Album Notes

World Class Clarinetist Joze Kotar's playing is magnificent! This recording is featuring Joze with the Slovene Philharmonic String Quartet in several favorite Clarinet with Strings works.

JOZE KOTAR is principal clarinet with the Slovene Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and associate professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He began playing the clarinet in his home-town, Trbovlje, under the teaching of Ervin Plevnik. He then continued his studies in Ljubljana under Prof. Alojz Zupan, and in 1992 completed his postgraduate studies at the Academy of Music. In numerous competitions at home and abroad he has won nine first prizes, and has also been granted the Academy and the University Prešeren Award. In his guest appearances abroad he represented (former) Yugoslavia in 1988 at the competition "Europäischer Preis" in Zürich, and was also principal clarinet with the Mediterranean Orchestra and the Alpe-Adria Orchestra.

As a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles he has performed in Slovenia, (former) Yugoslavia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and USA. In the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra he has performed under many well-known conductors, including Carlos Kleiber. His first CD with The Slovene Philharmonic String Quartet was published by ZKP RTV Slovenia. He is also a member of the ARIART Woodwind Quintet - which in 1998 issued its first CD for the recording service of RTV Slovenia - a member of the Slovene clarinet quartet and founder of Slovenian Clarinet Choir. In addition, he performs as a clarinetist with the orchestras Slovenicum, Consortium musicum, the Slovene Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Slovene Police, and the Workers wind Band of Trbovlje, and also records for radio and television.