Betka Bizjak Kotnik

Betka Bizjak Kotnik teaches saxophone at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet, where, since 2018, she has also been the principal of the primary music school. She graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana under Prof. Matjaž Drvenšek, where she later completed her postgraduate studies / specialization. She received additional training at the Conservatory of Music in Lyon under Prof. Jean-Denis Michata. With the pianist Milanka Črešnik, she has performed in Slovenia and abroad, made recordings for Radio Slovenia, and in 2008 released an album called Repliques. She has performed in chamber ensembles for modern music such as Neofonija and Forum Modern Music Ensemble.

The focus of Betka Bizjak Kotnik’s musical activity since 2013 has been music making, carrying out projects, giving concerts and making recordings in the chamber ensemble ROYA Quartet, with which she performed in Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and was on tour in Argentina in 2019. At the World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France and in Zagreb, the Quartet presented new works by female composers, some of whom are Nina Šenk, Margareta Ferek-Petrić, Ana-Maria Huszcza, Oliwia Abravesh and Zvezdana Novaković. In 2019, as part of the concert cycle of the Studio of the Society of Slovenian Composers, the Quartet performed compositions by Vinko Globokar and premiered works by Nina Šenk, Leon Firšt and Carlos Castellarneau. In 2020, the Quartet gave a performance at the New Music Forum held at the hall of the Slovenian Philharmonic, premiering the composition Drobtine časa by the composer Larisa Vrhunc and performed the composition Durch by Fabien Levy. In 2021, the Quartet recorded a Chamber Studio concert for the archive of Radio Slovenia and began recording compositions for their album.

Betka Bizjak Kotnik participates in the organization of the EMONA international festival, organized by the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet. She holds summer music schools and saxophone seminars, and has been a member of the commission for national and international saxophone competitions many times. Her students participate in numerous performances, guest appearances, national and international competitions. Many of them are now renowned young musicians and teachers.