Prešeren Prize for Composition, Ljubljana
Students’ Prešeren Prize for Conducting, Ljubljana
»Abgangspreis«, University of Music, Vienna
2nd Prize »Guido Cantelli« La Scala, Milano
Prešeren Prize for conducting Mahler, Symphony No.1, Ljubljana
Medal »White Angel« from Republic of Serbia for leading of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
Recognition award from the city of Ljubljana for Artistic Achievement, Slovenia
Austrian Honour Knight Cross for Culture and Science
1967
1969
1971
1976
1981
2006
2008
2013
Appearances with orchestras
Symphonic Orchestras
Athens State Orchestra (Greece)
Belgrad Philharmonic Orchestra (Serbia)
City Symphony Orchestra Dubrovnik (Croatia)
Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany)
FOK Orchestra Prag (Chech Republic)
FOSBO Symphony Orchestra Bogota (Columbia)
Gosudarstveni orkester Moskau (Russia)
Göttingen Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Gota Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Hofer Symphoniker (Germany)
Janačkova Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava (Chech R.)
Jena Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra (Japan)
Kiew Philharmonic Orchestra (Ukraina)
Macedonic Philharmonic Orchestra Skopje (R Macedonia)
Maribor Philharmonic Orchestra (Slovenia)
Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle (Germany)
Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria)
München Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany)
Norrkőpings Symfonieorkester (Sweden)
Odense Symphony Orchestra (Denmark)
Orchestra Metropolitana Lisboa (Portugal)
Orchestra National de Belgique Bruxelles (Belgium)
Orchestra de Picardie, Amiens (France)
Orquesta sinfonica de Castilla y Leon Valladolid (Spain)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (Norway)
Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Radio Orchestra Leipzig (Germany)
Residenz Orchestra Ankara (Turkey)
RSO Berlin (RIAS - Germany)
Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea)
Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (China)
Singapore Festival Orchestra (Singapore)
Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria)
Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra (Slovenia)
Süddeutscher Rundfunk Stuttgart (Germany)
Symphony Orchestra Bern (Switzerland)
Symphony Orchestra Gotha (Germany)
Symphony Orchestra Miskolc (Hungary)
Symphony Orchestra RTV Belgrade (Serbia)
Symphony Orchestra RTV Katowice (Poland)
Symphony Orchestra RTV Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Symphony Orchestra RTV Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Symphony Orchestra RTV Zagreb (Croatia)
Symphony Orchestra Sevilla (Spain)
Symphony Orchestra Voronež (Russia)
Taipei City Orchestra (Taiwan)
Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra (Japan)
Wiener Symphoniker (Austria)
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra (Croatia)
Opera Orchestras
National Opera Orchestra Ljubljana
Maribor Theatre Orchestra
National Theatre Orchestra Zagreb
Komedija Zagreb
Orchester des Theater Meiningen
Chamber Orchestras
Arpeggione Feldkirch
Bach Collegium München
Belgrade Chamber Orchestra
Camerata Carinthia Klagenfurt
Chamber Orchestra RTV Ljubljana
Chamber Orchestra Skopje
Chamber Orchestra Maribor
RIAS Sinfonietta
SLOVENICUM Chamber Orchestra
Varaždin Chamber Orchestra
Zagreb Soloists
Music Academy Orchestras
Symphony Orchestra of MA Ljubljana, Slovenia
Symphony Orchestra of MA Zagreb, Croatia
Symphony Orchestra of MA Detmold, Germany
Symphony Orchestra of MA Stockholm, Sweden
Symphony Orchestra of Hong Kong MA, China
Symphony Orchestra of Conservatory Castelfranco Veneto, Italy
Webern Sinfonietta, UNI Wien, Austria
Bibliography
Janez Krstnik Dollar: Missa viennensis (revision and transcription of the work), SAZU 1996
Marij Kogoj: BLACK MASKS (opera revision), DSS 2013
Marij Kogoj: BLACK MASKS (critical report), DSS 2013
Fortschritt durch Rückschau Brahms Studien, Olms Verlag Hildesheim 2017
Exercises in the meter - a translation of a poem from Boeti's "Consolation of Philosophy" from Latin, Keria, Studia latina et graeca, volume XXII, Ljubljana 2020
Beethoven - the meaning of semantic signs in his symphonies, Self - published, Ljubljana 2021
An analysis of the 1st movement of Gustav Mahlers 3. Symphony, Internationale Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft, March 2022