Nenad Firšt

Who is Nenad Firšt?

Nenad Firšt, is a Slovene composer, conductor and violinist.

Nenad Firšt received a high school musical education at the Zagreb High School of Music before moving to Ljubljana to study at the Ljubljana Academy of Music under Dane Škerl and Rok Klopčič. He went completed his study of chamber music and composition at home in Slovenia, in Hungary and in France.

In 1982 he joined the Croatian Sebastian string quartet, from Zagreb, with which he toured nationally and internationally until 1992. In 1988 he moved to live in Celje, Slovenia, where he is the artistic director and conductor of the Celje String Orchestra. He is also the director of the Celje Institute for Cultural Performances.

Between 1993 and 1998, he was President of the Musical Youth organisation and he has been artistic director of Musical Youth's International Music Camp at Dolenjske Toplice since 1996.

He has received various awards and recognitions, including the Prešeren Award of the Ljubljana Academy of Music in Ljubljana and the Prešeren Award of the Municipality of Celje.

On 7 February 2009, Nenad Firšt was one of the two Prešeren Foundation Award laureates from the field of music, recognised for artistic achievements in the previous two years including his "Concertino for flute, saxophone and orchestra", "Concerto for two saxophones and string instruments", "In the very moment of pause", for chamber ensemble, "Magic Mountain", for symphony orchestra, "Letters" for violin and chamber orchestra, and "Odeon", for chamber orchestra".