SAXGO201PIANO ACCOMPANISTS

Neža Koželj (Slovenia, 1992) started playing piano at the age of six. She graduated from the Ljubljana Music and Ballet Conservatory and the Music Academy in the class of Hinko Haas, and at the same time perfecting her knowledge with many Slovenian and foreign professors (Tatjana Ognjanovič, Ruben Dalibaltayan, Tomaž Lorenz, Kevin Robert Orr etc.). In 2011, together with the pianist Nadja Rus she formed Duo Scaramouche and continued her studies at the Graz University with Gil Garburg and his wife Sivan Silver where she got her M.A. in 2020. She is the recipient of several awards among which the Prešeren Award of the Academy of Music, 2010 TEMSIG Silver Plaque, 2nd place at the Zlatko Grgošević competition in Zagreb, 1st prize and Gold Plaque at the TEMSIG competition as a piano duo in 2011 and again in 2014, 1st prize winner of the international competition in Tivat and 2nd place at the Martha Debelli competition in Graz. She performed in piano duo at the Golden Classical Music Awards competition and won 1st prize and the invitation to perform at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. She performed Francis Poulenc’s concert for two pianos and orchestra with the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, and W. A. ​​Mozart’s concert for two pianos and orchestra with the EUYO Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko at the Ljubljana Festival. She works as piano professor and tutor at the Ljubljana Music and Ballet Conservatory. She regularly performs in different chamber ensembles.

Sae Lee (JP) graduated from the Tokyo University of Music Toho-Gakuen where she studied under Kazuhiko Nakajima and Etsuko Tazaki. At the same time, she studied in the class of Julia and Konstantin Ganev. In 2007 and 2008 she graduated with the highest marks in Piano and Chamber Music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Her professors were: Michel Beroff, Eric Le Sage and Laszlo Hadady. She has won nine prizes at international competitions. It is worth pointing out the 1st prize at the International Competition of “Citta di Padova” (Italy) and at the International Piano Competition of "Albert Roussel" (Sofia, Bulgaria). She performs as a soloist with orchestras such as Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra - Opus), Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Plevenska Philharmonic Orchestra and Kojima Philharmonic Orchestra. She performed at the Yamaha Music Festival, Hamamatsu International Piano Academy, Nice International Academy (France) and the famous Piano à Enghien Festival in Paris. An active chamber musician, Sae Lee works with saxophonist Miha Rogina, touring the world as Duo Kalypso. The duo won first prizes at international competitions Fnapec (Paris) and Carlo Soliva (Italy). Sae is the piano accompanist of Aurélie Dupont, prima ballerina and director of the Paris Opera Ballet. She has given several television and radio broadcasts in Japan and Europe. She performed concerts in Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine and Thailand. At UNESCO’s invitation she gave a well-received recital at the UNESCO conference and Kazakhstan. Sae Lee is currently employed at the Ljubljana Academy of Music and Zagreb Academy of Music.