JEŽ Jakob

JEŽ Jakob (November 23, 1928 in Boštanj, Slovenia - March 8, 2022, Ljubljana, Slovenia), is an internationally recognized and profilic composer. In addition composing orchestral works (Strune milo se glasite  (Strings, Sound Gently)), chamber works (Nomos 1 – 8),works for solo piano (Etude) and other solo instrumental pieces (Vzgibi (Impulsions)), Jež is especially active as composer of vocal repertoire, to which he has contributed cantatas (such as Do Fraig Amors and Brižinski spomeniki (Freising Monuments)) and songs (such as Pojem igram (Singing Playing)). He has written numerous choir works which have been performed widely throughout Slovenia. Many of these works were composed for children's and youth choirs, and seek to contribute to the musical education of the performers. 

Jež studied at the Music Academy of Ljubljana. He was a founding member in the Pro Musica Viva Composer's Group. He catalogued—and in some cases arranged and completed—the posthumuous works of Marij Kogoj for publication (six editions), and edited the musical rewiews Grlica (for children's and youth choirs) and Naši zbori (for mixed, men's, and women's choirs).

He was a professor of music at the Pedagogic Faculty in Ljubljana. His compositions have been performed in Slovenia and abroad, including at World Music Days in Athens (1979, Pogled narave (Nature's Look), Cologne (1987, Caccia Barbara) and Ljubljana (2003, Predjamski grad). He has won more than 20 prizes, including a First Prize of the Slovene National Radio (1968) and the Prešeren Foundation  Award (1970, for cantata Do fraig amors). In 1991 he was awarded Slovenia's most prestigious recognition for artists, The Prešeren Prize for his life's work.