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Klemen Smolej (SLO)
Klemen Smolej began learning guitar at the Jesenice Music School under the guidance of his father, Andrej Smolej, who is the leader of the ensemble Slovenski muzikantje. After completing primary music school in Jesenice, he continued his education at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana under Professor Tomaž Šegula. He then pursued classical guitar studies at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana before continuing his jazz guitar studies at the Conservatory for Jazz in Klagenfurt. Additionally, he completed the Berklee Music Online – Jazz Guitar Master Certificate.
After finishing his studies, he first taught at the Jesenice Music School and is currently teaching classical guitar at the Tržič Music School and jazz guitar at the Conservatory of Music in Ljubljana. As a performer, he regularly appears both as a soloist and as part of various musical ensembles (his own or as a collaborating musician) and orchestras. He performs not only in Slovenia but also across Europe, including Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, and Spain.
Klemen Smolej is also the artistic director and arranger of the Gala Dance Orchestra, with whom he released his first original project in 2017. Additionally, he leads or plays as a sideman in numerous backing bands for Slovenian vocalists and regularly performs as a soloist with the Big Band RTV Slovenija.
In 2013, he released his first solo project, Nice Twice. In 2014, he recorded his original project, Smells Like Blues, with a big band, featuring his own arrangements. The album is a tribute to tradition, consisting entirely of instrumental music infused with blues elements in every track. However, the compositions remain innovative and original, arranged in a contemporary style. The central themes of the album are lyricism and clear yet adventurous harmonic progressions.
In 2016, his composition A Piece of Peace was selected by an international jury and performed by the ECCO Big Band in Ljubljana. Throughout his musical career, he has gained valuable experience through collaborations with orchestras and arranging music. He continues to actively create original music, write lyrics, and arrange compositions for various musical ensembles.