Rok Palčič is active as a soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, masterclass clinician, and competition juror. He successfully combines a broad range of experiences with his passion for entrepreneurial pursuits and organizing cultural events.
He started his musical education at the age of five and only a few years into his studies, Russian professor and pianist Sijavush Gadjiev invited him to join his studio. Gadjiev later introduced him to renowned pianist, pedagogue, and International Chopin Competition laureate Pavel Gililov, with whom he continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany. After graduating in 2009, he decided to broaden his interests by choosing to pursue a graduate degree in chamber music performance. He moved to Graz, Austria, to study with Chia Chou, pianist and co-founder of the Trio Parnassus. After completing his second master’s degree, he briefly occupied a teaching position in his home country before emigrating to the United States. During his studies he also took part in several master classes with pedagogues and pianists Aldo Ciccolini, Deniz Galenbe, Ronald Pröll, Kolja Lessing, Jeremy Denk, and others.
In 2003 he was awarded the Škerjanc prize for exceptional musical achievements. In 2007 he performed at the Ruhr Klavier-Festival in Germany and was also awarded the YEHUDI MENUHIN Live Music Now foundation scholarship. His performances at prestigious festivals, as well as prizes from national and international competitions, have taken Palčič to venues across Slovenia, Italy, France, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He performed with renowned artists, such as Koryun Asatryan, Ida Bieler, Ofer Canetti, Dudu Carmel, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, Steven Thomas, Benjamin Ziervogel, Andrej Žust, and others.
His career in the United States started in 2015, following the completion of his master’s degree at the University of Florida, when he was offered a 2-year post as Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano and Chamber Music. His doctoral research at the University of Maryland was focused around rediscovering forgotten music by Late-Romantic composers—particularly the premiere recording of the collective piano solo works by French composer Melanie Bonis—as well as paying tribute to the great masterpieces of our canon, such as Brahms’s complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin, both of which he recorded with Žiga Brank for the Slovenian ZKP label.
While performance and pedagogy remain his main focus, he devotes a sizable amount of effort to managing two companies, Chevy Chase Music LLC and Music School 21 LLC, which cater to the musical and educational needs of various audiences.
In addition to his concert, pedagogic, and entrepreneurial activity, Rok Palčič is also a passionate philanthropist. He is founder and artistic director of the Cultural Arts Society Ars Haliaeti and President of the Art Music Society, both focused on providing support and opportunities to emerging musicians as well as making music accessible to underrepresented populations.