Jan Gričar

Jan Gričar (1992) is a Slovenian saxophonist and educator, teaching saxophone and chamber music at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet and serving as an assistant professor at the Academy of Music, University of Ljubljana.
He performs regularly across Slovenia, Europe, and Asia, appearing in prestigious venues such as Salle Cortot and Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), Radio France Musique, Izumi Hall (Japan), Harbin Grand Theatre (China), Essen Philharmonic, Vienna Musikverein, Slovak Philharmonic, and Cankarjev dom. He has been invited to numerous international festivals, including Jeunes Talents, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Young Classic Europe, Rising Stars, Nei Suoni dei Luoghi, and Lent Festival, and has also participated in the World Saxophone Congress (Ljubljana, Strasbourg, Zagreb, and Harbin).
As a soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Harbin Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Classical Orchestra of Andorra, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Cantus Ensemble.
Gričar has premiered over 20 works by Slovenian and international composers and regularly records for RTV Slovenia. He is a prizewinner of numerous national and international competitions, including TEMSIG, SAXGO, Marco Fiorindo, Andorra Sax Fest, and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Prešeren Award, the Škerjanc Award, and the University of Ljubljana Honorary Diploma, and was a long-time recipient of the Zois Scholarship.
He graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana under Matjaž Drevenšek and Miha Rogina. He continued his studies in France at the Regional Conservatory in Versailles with Vincent David and completed his master’s degree at the Paris Conservatoire in the class of Claude Delangle, where he also studied chamber music with László Hadady.
He regularly gives masterclasses across Europe and Asia and serves on juries of national and international competitions. Since 2021, he has been the co-artistic director of the International Saxophonists’ Meeting SAXGO in Nova Gorica. He is also an active member of the Saksofonija Music Society.