Komorni zbor Megaron ~ Slovenia

Komorni Zbor Megaron (Chamber Choir Megaron) was founded in 2003 at the initiative of former singers of the Ljubljana Diocesan Classical Gymnasium choirs. Composer Damijan Močnik has conducted the choir is led since its inception.

The choir has performed several concerts across Slovenia (namely in Ljubljana, Škofja Loka, Zemono, Kovor, Krtina, Kamnik, Cerklje, Naklo, Radovljica, Vransko, Logatec). It performed Benjamin Britten's cantata The World of the Spirit and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 Resurrection with the RTV Slovenia Symphony. The choir also performed abroad, namely in Munich (Germany) with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, at the Royal Conservatory at The Hague (the Netherlands), where it took part as a demonstration choir for students of conducting. It also gave concerts in Germany (Stuttgart, Berlin), Belgium (Brussels), Austria (Graz) as well as in Slovakia (Nitra, Trenčín).

The choir took part in the national competition Naša Pesem (Our Song) where it was awarded golden and silver plaque and at the international competition Maribor 2006 where it won the seventh place. In March 2009, it participated at the 5th International Competition for Young Choral Conductors in Ljubljana.

Damijan Močnik (1967) lives in Cerklje, a small town in Upper Carniola, Slovenia. He completed his studies at the Music gymnasium (1986) before continuing in composition at the University of Ljubljana’s  Academy of Music. A student of Dane Škerl, he graduated with distinction in 1991. Since receiving his degree, he attended many seminars, symposiums and master classes abroad, including one with renowned Swedish choral conductor Eric Ericson.

Since 1993, teaches music and is the choral conductor and artistic leader at the Diocesan Classical Gymnasium (sector of St. Stanislavs’ Institution) in Ljubljana, where he has carried out a variety of innovative approaches to music education and practise among secondary students. He and his school choirs have received numerous awards and honors at the national and international competitons in Zagorje and Celje. With school choirs he regularly performs works with orchestra (Haydn: Missa Brevis in F; Mozart: Krönungsmesse, Missa Brevis in G; Bruckner: Te Deum …). Since 2000, he has served as the artistic leader of music activities for the whole of St. Stanislav’s Institution.

An active choral conductor since 1986, Močnik now directs the Women’s Church Choir Andrej Vavken from Cerklje and Chamber choir Megaron Ljubljana. With these two and also other choirs, Močnik has won many additional awards at the national and international competitions in Maribor, including three Golden Plaques from the city of Maribor.

Prizes for compositions

• Prešeren Student Prize (the most prestigious student prize in Slovenia) for composition SYMPHONIC MOVEMENT for full symphony orchestra (1991)
• First prize in competition for a hymn on the occasion of the Pope’s John Paul II visit to Slovenia (1966)
• Second prize (first prize was not awarded) at the composition competition of the Internationales Chorfestival Rhein/Rhur 1996 in Bochum in Germany for DYPTICHON IN HONOREM TOLERANTIBUS (SSATTB)
• First prize for piece BRIŽINSKI SPOMENIKI / FREISING MONUMENTS (TTBB) and second prize for piece KRALJ / THE KING (SSAA) in the composition competition organized for the 50th anniversary of the choral journal Naši zbori / Our Choirs (1996)
• Prize for MISSA BREVIS ET SIMPLICITA (SATB) in the composition competition for church music (1998)

His choral works have been performed by choirs and vocal groups throughout the world, including: 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 University of Louisville (Kent Hatteberg), and many other choirs from Europe, USA, Japan and Taiwan.

Other important achievements:

• Cantata CIRCULUS AETERNUS was performed in Europa Cantat Singingweek in Ljubljana 2004 conducting by Malcolm Goldring.
• Composer in residence at the Bavarian Musikakademie in Marktoberdorf 2006 –resulted a new piece IM-MORALIA for SSAATTBB
• EUROPA CANTAT 2006 in Mainz – leader of the Composers conducting atelier
• Guest conductor and composer at Seattle Pacific University - 2007

Damijan Mocnik won two "Favorite Piece of the Month" with Musica, the Virtual Choral Library:

August 2005  Damijan Mocnik -Verbum supernum prodiens mixed choir
October 1999 Damijan Mocnik - Christus est natus  (piece for Christmas) mixed choir

Močnik's musical language is inspired by selected texts and is founded on his rhythmic and melodic impulses. In his melodics one can perceive a distant hint of Plain Chant and of archetypal sound ideas, even those from folk music. The melodic narative in a firm structured frame mostly develops into a varied polyphonic, polytonal and polychordal structure.  In Slovenia his work is published in the Slovene Choral rewiew Naši zbori and with ASTRUM Music Publications. Abroad his work is printed by CARUS-VERLAG in Stuttgart and Ferrimontana in Frankfurt.