Nejc Kuhar
“Kuhar’s pieces were eclectic and fun…” (Washington Post)
“… Nejc Kuhar’s compositions have a strong personality and he plays them excellent. Bravo.” (Roland Dyens)
The international prizes, positive reviews in leading publications such as the Washington Post, Classical Guitar Magazine and the Los Angeles Daily News, as well as the enthusiastic response of audiences worldwide, reflect Kuhar’s profile as an artist who successfully unites composition and performance.
Nejc Kuhar completed his Master’s degree in guitar at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Alvaro Pierri, and his Master’s degree in composition with Reiner Bishof and Christian Minkowitsch at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität, both with honours. In 2018 he began his Music Research PhD at the University of Surrey with Steve Goss.
As both guitarist and composer, he has won numerous international awards, including several first prizes in Germany, China, Italy, Turkey and the United States. He was also a scholarship holder of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and the Gallus Foundation.
His compositions have been performed in venues such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Washington National Gallery of Art, the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Slovene Philharmonic Hall. Commissions have come from institutions including the Washington National Gallery of Art, Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, LiGiTa, the guitar festivals in Hong Kong and Sarajevo, the Signum Saxophone Quartet, guitarist Mak Grgić, organist Stephen Ackert and the Four Aces Guitar Quartet.
Kuhar’s music is published by Les Productions d’Oz/Doberman-Yppan, Trekel and Berben. Some works are featured on his debut CD from ZKP, String Modulations, recorded with guitarist Mak Grgić.
He performs regularly in solo recitals and in the Eminent Duo with violinist Moeko Sugiura. He teaches masterclasses, gives lectures and serves as a juror at festivals such as LiGiTa in Liechtenstein, Forum Wien, the Taiwan Guitar Festival and the festivals in Sarajevo, Seckau and Postojna. His concerts often feature interpretations of his own works, adding a distinctive character to his performances.
Since 2017 he has taught guitar and chamber music at the Joseph Haydn Conservatory in Eisenstadt, and since 2015 at the Music Academy in Vienna. He is also active as a lecturer, giving talks on guitar composition at institutions such as The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the universities of Vienna and Frankfurt.
