Peter Zagar
Slovak composer, pianist, dramaturge and editor. He is a prominent figure among the composers of his generation, a representative of the postmodern current. During his secondary studies he devoted himself to playing the violin and concurrently took private lessons in composition from Víťazoslav Kubička. In 1981 – 1986 he studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava with Ivan Hrušovský. He has collaborated with the Slovak Philharmonic, Chamber Soloists in Bratislava, the Camerata Bratislava choir, OPERA APERTA ensemble, Arcana Ensemble (Toronto) etc. Zagar is the author of more than 100 compositions of various genres (stage, choral, vocal-instrumental, solo, instructive and electroacoustic) and transcriptions of the works of Mozart, Suchoň, Vivaldi, Ravel, Brahms etc. For the Andrej Bagar Theatre in Nitra he created stage music for the productions of Pytačky, Medveď (1998), Svadba (2002), Terezka (2001), Mariša (2003) and Bezkyslíkovce (2004) and he has collaborated with contemporary dance groups (Zuzana Hájková, Marta Poláková). Zagar’s first dramaturgic experience was the production of the Mozart opera The Magic Flute (directed by S. Sprušanský) in the SND. As a performer he is active in the ensembles Požoň sentimentál, VAPORI del CUORE and Ospalý pohyb. He is the holder of the Slovak Musicological Association Prize, Dosky ’98 Prize (stage music for the productions of Pytačky and Medveď) and the Ján Levoslav Bella. His works have been performed in Prague, Vienna, Krakow, London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, St. Petersburg, etc. As a member of the dramaturgic commission he contributed to the preparations for festivals including Bratislava Musical Festival, Melos Ethos and Evenings of New Music. Currently he is head of the Music Centre’s Department of Publishing Activities.