Milko Lazar – Piano and Drums (2015), commissioned by Nederlands Dans Theater

Biography

Milko Lazar is a Slovenian composer and multi-instrumentalist whose works have been performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall in New York. He studied classical and jazz piano and saxophone at the Kunstuniversität in Graz, and Baroque music and harpsichord at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague. For 15 years, he was engaged with Big Band RTV Slovenia. During his jazz career, he performed with numerous globally renowned musicians, ensembles and orchestras. He founded several formations, including the Milko Lazar Quartet, Quatebriga and the Royal Society. Since 2005, he has performed in a duo with the pianist Bojan Gorišek.

Milko Lazar has composed orchestral and chamber works, operas, vocal pieces, music for film, theatre, dance and multimedia projects. Since 2008, he has collaborated with the choreographer Edward Clug, for whom he wrote scores for the ballets Pret-a-porter and Handman. In 2005, he received the Prešernov sklad Award; in 2010, he won the Župančič Prize for orchestral and chamber works.