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1976 – 1982
Conservatory in Žilina, guitar (Dušan Lehotský), Best Graduate of the Year title
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1982 – 1987
Faculty of Education in Nitra
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1989 – 1992
Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (Jozef Zsapka)
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since 1987
Conservatory in Žilina, guitar lecturer (e.g. pupil Peter Remeník)
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since 1997
Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica, guitar lecturer (e.g. student Eva Kavuljaková)
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since 1997
member of a guitar duo La Barre (with Peter Remeník) and of a chamber trio (Ivana Trošelj, Australia – soprano and Marián Budoš, Australia – semi-acoustic guitar) and of the Ars Quartet Žilina ensemble (Ľubomír Kudja – violin, Ján Glasnák – viola and Květa Glasnáková – cello)
Ján Labant is active as a soloist and chamber guitarist and also works as a pedagogue. He graduated from the Conservatory in Žilina, where he studied in the class of Dušan Lehotský and received the award for Best Graduate of the Year. He continued his studies at the Faculty of Education in Nitra and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava under Jozef Zsapka. Since 1987 he has been active as a guitar pedagogue at the Conservatory in Žilina, and since 1997 also at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. He is an active chamber musician, a member of the guitar duo La Barre and several ensembles, has led international masterclasses, and regularly serves on juries of national and international guitar competitions.
As a soloist, he has appeared in many festivals both in Slovakia (Young Concert Artists Festival – Trenčianske Teplice, Guitar Days, J.K.Mertz International Guitar Festival, Music at the Castle – Bratislava, Cithara aediculae – Nitra, Spišs Guitar Days and at a festival at the Budimír mansion) and abroad : in Poland (Cieszyn, Kościan, Czeņstochowa, Krakow, Gdansk, Koszalin, Lublin, Krynica, Sanok, Szczawno-Zdrój, Tychy, Zory), Czech Republic (Bienále Kutná Hora, Brno, Rychnov nad Kněžnou, Ostrava, Štramberk, Hukvaldy), England (Kernow Guitar Festival) and France (Bordeaux). Apart from these, he has also performed in concerts in Poland (Warsaw, Krakow), Hungary (Debrecín), Bulgaria (Sofia), Czech Republic (Hukvaldy, Brno, Ostrava, Litomyšl, Vsetín, Odry), France (Bordeaux, Limoges, Tulle, Guéret), Spain (Barcelona, Sabadell), Austria (Vienna, Oberpullendorf), England (Truro, Saltash) and Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Cooma, Deniliquin).
In 1983, he founded in Nitra together with Pavel Sika a cycle of guitar concerts named Cithara aediculae, which developped into an international festival, where Labant participates every year as a peformer and programme director.
He conducts master classes at festivals and conservatories in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, France (conservatories in Bordeaux, Limoges, Tulle) and at universities in Australia (Victory University Melbourne, School of Music at the National University Canberra). He is a member of juries at various guitar competitions in Slovakia (Bratislava, Bojnice, Dolný Kubín, Giraltovce, Nitra) and abroad (Krynica, Sanok, Poland; Zruč nad Sázavou, Czech Republic).