Echoes in the Wind: Hana Srakar Honored for Original Composition “Last Autumn Leaf”
- WOMCO
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Hana Srakar received the Platinum Prize in the Original Composition Category of the 2025 Season 2 Schubert International Music Competition UK for the composition "Last Autumn Leaf."
Could you share the inspiration behind "Last Autumn Leaf" and the message you hope to convey through it? What was your creative process like while composing "Last Autumn Leaf"? How did you approach the structure and dynamics of the piece?
My inspiration behind my piece started as an idea for my school’s “Students' compositions” yearly concert - since then, the piece has seen many different versions, yet the final one made the most sense. The beginning starts off quite dynamic, with the time signatures changing rapidly, symbolizing a leaf’s dynamic journey in the wind, from its branch to the floor. The second part is calmer and quieter - the pianos even rhythm, symbolizing the calmness on the floor after the wind has died down and the saxophones gradually coming in one by one. After that, the wind once again begins to throw the leaf around until it finally stops. In a sense, the leaf’s journey symbolizes our life - though we experience some ups and downs, eventually the storm settles down.
How did you collaborate with the performing musicians during the music recording, and were there any memorable moments from the session?
I've known two of the four performing musicians since elementary school and the other two I met at the conservatory and, since then, we have been great friends. They were also part of my inspiration while composing Last Autumn Leaf, as I’d always wished to play with them. We always had a great time at our rehearsals, even though it was sometimes frustrating due to our lack of concentration, being at school for 12 hours a day. Nevertheless, I wouldn't change a thing.
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and thank anyone?
My application to your competition was honestly a last-minute decision, mostly because I didn't expect to win anything, much less such a high prize. I am grateful for my friends, who agreed to perform my piece, my music theory teacher, Črt Sojar Voglar, who made many concerts where we performed my piece possible, my piano teacher, Tadej Horvat, who has been supporting me in everything I have done since the very beginning, and most importantly my family, who believed in me and my work even when I didn't and who never stopped supporting me and my dreams.
Biography
I was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2006, though I lived in Zagreb, Croatia for four years due to my parents’ job, attending the American international school of Zagreb. I started playing the piano when I was six years old, when my parents discovered I had a gift. After learning piano with a private teacher for two years, we moved back to Slovenia, where I attended and finished 8 years of music school. During my schooling there, I won several solo and duo piano awards, as well as winning gold at my country’s national music competition Temsig in Solfeggio. In 2021, I was accepted to the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana, where I also won a gold prize in solfeggio at the IMMCC competition. I also accompanied our school's symphony orchestra, our school choir and many other students and friends. During my four years at the conservatory I composed several pieces, from solo to orchestral. After finishing my schooling at the conservatory, I wish to continue my education at MDW or MUK in Vienna, studying solo piano. I’m not positive yet about what I wish to do in the near future. However, I am quite comfortable in the position I am currently in.
