About
Manca Dornik (b. 1995) is a Slovenian accordionist, who just recently graduated in class of Finnish accordion pioneer prof.Matti Rantanen at the Sibelius Academy – aside from accordion, she also studied extensively orchestral conducting, music technology, live electronics performance and composition. Her future studies are currently at FHNW in Basel for performance of contemporary music and as well at Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen programme advanced post-graduated studies, prestigue soloist degree class (with Geir Draugsvoll).
Prior to academic world education, she studied at the Conservatory for Music and Ballet
Ljubljana. She has performed in Slovenia, Denmark,
Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Sweden and as well participated at
many international competitions where she won several first and second places and prizes.
At the ONE® Young Artist Competition she performed a Slovenian piece Colour Reflexions
(2000), composed by Vitja Avsec, with En Shao and RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra,
winning the first prize. She has already played as soloist with many orchestras, including
Jeaner Philharmonie, RTV Slovenia Symphony orchestra, Filharmonia Śląska im. Henryka
Mikołaja Góreckiego, Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina, Symphony orchestra of Conservatory for
Music and Ballet Ljubljana. She has collaborated with many conductors: Marc Tardue,
Slaven Kulenovič, Yi-Chen Lin, En Shao, Robert Kabara, Lukaš Pohunek. Aside from being
soloist, Manca has also activity in conducting to ensembles and orchestras – in year 2022
she conducted two concerts, dedicated to composer Beat Furrer to zone experimentale
ensemble from Basel in Freiburg and in Basel.
In 2015 she received the highest prize for Slovenian students called Prešeren award for all
her musical activities. She is an active performer as a soloist and as a chamber musician and
has given many performances and recordings at important festivals for music such as ECLAT
Festival Stuttgart, Imago Sloveniae, Jeunesses Musicales Slovenia, Jeunesses Musicales
Ljubljana, Linea concerts in Strasbourg, Sibelius Academy concert series, Darmstadter
Ferienkurse, Donaueschingen Musiktage, Gothenborg GAS Festival etc. She collaborated
with several well-renowed composers and musicians, such as Annette Schlünz, Uroš Rojko,
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and many others.
Throughout entire time, her dedication is focudes towards intensive collaborations with
composers and has recorded and premiered several new music works. Her presentation of
accordion has been inspiration to many composers world-wide and reflect into many
premieres of new works (so far around 80 works). In addition, she also participated as
performer in Korvat auki concerts.
Manca is also a performer of Nyky ensemble of Sibelius Academy, ensemble UMUU, duo
km2 (with Kalle Hakosalo) and VuoDuo (with Valerie Lassfolk). She is also a scholarship
holder of the Ministry of Culture Slovenia. In year 2018 she was awarded Kranichstein
Stipendiumpreis in Darmstadt and invitation for ensemble in residency in Strasbourg (FR)
and in New York City (USA). Since 2020 she has been accepted to perform and become
member of International Contemporary Ensemble from New York City for Ensemble
Evolution.
Recently, she has been selected to join Suomen Solistiyhdistys for her contribution for
Finnish music during last years. In year 2021, Manca recorded two CD albums (released by
Orpheus Classical Label), perform at Nordic Music Days in Faroe Islands and Darmstadter
Ferienkurse Festival, KLANG concert series and at Musica Nova Helsinki, performed at debut
recital of composer Esben Nordborg Moller in Royal Academy of Music Copenhagen, work actively with composers and will continue to be
member of many other upcoming projects.
Aside from academic world and career of musician, Manca is devoted private music teacher with experiences of teaching for over 10 years in different countries and languages, ranging from beginners to professional students:
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Teaching of dozens students with various levels of playing and as well various age group (from children, many teenagers, ranging to oldest student who was 35 years old) in following languages: Slovenian, lot in English, in Finnish and in German.
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Some of students continued their education at music institutes and many are continuing to play for hobby, whereas one particular has despite having dyslexia improved her condition lots in all fields of learning (high school) when being part of my class.
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Vast experiences in private music students and applying own philosophy of teaching as teaching principles for every lesson.
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Over years of teaching I have as well written lots of arrangements for solo accordion, which were arranged especially for particular student’s level at that moment. All arrangements were choice and wishes of students, what I believe it is crucial in repertoire choice with any level of student -> to allow him/her his?hers wish to be played.
- Master of Music (specialization: performance of contemporary art music) from Music Academy Basel (Switzerland), class of 2023
- Master of Music (accordion classical performance) from Sibelius Academy (Finland) - artistic and pedagogical degrees with minors in orchestral conducting, music technology and composition, class of 2021
- Bachelor of Music (accordion classical performance) from Sibelius Academy (Finland), class of 2018
Being aware that every human is an unique, I believe that adaptation of teacher (however always having own strong core of teaching principle) is a significant trait in modern educator. My own job is as educator simple, yet multi-layered. Inspiring, excited to bring music and musical growth inside each student, help them on their path, never to stop learning from self-reflection process are just some of the principles I stand by as educator.
Being part of Finnish education system brought me on my learning path lots of joy and positivity within school, never having feeling that something is unreachable or complicated - what exactly I want to feel for all my students. I don't believe in old-school authority approach of teachers towards students and would like to eliminate this as much as possible. I want my class to feel rather a safe learning environment, full with positivity, help and almost alike “friendship” respect way. Within self-reflections of all my teachers up-to-date, I found myself as an educator, who will always be for their students a “shoulder”, with lots of communication (which is after all key to success), always ready to share own devotion towards music and educating,. I am always striving as teacher to be creative, inspire and allow to be inspired by others (including own students) in music, focus on future of pedagogy with embedding interesting topics and discussions with process of pedagogy and curriculums and at the end to stimulate students to love music and pedagogy. Teacher with empathy, leadership, patience and passion.