Ervin Luka Sešek, Violin
Performing Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch
2:00 PM Sunday, March 20 at Town Hall Seattle
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Known for his rich and vibrant tone, violinist and violist Ervin Luka Sešek brings passion, energy and a great sense of communication to his audience. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, and raised in Slovenia, Sešek has won several top prizes in international competitions including the Republic of Slovenia Competition for Young Musicians, the Petar Konjović Competition in Serbia and others in the countries of Italy, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
A sought-after chamber musician, Sešek has collaborated with former members of Tokyo and Ehnes string quartets (Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith and Robert deMaine). He has also played in concert alongside world renowned artists such as Gary Hoffman, Paul Coletti, Konstantin and Eugene Lifschitz, Edin Karamazov and others. He has appeared at the Colburn Chamber Music Society, South Bay Chamber Music Society, Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle and Summit Music Festival. Additionally, he has both taught and performed at the Burgos International Music Festival and Sewanee Summer Music Festival.
Sešek has soloed with several orchestras in eastern Europe including the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Saint George String Orchestra in Serbia. Among other notable performances as a soloist, he performed Aleksandar Sedlar's "Serbian Fantasy" to critical acclaim in Kolarac Hall, the most significant performance venue in Serbia.
He has collaborated with many living composers, and several have dedicated works to him. In 2010 Dragana Jovanović wrote “Luka Balkantino” as an homage to him, in 2016 Victor Frost wrote “Six Cameos”, of which the first one, “Capriccio”, is dedicated to him, and Aleksandar Sedlar is currently writing a concerto for violin and viola as a late wedding gift for the Sešeks.
In May 2014, tragedy struck Ervin Luka’s home nation of Serbia. Floods devastated much of the country. As a call to action, Sešek organized a volunteer effort, asking fellow musicians to join him and play together in the streets of Belgrade. Within hours, dozens of musicians from all over the country joined the project allowing him to create an ad hoc orchestra to play in the Republic Square, Belgrade. In one week, they raised over 10,000 euros and helped several families by providing clean water, food, clothing and the restoration of their homes. Continuing his humanitarian efforts, in March of 2015, Sešek played a benefit recital with pianist, Lili Zeng, for the MMS Foundation of Montreal.
Ervin Luka Sešek began his violin studies with his mother, Anastazija Juvan, and then continued for many years with his father, Armin Sešek. Before moving to America, he studied at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana (Slovenia), School for Musically Gifted Children Ćuprija (Serbia) and Faculty of Music in Belgrade (Serbia). He holds a Professional Studies Certificate from the prestigious Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles where he studied with Martin Beaver. Constantly honing his craft, he has performed for several internationally prominent pedagogues including Aaron Rosand, Stefan Milenković, Arnold Steinhardt, Igor Ozim, Pavel Vernikov, Ken Aiso, Eugene Sarbu, Scott St. John and others. He can often be seen playing in concert with his violist wife, Amber Archibald-Sešek. Sešek currently plays on bows made by Vladimir Radosavljević and on a Jason Starkie violin.