ABOUT ME
The beginning
After getting acquainted with a violin very early in her childhood (two of her sisters were already playing violins at the time) Barbara Zalaznik Matos started to officially learn violin at the music school in Vrhnika, a town near her birthplace. With the help of her violin teacher Darinka Fabiani she was recording for the Slovene national radio as soon as at the age of nine when she also participated in “Odskočna deska” (The Springboard) show, a radio programme for gifted young musicians.
Diplomas
Barbara continued violin lessons at the Music and Ballet School in Ljubljana, Slovenia, attending the class of prof. Ciril Veronek. When she reached 16, she passed the audition and took the lessons from prof. Ozim’s student, prof. Brian Finlaysn at the Conservatory of Music in Klagenfurt, Austria, where she stayed for two years. She graduated with honors at the Academy of Music, Slovenia, attending the class of prof. Dejan Bravničar and prof. Vasilij Meljnikov. As a promising violinist she had been repeatedly selected as a representative of the International Academy Prague–Vienna–Budapest. During her student years she participated in several international violin and chamber music summer schools and music shows, as well as national and international competitions where she received a number of awards. She kept upgrading her musical knowledge at many international masterclasses tutored by various acknowledged professors such as prof. Igor Ozim, prof. Vaslav Snitil at the international course in Semmering, prof. Tomaž Lorenz, prof. Vasily Meljnikov, prof. Christiane Hutcap several times.
Awards
Among the most important final concerts she ranks the one of the International Violin School with Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs, Prokofiev Concerto for Violin in G minor, two solo performances in Gallus Hall with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra with virtuosic Sarasate’s Navarra. She performed in the cycle “Youth to Youth” in Cekin’s castle and GM stage several times and also she had many concerts with a piano trio in Slovenia and abroad.
She often performed as a soloist with Vrhnika String Orchestra. At the International Music Festival Violin – Bled she received a special award for a personal touch in the performance of Mozart’s violin sonatas.
At the end of the study she got a scholarship for postgraduate studies for violin by institution Imago Sloveniae. Barbara gave concerts in the piano trio and string quartet at home and abroad. She was the concert master of the students’ Chamber Orchestra at the Music Academy named Savitra. She made contribution with Slavko Osterc ensemble and Slovenica Camerata, led by prof. Primož Novšak.
She completed her musical diversity by playing in “All Capone Štrajh Trio” and acknowledged percussionist Zlatko Kaučič. She has recorded music for the award-winning film “V leru“. In 2002, she participated in a documentary film “Čisto blizu nas” directed by Sebastian Mašera, where she played Sarasate’s Gypsy Aires. She has been a regular member of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra for eight years.
There are two composers – N. Paganini and W. A. Mozart – who take a special place in her heart and to whom she devotes her utmost attention. In the last few years, she has dedicated herself to an independent musical career.