Rok Palčič, director and piano instructor
Dr. Palčič is active as a soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and competition juror. As an artistic director, he successfully combines this broad range of experiences with his passion for 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 exceptional 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. He further used this time to obtain a degree in pedagogy and andragogy. 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. Several of these concerts were either recorded or broadcasted live by the German WDR, Austrian ORF, and Slovenian RTV radio and television stations.In addition to his concert and pedagogic activity, Rok Palčič is founder and artistic director of the Cultural Arts Society Ars Haliaeti, focused on organizing educational and artistic events. The Masterclasses Haliaeti Summer Academy, which has become one of the largest classical music festivals in Slovenia, is recommended by the University of Florida School of Music, where Rok Palčič has been appointed as Visiting Assistant Professor of piano and chamber music between 2015 and 2017. In 2018, he created Chevy Chase Music and has been its director since. He is also the founder of Music School 21, which is focused on developing exceptional online courses for aspiring young musicians.
- BM and MM in Piano Performance, Cologne University of Music (2009)
- MA in Chamber Music (Piano Trio), University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (2012)
- MM in Piano Performance, University of Florida (2015)
- DMA in Piano Performance, University of Maryland (2020)