Born 1954 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He studied composition (with Uroš Krek) and clarinet in Ljubljana, 1983-86 composition with Klaus Huber in Freiburg, 1986-89 with György Ligeti in Hamburg.
He has won many international prizes, including the "Alpe - Adria" composition prize in 1983 in Linz (Austria), the City of Stuttgart's 1984 sponsorship prize, 1st prize at the "Alban Berg" composition competition in 1985 in Vienna, 1st prize at the "Premio Europa" composition competition in 1985 in Rome, "Gaudeamus Prize" 1986 in Amsterdam, composition prize "Musikprotokolls" 1987 in Graz, "Prešeren - Stiftung Kulturpreis" Slovenia 1988, 1st prize at the "Vienna International Composition Prize 1991", 1st prize at the choir competition of the German Music Council 2001; "Župančič" Art Prize of the City of Ljubljana 2012; Kozina Prize of the Slovenian Composers Union (2018)
He received a DAAD scholarship 1985 - 87, a working scholarship from the "Heinrich-Strobel-Foundation" of the SWR 1990, 2000, 2004, 2013, 2017) and a scholarship from the Künstlerhof Schreyahn 1993 / 94;
Commissioned compositions include: Donaueschinger Musiktage 1988, Musikprotokoll Graz 1990, Akyoshidai Music Festival (Japan) 1996, 1997; Berliner Bienalle 1997, Radio France-Paris 1999 (commissioned by Ensemble Percussions de Strasbourg), Bavarian State Opera Munich (for chamber concert series 2003); Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra 1993, 2004, 2007, 2014; Slovenian Philharmonic 1999, 2004, 2013, 2018, 2020; Freiburg Theater 2005; Warsaw Autumn 2007 (on the occasion of the festival's 50th anniversary) and 2013; Music for Puppet Theater (Puppenteather Ljubljana) 2007/08; “Saiten-Klang” Salzburg 2008 (ensemble OENM); Festival THE SERIES, Mike Svoboda, Stefan Hussong (2009); Chamber opera “DAVID, ZITHER und SCHWERT” (2009), libretto by Marc Günther, a co-production by Anton Webern Chor Freiburg, Ensemble Aventure Freiburg, Festival Mehrklang Freiburg and Marienbadtheater Freiburg (12 reprises in Freiburg, also performed at Weingartener Musiktage 2009 and at Festival Ljubljana 2011); S. O. S. ODYSSEUS for orchestra, 2 actors and children's choirs (composers: Iris ter Schiphorst & Uros Rojko), libretto by Helga Utz, Cologne Philharmonic, Gürzenich Orchestra, composition commissioned by KölnMusik (2013); Experimental Studio of the SWR Freiburg (1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2014, 2016); Ensemble Modern and Lower Saxony Foundation 2015, German-Slovenian encounter, Frankfurt a. M., Old Opera, Mozart Hall, Ljubljana, Cankarjev dom, Ensemble Modern, cond. Johannes Kalitzke; Festival "Five plus Five" (5 contrabass clarinets and 5 voices - with vocal soloists Stuttgart) Berlin 2015; BKA Theater Berlin, »Unheard Music« (2015); Commissioned by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britten (NYO) and BBS London: Iris ter Schiphorst in collaboration with Uros Rojko: GRAVITATIONAL WAVES for 164-piece orchestra (performances: Aldeburgh - Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Birmingham - Symphony Hall, London - BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall 2016); Schwetzinger Mozartfest 2017; Festival Slowind (2017); Stuttgart, Fetival ECLAT 2018, JEDER for double bass clarinet, large orchestra, video and samples (concept, composition, direction: Iris ter Schiphorst / Uroš Rojko, double bass clarinet: Theo Nabicht, SWR Symphonieorchester, conductor Manuel Nawri);
Performances worldwide, among others: Summer courses for new music Darmstadt 1984, 1986, 1988, 2004; Musica nel nostro tempo 1986 in Milan (Arditti Quartet); Days for New Music Stuttgart (1987); Zagreb Biennale 1987, 2001, 2023; Musique de chambre, IRCAM (Ensemble Intercontemporain) 1987, 1989; ISCM World Music Days (Honk Kong 1988, Oslo 1990, Stockholm 1994, Bucharest 1999, Ljubljana 2003, Basel 2004, Stuttgart 2006, Vilnius 2008, Zagreb 2011, Ljubljana 2015); "Music in the 20th Century" Saarbrücken 1994, 1995, 2008; "PALIMSEST" / audio programs 2001 (Vienna Konzerthaus); "Ars Nova" 2002 Rottenburg/N; “ICONS” of the 20th Century - Graz (2003); “ECLAT” Festival New Music - Music of the Centuries Stuttgart (2004); “Pablo Casals Festival” Prades (2004); “Klangspuhren-Schwaz” Innsbruck (2004, 2007, 2017); Festival “Klangwerk 2004” at the E-WERK in Freiburg; Freiburg concert series Ensemble Recherche 2004 (with the experimental studio of the Heinrich Strobel Foundation of the SWR); Academy of Arts Berlin (2005); "Music Today 21" Tokyo, Japan (2007); Mehrklang Freiburg (2008, 2009); Seville, Centro de Arte Contemporanea (2008); Konzerthaus Berlin, Ensemble UnitedBerlin (2008); ZKM Karlsruhe (2009); Weingarten Music Days 2009, portrait composer: Uroš Rojko; Seattle (USA), ICE BRACKER VI, New Music from the Mediterranean, Seattle Chamber Players (2012); Darmstadt, Academy for Music, Ensemble Phrominx (2013); Stuttgart, Realtime Festival (2013); Krakow, Festival aXes (2014); Ljubljana, Slowind Festival (2004, 2015); Trieste Prima, Museo Revoltella (2015, 2022); Graz Museum, Sound Field Ensemble (2015); SPOJ II, Teatro alla Scala Milano - Ridotto dei Palchi "Arturo Toscanini", Ensemble "Giorgio Bernasconi" dell'Accademia Teatro alla Scala, cond.: Tito Ceccherini (2016); Rome, Incontro in Casa Scelsi, Michele Marelli – semi-clarinet (2016); Spittal an der Drau, EXPAN workshop for new music, trio EXPAN, Luka Juhart (2016); Montreal, Les entrailles de la terre, Duo Airs (2016); Munich, Heavy Rider Dance Theater Music, DUO2KW (2017); Villach, PRIMA LA MUSICA Trio EXPAN (2017); Sarajevo, Festival SONEMUS (2017); Toronto, Canada, Arrayspace, Premieres VI Thin Edge New Music Collective (2017); Mantua Chamber Music Festival (2017); Graz, Multiple Rooms, Sound Field Ensemble (2017); Bern Music Festival (CH), Onibi, Kryptische Lichtgeister, Trio Saitenwind (2017); Innsbruck, SOUND TRACKS Schwaz Tyrol (2017, 2020); Salzburg, Festival EXPANsion (2018); George Mason University, Virginia, deLaski Performing Arts, Morgan Sutherland, Junior Percussion Recital (2018); Graz – Improcon (2018); Győr (Hungary), ECA 8TH EUROPEAN CLARINET FESTIVAL, Szilard Benes – half-clarinet (2018); Zurich (CH), Construct-Radiate, NeuverBand, Conductor: Mike Svoboda (2018); Berlin, Festival Pyramidale (2019); Frankfurt am Main, University of Music and Performing Arts International Ensemble Modern Academy (2019); Haifa (Israel), Haifa School of Arts, Ensemble Airborne Extended (2020); Helsinki, Sibelius Music Academy (2021, 2022); Gustav Mahler Private University, Klagenfurt (AT), Ensemble Airborne Extended (2021); Munich, Karl Amadeus Hartmann Society (2021); Graz, Festival IMPULS, Szilárd Benes: half clarinet (2021); Berlin, Unheard Music, BKA Theater (2021); Bratislava, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, piano: Ladislav Fančovič (2022); Kassel, Brandeis Festival, St. Martin's Church (2022); Thessaloniki Accordion Festival (2022); Trieste, Museo Revoltella (Trieste Prima 2022); Toronto, University of Music, UTNMF: Contemporary Music Ensemble, Concerto fluido, Matti Pulkki: Accordion, Wallace Halladay: Conductor (2023); Baku (Azerbaijan), "I Baku Modern Music Days", Szilard Benes – half-clarinet (2023)
Many performances of compositions for accordion with artists such as Stefan Hussong, Luka Juhart, Nejc Grm, Manca Dornik, Neža Torkar, Andraž Malgaj, and others and compositions for guitar with artists such as: Magnus Andersson, Jürgen Ruck, Klara Tomljanović, Baerbel Libera, Karmen Štendler, Primož Sukič and others...
From 1995 to 2023 (from October 2023 - retired) he held a composition professorship at the Music Academy in Ljubljana - Slovenia.
As a mentor and composer, he worked at music seminars and workshops: Percussion & Composition Workshop Trstenice (Czech Republic) 2007, 2009, 2010; Erasmus summer school for multimedia 2009 Castelfranco (Italy); Matrix on Tour 2012, Warsaw; aXses - New Music Festival, Krakow 2012, 2014; Echtzeit Werkstatfestival 2013 Stuttgart; 2014 Trossingen - workshop, new composition for 8 guitars (Scordato) for the ensemble Open Source Guitars; Leicht über Linz - Freie Sicht auf neue Klänge - Composition Festival and Workshops (Anton Bruckner Universität Linz) 2016; Matrix on Tour 2017, Ljubljana...
As a visiting professor he taught at ICEBREAKER VI – New Music from the Mediterranean – Seattle, the Graz University of Music and Performing Arts, the Berlin University of the Arts (UDK), the Trossingen University of Music, the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts, the Basel University of Music and the Anton Bruckner University Linz).
He lives between Ljubljana and Berlin, since 2000 also revived concert activities as a clarinetist, soloist or chamber music player with a focus on new music, most often in a duo with Slovenian accordionist Luka Juhart. Since 2015 member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
