MOČNIK Damijan

Damijan Močnik (Kranj / Slovenia, November 11, 1967) lives in Cerklje, a small town in Upper Carniola, Slovenia. He completed his musical study at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana in 1991 (studio of Professor Dane Škerl) where he won the Prešeren Award for the outstanding student symphonic composition. He improved his knowledge of conducting by studying abroad, including coaching with famed Swedish conductor Eric Ericson.

Močnik is the choral conductor and music teacher at the Diocesan Classical Gimnazija in Ljubljana. Recipient of many awards at national and international choral competitions, his approach toward both conducting and music education is marked by passion and innovation. His two decades of conducting includes leadership of significant choral ensembles such as the France Prešeren Academy Choir from Kranj, Slovenia, and the Andrej Vavken Female Church Choir of Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia. With these two choirs he has won several awards at national and international choral competitions.

Močnik's compositional efforts are mainly devoted to the human voice. His musical language, inspired by carefully selected texts, is based on innovative rhythmic and melodic ideas. His melodies often reveal roots in plainchant or Slovenian folk music. Such fluid melodic concepts allow Močnik to create a variety of polyphonic, polytonal and polychordal structures in his choral scores.

His choral compositions have had great success at numerous Slovenian church music competitions. Two of his works received awards at the competition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Slovene choral review Naši zbori (Our Choirs). At the "Kompositionswettbewerbes 1995 des Internationalen Chorleiter-verbandes" in Bochum (Germany), his Dyptichon in honorem tolerantibus won top honors in a performance given by the London Sinfonietta Voices with Terry Edwards conducting. In 1996, Močnik won a competition for a hymn composed on the occasion of the Pope’s visit to Slovenia. In 1998, the Jeunesse Musicale of Ljubljana organized a concert of his vocal music.

In 2000, Močnik had a number of new scores premiered. His Missa in organi benedictione was performed for the first time at the official presentation of the new organ in the Franciscan Church in Ljubljana. The three-cantata score, Tempus fugit (for soloists, female and male choir and instruments), was performed on the occasion of the consecration of St. Joseph’s Church in Ljubljana. The combined high school choirs and the Slovene Philharmonic also performed Vode novega neba (for soloists, choir and orchestra). Pesem moja je posoda tvojega imena (for soloists, choir and chamber orchestra) was performed in Kranj on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of famed Slovenian poet, France Prešeren. Močnik’s cantata Circulus aeternus was conducted by Malcolm Goldring at the Europa Cantat Singing-Week 2004 in Ljubljana. His tenure as composer-in-residence in 2006 at the Bavarian Musikakademie in Marktoberdorf resulted a new score: Im-Moralia (SSAATTBB). And he was invited to be the leader of the "composer's conducting" workshop at the Europa Cantat 2006 in Mainz, Germany.

His choral works have been preformed by choirs and vocal ensembles throughout the world, including The World Youth Choir (Gary Graden), The London Sinfonietta Voices (Terry Edwards), St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir Stockholm (Gary Graden), Singer Pur (Regensburg), Opus 7 (Seattle, USA), Chamber Choir Ave Ljubljana (Andraž Hauptman), APZ Tone Tomšič Ljubljana (Stojan Kuret), Missouri State Concert Chorale (Guy B. Webb), The Cardinal Singers of the University of Louisville (Kent Hatteberg), and many other choirs from Europe, USA, Japan and Taiwan.

Močnik’s instrumental pieces are performed by leading national chamber ensembles, including the Slovenian Philharmonic. His instrumental pieces have been performed three times in the national ‘Slovene Music Days’ concerts. At home, Močnik’s scores are published with Astrum Music Publications and in the Slovenian choral review Naši zbori. Internationally, his scores are published by Augsburg-Fortress, Minneapolis / U.S.A., Carus-Verlag in Stuttgart / Germany, and Ferrimontana Publishing House in Frankfurt / Germany.

For the year 2022 he is the recipient of the Prešeren Fund Award.

[Compiled: April 2007, amend. XII.2021]

OUTSIDE LINKS:

"I am even more strict with myself, but I dare to do more in music" (in Slovene only) / Damijan Močnik, skladatelj in dirigent, prejemnik nagrade Prešernovega sklada: Še bolj sem strog do sebe, si pa upam več ; interview / Ingrid Mager / Dnevnik / 17.01.2022 / https://www.dnevnik.si/1042981288?fbclid=IwAR3LmtI45E0h2YDnYCdGE1hphkKXiLHv_W0Nd_9VGqrTiS6wsEARX6YdAyM