Chamber Ensemble of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina

Ján FIGURA, flute, artistic leader
Jozef KOVÁČIK, oboe
Bibiána BIENIKOVÁ, clarinet
Ján MAZÁN, bassoon
Štefan LADOVSKÝ, French horn

THE SUCHOŇ QUINTET takes its name from one of Slovakia's most important twentieth century composers, Eugen Suchoň (1908 – 1993), the founder of Slovak National Modernism. It consists of the leading wind players of the Slovak Sinfonietta, but was formed even before the orchestra's existence, in the early 1960´s while the musicians were still students at Žilina's music conservatory. Two of its original members (the hornist and flutist) are still performing in the quintet. As the oldest chamber ensemble within the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina the wind quintet has performed many concerts throughout all of Slovakia, as well as abroad, has given concerts for children and young people, at gallery exhibitions, and has been heard throughout the world on radio recordings.
In 1996, the Suchoň Quintet performed in the Austria Center in Vienna for the International Congress of Unisys, at which such world firms as IBM and others took part. In October 1996, the Suchoň Quintet played Divertimento for Wind Quintet by Dr. Ľudovít Rajter, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, in the Fatra House of Art in Žilina. In April 1998, the group  performed at the 2nd Festival de Manaus in Brazil. In May 2004 the ensemble took part in the international 49th Košice Music Spring Festival, 2006 and 2007 the ensemble played at the concert tournee in French Picardie.
For most of its career the ensemble was known as the Wind Quintet of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina. However, in 1998 – which would have marked the composer´s 90th birthday – it was renamed the Suchoň Quintet, an honor bestowed by Marián Suchoň, the composer's son and director of the Suchoň Foundation. The year 2008 (100th anniversary) was also officially designated by the Slovak Ministry of Culture as the Eugen Suchoň Year. In that year the Suchoň Quintet performed Eugen Suchoň Works in many Slovak towns, in Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall in Bratislava, in Fatra House of Arts in Žilina, Slovak cultural institute in Budapest, Bekescaba, Maribor etc.
Since 2003 the ensemble has cooperated with famous young pianist, and laureate of Prague Spring 2004 and European Union Piano Competition Matej Arendárik, with whom Suchoň Quintet recorded CD for Music Master.

Ján FIGURA (b. 1954) comes from a family of musicians. He studied flute at the Conservatory of Music in Žilina in the class of his father, Ján Figura, Sr., and finished his  studies in 1975. As a student, his most eminent success was the title of laureate at the International Competition for Wind Instruments in Markneukirchen, Germany, in 1974.
He has been the first flutist and the chief of the wind section of the orchestra since the establishment of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina in 1974. He has performed as a soloist in many concerts in Slovakia, and also in Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, France, Austria, the U.S.A., Spain and Japan. He was also soloist at the Bratislava Music Festival (1978, 1981), the Central European Festival of Concert Arts in Žilina (1993), the Haydn - Tage (1996), and Wienerfestwochen (1993, 1994, 1998) in Vienna, the Festival de Bonaguil in France, 16. Musikalische Begegnungen Lenzburg in Switzerland (1999), and elsewhere. He also performed with Philharmonic Orchestra Suhl in Germany, the Naples Chamber Orchestra in Italy, the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra (CZ), the Symphony Orchestra Poděbrady (CZ), State Philharmonic Orchestra Košice, Capella Cracoviensis in Poland etc. As soloist he has worked with such prominent conductors as Oliver von Dohnanyi, Leoš Svárovský, Vladimír Válek, Tsugio Maeda, Stanislaw Galonski, Petr Vronský, Ľudovít Rajter, Eduard Fischer, Christian Pollack, Urs Schneider, Mika Eichenholz and Tomáš Koutník. He has also performed in joint recitals and double concertos with Ľuba Orgonášová, soprano; Sergej Kopčák, bass; Jiří Stivín, flute; Alzbieta Gajewska, flute; Jana Boušková, harp; Juraj Čižmarovič, violin; Flora Goméz, piano; Richard Vandra, cello and Nao Higano, soprano. He played chamber music with the ensembles Animae trio, from Switzerland, and In modo camerale from the Czech Republic.
He is the leader of the chamber ensembles Armonia slovacca, Suchoň Quintet and Baroque Quartet. He has performed with these ensembles in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Japan and Brasil. He has also taught at the Žilina Conservatory.

Jozef KOVÁČIK (b. 1957) studied at the Conservatory of Music in Žilina in the class of Milada Hrianková. During his studies, he won the first prize at the Competition of the Slovak Conservatories. He has been the principal oboist of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina since July 1980. He also regularly performs as a solo or chamber player at the subscription series of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina, various matinee performances for children and parents, and at other functions. He has made numerous recordings for the Slovak Radio. Among many highlights of his career with the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina stands out his interpretation of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, KV 297b, for 4 wind instruments and orchestra; and Bach's Suite No.1. He is a permanent member of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina - based wind ensembles Armonia Slovacca and the Suchoň Quintet. He has also taught at the Žilina Conservatory.

Bibiána BIENIKOVÁ (b. 1971) studied at the Conservatory of Music in Žilina in the class of  Pavol Bienik, and at the Academy of the Arts in Bratislava in the class of  Jozef Luptáčik. While studying, she won a number of awards at various competitions in Slovakia: among others the third prize (1990) and second prize (1992) at the Competition of the Slovak Conservatories. She twice participated at the International Masterclasses in Brno (CZ).
In 1993 she won the first prize at a competition organised by Yamaha. She has been the principal clarinetist of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina since 1994, where she also performs as a soloist. Some of her performances include concertos by Stamic, Crusel, Mozart, and Gašparík. In November 2000 at the Festival of New Slovak Music she premiered a work, „Vnútorné obrazy“ (Inner Pictures) by Róbert Gašparík with the Slovak Philharmonic conducted by Bystrík Režucha. She gave a consequent performance of this work in March 2001 with the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina. She works with the String Quartet of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina and together with the pianist Ivan Gajan she performed at a concert at the Mirbach Palace in Bratislava in 2001. She is a member of the Suchoň Quintet and Armonia slovacca with whom she has performed at many concerts in Slovakia and abroad. She is the winner of the prestigious "Zlatá nota Slovenskej sporiteľne 2003" (Slovenská Sporiteľňa Golden Note Award). Since 2003 he teaches at the Žilina Conservatory.

Ján MAZÁN (b. 1977) studied at the Conservatory of Music in Žilina in the class of Milan Oravec and at the Academy of the Arts in Bratislava in the class of  Ján Martanovič. His final concert at the Conservatory was the Concerto in F major by C. M. von Weber. At the Competition of the Slovak Conservatories, he won the third prize in 1994 and the second prize in 1996 (no first prize was awarded). He participated in the International Masterclass in Oberschützen, Austria and in 1995 he attended the Rotary Club Music Camp in Luzern, Switzerland.  He was a member of the Conservatory of Žilina Big Band and Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist he performed with the State Philharmonic Orchestra in Košice (SK) and Symphonic Orchestra of the Bratislava Academy of the Arts, playing pieces by Koželuh and Mozart respectively. In 2002 he became the first bassoonist of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina, where he is also a member of Armonia Slovacca and the Suchoň Quintet. With that orchestra, in 2003 he played the solo bassoon part in Haydn´s Symphony op. 84 (with Leoš Svárovský, conductor);  in 2005 Mozart´s Bassoon Concerto K. 191 (with Alexander Schwinck) and a world premiere, Ilja Zeljenka´s Concertino for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra (with Leoš Svárovský). He is the winner of prestigious „Zlatá nota Slovenskej sporiteľne 2004“ (Slovenská Sporiteľňa Golden Note Award). Since 2004 he teaches at the Žilina Conservatory.

Štefan LADOVSKÝ (b. 1948) is a founding member of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina, where he is also the principal French horn player and a soloist. He studied at the Conservatory of Music in Žilina in the class of  Ivan Gonščák and privately with Prof. František Šolc in Brno (CZ). He has been a member of the Žilina Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Faculty Wind Quintet of the Žilina Conservatory. He is a founding member of the Wind Quintet of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina. He is also a member of Armonia Slovacca. As a soloist with the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina he has performed works by W. A. Mozart, A. Rosseti,  G. Ph. Telemann and K. Roger. He has also performed with a distinguished Slovak horn player, Jozef  Illes, on a concert tour in Germany. In 1994 he performed with the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina at the International Festival Wienerfestwochen in Vienna under the leadership of the Japanese conductor, Tsugio Maeda.