BIO

ANDREJ GORIČAR is Slovenian composer, pianist, professor and arranger. His artistic profile spans widely from concert and classical music to film, stage music and beyond.

Andrej Goričar was born in 1971 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. While studying piano at the Ljubljana Academy of Music in the 90s, he received a Prešeren Student Award for his interpretation of Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto with Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marko Letonja. During his studies he performed the original version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Slovenian Radio Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Carl Davis.

In years 1996 – 2002, he was the principal of St. Stanislav Music School, where he also taught piano and established and conducted school highly successful orchestra.

Since 1996 he has been the resident pianist of the Slovenian Cinematheque in Ljubljana. He has performed a wide repertoire of silent classics and many silent film retrospectives home, in Europe and USA, either playing his own compositions or improvising on the piano.

In 2002 he became a freelance artist with a particular focus on composing. His works (concert classical compositions, stage and film compositions or others) were performed by diverse and renowned soloists, chamber groups and orchestras.

In 2002 he also composed orchestral score for the silent movie Sunrise (Murnau, 1927, USA, 94 min) and conducted it's first performance in Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana. Andrej's symphonic orchestra score for the silent movie V kraljestvu Zlatoroga (J. Ravnik, 1931, SLO, 76 min.), which is the first Slovenian full-lenght movie, was first performed during celebration of 100 years of Slovenian film by the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra and German conductor Helmut Imig. Andrej’s score for the first European full length silent animated movie The Adventures of Prince Ahmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926, Germany, 65 min.) was first performed at the Animateka International Animated Film Festival 2010 in Ljubljana.

As far as theatre music is concerned, he had worked with a renowned theatre director Vito Taufer for more then a decade, composing music for a wide range of theatrical plays.

In 2010 Andrej Goričar won the 16th International Composing Competition »2 Agosto« in Bologna, Italy, with his concerto for piano and orchestra Ex Anima. The jury was headed by Ennio Moricone.

From 2012 to 2019 he was a piano professor at Franc Šturm Music School in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

With his composition Mo(uve)ment Musicaux for orchestra he won the IV. International Composition Prize SEM 2019 in Italy.

He currently works at the Music and ballet conservatory in Ljubljana as well.

In 2021 he wrote a highly successful original music score for Erotikon (G. Machaty, 1929, Czech Republic, 89 min.) under commission by the Slovenian Cinematheque. The piece was written for a chamber group of seven performers and premiered at the 40. edition of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy. It was performed by the Orchestra of the Imaginary led by Andrej Goričar. The Slovenian premiere in Cankarjev dom Ljubljana was a coproduction between the Slovenian Cinematheque, Cankarjev dom and Radio Slovenia.

In 2022, he wrote another successful original music score, this time for Nosferatu (W. F. Murnau, Germany, 1922, 95'). It premiered at Cankarjev dom in the same coproduction as 2021's Erotikon. The new piece was also performed by Orchestra of the Imaginary.

In 2023 Goričar wrote a new original music score for the silent movie Young Medardus (Der junge Medardus, M. Kertesz, Avstrija, 1923, 102 min), the performance of which coincided with Kinodvor's 100th anniversary. The very same year he also wrote a new music score commissioned by the Slovenian Cinematheque for the silent movie Our hospitality (B. Keaton, ZDA, 1923, 75'), which premiered in Linhart Hall in Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana.