Amael Trio: 25 Years of Musical Brilliance and International Acclaim
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The Amael Trio (Volodja Balžalorsky, violin – Damir Hamidullin, cello – Zoltan Peter, piano), a chamber ensemble from Ljubljana, Slovenia, has been awarded the Platinum Prize in the Professional category at the 2025 European Winter Music Competition, part of the 4th Quarter European Classical Music Awards (24 July – 24 October 2025). They have also been nominated as the Artist of the Month for August 2025 among all participants in the same quarter. Building on this remarkable achievement, the Amael Trio shared insights in a recent interview about the ensemble’s 25-year history, their artistic philosophy, and the preparation behind their award-winning performances, offering a closer look at what makes their collaboration so unique.
When and why did you form the chamber ensemble, and does playing music together have a special meaning for you?
Amael Trio:
"On November 24, 2025, we held a gala concert in Ljubljana to mark the 25th anniversary of our ensemble, the Amael Trio. The current line-up of the Amael Trio since April 2017 is: Zoltan Peter, piano – Volodja Balžalorsky, violin – Damir Hamidullin, cello. Prior to that, the trio's pianist was renowned Slovenian pianist Tatjana Ognjanović.
I would like to emphasize that all of us mentioned above had already performed internationally as soloists and chamber musicians in various chamber groups before the trio was formed.
And what brought all of us together as the Amael Trio: In the first line love of chamber music. The most beautiful fact “being a musician” is to play with others together. The formation of the Amael Trio was very spontaneous, simply out of a love for chamber music and, above all, the need to make music together, which means, above all complementing different individual musical ideas, as well as complementing individual musical feelings and understanding the musical message itself. In other words, it is a constant search for a common musical expression and a common musical sound."
Could you tell us more about the background of your award-winning performance of Bedřich Smetana's Trio Op. 15 in G minor? When and where did you record it, and what led you to choose this piece for your performance?
Amael Trio:
"The award-winning performance of Bedřich Smetana – Trio op. 15 in G minor was part of the Amael Trio's concert at the Spectrum Festival on July 1, 2024, in Ljubljana. The concert was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana's birth. So this is a video recording from the concert.
Smetana's Trio Op. 15 is certainly one of the most important compositio written for piano trio in the Romantic period. Before performing at the Spectrum Festival, the Amael Trio performed this piece as part of their Benelux tour in 2017, in March 2024 in Porto – a concert as part of the 52nd ESTA conference (European String Teachers Association) – was particularly well received."
Can you describe your approach as a chamber ensemble in preparing and interpreting the award-winning performance? How did you collaborate and coordinate as a team, and what artistic or technical aspects shaped the final result?
Amael Trio:
"We perform music from Mozart, Haydn and Bethoven on… to very modern — avantgarde compositions. We don’t perform our own works. Our mission is to create music as interprets. This means as good as possible to discover main idea of the composer who wrote the composition we perform, but at the same time to perform this composition with our own ideas, feelings and expressions. There is a lot of space for our own creativity.
We approach the study of each new composition by first analyzing the composer's score—that is, the musical notation, which we try to respect as much as possible in terms of accurate reading during the study and later performance. Before the first joint rehearsal, each of us first studies his own part, which is a period of mastering the text of all three instruments as accurately as possible, both technically and musically.
At the first joint rehearsal, as well as at all the others, of course, we begin to coordinate, adapt to each other, search for a common sound and phrasing, and establish a common dynamic. The rehearsals themselves are the most creative period, requiring maximum complementarity of musical ideas and feelings in the construction of a common interpretation of the piece.
Of course, the 'ultimate goal' is to perform in concert. Contact with the audience is very important—it provides powerful inspiration and can lead to special situations that allow some kind of improvisation and make each performance of the same piece unique.
This is what makes us, as performers, happiest and gives the greatest meaning to making music together. That’s why we prefer to publish live recordings."
Would you like to share your experience of participating in our competition and thank anyone?
Amael Trio:
"The award at your prestigious competition means a lot to us. We are also delighted to have the opportunity to participate in a competition category that has no age restrictions, while the award brings us greater visibility and, most importantly, confirmation and recognition of our international artistic activities. Therefore, we would like to take this opportunity to express our special thanks to all the members of the esteemed jury who rated us so highly. Thank you!!!"
Biography
AMAEL TRIO
Zoltan Peter, piano
Volodja Balžalorsky, violin
Damir Hamidullin,cello
The Amael Trio recently received five prestigious International awards for its video recording of a concert at the Spectrum 2024 festival including Bedřich Smetana:
Universal Stars Music Competition-Diamond Award, December 2024,
Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition Berlin-first prize (April 2025),
International Schubert Competition Vienna-first prize, (April 2025),
10th Swiss Competition-first prize, (May 2025),
Claude Debussy Competition Paris 2025- first prize, (July 2025),
LIT Music Awards 2025 – “Gold Winner – Best Chamber Music” (November 2025)
ECM Awards (European Classical Music Awards) – “Platinum Prize” (November 2025) BTHVN Wien – First Prize (December 2025)
The Amael Trio has been performing together since September 2000. Over twenty-five years of touring Europe and the USA, the trio has joined the ranks of the world’s most esteemed chamber ensembles. Their International acclaim is evidenced by their highly successful performances at major international festivals such as Forfest Kromeriž, Spectrum Festival Munich, Mask Fest in San Marino, Grieg in Bergen Festival, Nuovi Spazi Musicali Festival in Rome, Musicale delle Nazioni Festival in Rome, Tallinn Festival, Foyer European in Luxembourg, Tehran Festival, Ost-west Music Festival, Kammrmusik festival Wien Austria, and the 52nd ESTA Conference-Festival in Porto 2024, to name but a few.
They performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York and The Forge cultural center in London. The ensemble’s inclusion of contemporary Slovenian music significantly contributes to its international recognition.
Refined violinist Volodja Balžalorsky is widely reputed for his refined technique, rich tone, and exquisite musicality. He has proven his excellence 1me and again through numerous concerts and recordings for various radio and TV stations in Europe and the USA. The numerous international awards he has won include the Independent Music Award, Independent Vox Pop Music Award, Hollywood Music in Media Award 2009, Ontario Independent Music Award for Best International Artist 2007. He is also a recipient of the Betteto Award and Special Prize for Best Interpretation from the organizing music committee of the international competition in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Volodja was also nominated for the Los Angeles Music Award 2007 in the Classical category. As part of the international concert series “A Universal Affair”, he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York twice.
Damir Hamidullin, the principal cellist of the SNG Opera and Ballet in Ljubljana, refined his technique and expression under the guidance of world-renowned cellists such as Ms1slav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Alexander Vlasov, and Galina Kozolupova. During his studies in 1981, he won second prize at the All-Russian Cello Competition and a special prize for the best performance of Shostakovich’s sonata. In Moscow, at the Gnesin Academy of Music, he served as an assistant to the renowned cellist Fedor Luzanov during his master’s studies. He continued his teaching career at the Academy of Music in Kazan while serving as the principal cellist of the Kazan Philharmonic. As a soloist, he has performed all the well-known cello concertos (Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Haydn). He actively collaborates with contemporary composers from Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Italy, and the USA.
Zoltan Peter, pianist, has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist to leading musicians of various genera1ons in Slovenia, abroad, and all the major music centers of the former Yugoslavia. He has also toured in Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, the former Soviet Union, Germany, and Switzerland. He has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Igor Gjadrov, Simon Robinson, Berislav Skenderović, Hermann Ostendarp, Guido Mancuzzi, Paul Hoskins, George Pehlivanian, and En Shao. He regularly records for RTV Slovenia, RTV Belgrade, RTV Novi Sad, and HRT and has released eleven CDs of solo and chamber music. As a top chamber musician and accompanist with an extensive repertoire, he frequently participates in international masterclasses and competitions. Zoltan is also the author of the book “Accompanying – Punishment or Creativity?”, published by Didakta in 2015. He teaches piano as the main subject at the elementary, secondary, and university levels.
