Maja Weber and Nežka Prosenjak

Foto: Marco Borgreve

Maja Weber, born in 1974 into a family of musicians, discovered her passion for chamber music at an early age. She studied in Winterthur and Cologne with renowned professors such as Frans Helmerson and the Alban Berg Quartet. With her first ensemble, the Amar Quartet, she won numerous prizes at international competitions, including in Geneva, Graz, and London. The Migros Culture Percentage Competition in Switzerland also served as a springboard for her full-time quartet concert career. In 2007, she founded the Stradivari Quartet, which toured extensively across the USA, China, Japan, and Korea, performing in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls. Nearly 30 CD productions document her artistic achievements. In addition to her artistic endeavors, Weber built a versatile cultural enterprise under the "Stradivari" brand. This includes a wide portfolio of festivals, cultural travel programs, and educational formats, all centered on communication, exchange, and community through music. Her approach of dedicating an entire season to a composer or exploring themes in depth during cultural journeys creates an intense musical experience that expands the traditional concert framework and makes music accessible in new contexts. www.stradivarifest.com

Foto: Samo Juvan

The Slovenian percussionist Nežka Prosenjak (*1995) lives in Switzerland and combines solo performances, chamber music, and orchestral work. She has won multiple awards at prestigious competitions (including PAS Italy, Malletlab, and Marimba Festiva) and has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Slovenian RTV Symphony Orchestra. During her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), she completed an internship with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and spent two years as the principal percussionist at the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor. She is a member of the Swiss Orchestra and performs internationally on a regular basis, including appearances at PASIC in Indianapolis, the Verbier Festival, and Zermatt Unplugged. As a marimba soloist, she focuses on new works and transcriptions, gives masterclasses and concerts, and is a Marimba One Premier Artist.