MUSIC ‣ Musician of the Month, June-July 2022, Zarja Peters, Pianist

Zarja Peters started her piano career at the tender age of 5. After she completed her musical studies at the Koper Music School in Slovenia and in recognition of her outstanding achievements in piano performance and scholastic record in 2003, she was awarded the highest state scholarship “ZOIS” for her undergraduate and graduate studies. She continued her piano studies at the Koper Art Grammar School under the supervision of Mrs. Aleksandra Alavanja Drucker, MA.

In 2005, she was honored with the Golden Award of the Koper Grammar School for outstanding scholastic achievements. Thereafter, Ms. Peters enrolled at the Slovenian State Conservatory for Music and Ballet in Ljubljana in the class of Professor Siavush Gadijev subsequently passing her music and piano degree with honors.

During the period 2007 to 2012, Ms. Peters studied piano performance at the State Conservatory Klagenfurt (Austria) under the supervision of Professor Alexei Kornienko. Starting in September 2013, Mrs. Peters enrolled for her piano master studies at the Bern University of Arts (Switzerland) in the class of Professor Patricia Pagny and completed her master’s degree program in June 2014.

During her university tenure, she performed numerous solo concerts in Slovenia, Italy, Austria, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Hungary followed by recordings for Radio Koper and the ARS program (classic art radio Ljubljana/Slovenia). Since 2008, the Austrian State Radio Station “ORF” (Österreichischer Rundfunk) has been recording Zarja’s appearances as a soloist and chamber musician at the ORF-Matinee for further broadcasting.

In January 2011, during a festive ceremony on the occasion of the Concert Gala of the State Conservatory Klagenfurt, Zarja Peters was awarded the annual Fiedler-Scholarhsip for the year 2011.

Zarja’s accomplishments to date are numerous, including golden awards and first prizes at regional, international, and state competitions.

Amongst her many awards some of the more noteworthy are winning first prize in Pianell Val Tidone (1999), in Povoletto (1999), in Genova (2000) competitons. Winning the golden award at the State Competition TEMSIG (2001), placing second at the competition in Verbania (2005) and placing first at the international competition Marco Fortini in Bologna (2005). Concurrently, Ms. Peters has been fostering her mastery of the instrument with numerous post-graduate courses, advanced studies and master classes with world class professors and pianists (Siavus Gadijev, Roland Proll, Igor Lazko, Svetalna Boginova, Marian Mika, Joachim Achucarro, Arbo Valdma, Lovro Pogorelich, Konstantin Bogino).

During 2010, Ms. Peters was invited to become a member of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Live Music Now in Austria. Since 2013, she has collaborated closely with the famous French composer Jean-Jacques Werner; she premiers his works on her Swiss music tours and introduces his pieces to the wider public.

In 2014, Ms. Peters participated in an art project under the patronage of Yamaha Switzerland and the Bern University of Arts in the production of a sound recording named “Entre la France et le Japon – un sentiment de parfaite harmonie…“.

In the same year she completed her Master's degree at the Hochschule der Künste Bern - subject music education piano in the class of Patricia Pagny with distinction. In her master's thesis on the topic of music teaching in the penal system, she worked on research concepts on how music teaching affects students who are difficult to educate. Over the course of the school years 2013 and 2014, she completed an internship as a piano teacher at the Basel Music School under the direction of André Thomé.

Since 2017, Ms. Peters has been engaged as an independent entrepreneur in her event promotion agency SONUS NOBILIS active in event management, artist placement and piano education.

In June 2022, she will have completed her cultural business studies at the Institut d'études supérieures des arts (IESA) in Paris, France and obtained the degree Master of business administration for performing arts management and cultural industries.

Your Preferred Music?

My main focus is currently on French Impressionists ranging from Debussy, over Poulenc to Faure because of the delicacy, subtlety and colour of sound that can be mastered by the piano.

Your Most Memorable Moment as a Professional Musician?

It was a special honour for me to perform a solo performance as a representative of the classical department of the Klagenfurt Conservatory at the opening of the concert hall in Klagenfurt / Austria, which was recorded for the Austrian national broadcasting service ORF and honoured with the Fiedler-KONSE scholarship. Describe Your Dream Performance.

I can feel the magic on stage when chamber musicians collaborate, interact, and communicate amongst themselves, with the sound and acoustics of the hall, thus clearly convey musical ideas and intentions to the audience.

Find out more about Zarja Peters at https://zarjapeters.com/de/