My Studio/Live Album “The Flight of the Bumble Bee” featuring my early recordings from 2002-2011 is OUT now!
Clarinetist Mihael Paar (Zagreb, 1980) is recognised as one of the most versatile
Croatian musicians of his generation – soloist, composer, arranger, producer and a
teacher, who has developed complex and distinctive artistic expression, becoming
one of the most prominent representatives of the Croatian clarinet school. He studied
with prof. Josip Tonžetić at the Music Academy in Zagreb and prof. Alois Brandhofer
at Mozarteum University Salzburg earning his MA cum laude in 2006.
Paar made his debut as a fifteen-year-old performing Weber’s Concertino with
Windstrings Orchestra and has since performed at important Croatian and
international concert halls and festivals, collaborating as a soloist with orchestras and
ensembles: Franjo Krežma Chamber Orchestra, HRT Tamburitza Orchestra, Samobor
Strings, Zagreb Quartet, Porin Quartet, Sebastian Quartet, Acies Quartet and others.
He has made notable appearances at international competitions winning 2nd prize
in Ohrid, 3rd prize in Barletta and 4th prize in Padua. He is a laureate of the Solti
Foundation, recipient of the City of Samobor Award, “Milka Trnina” Diploma and the
Award of the Croatian Composers’ Society at “Darko Lukić Tribune”. His debut album
Premiere has been critically acclaimed and won Croatian Discography Award Porin in
2018 for Best Classical Composition, also earning nomination for Best Classical Music
Performance.
While prolific as an arranger, his composition output consists mainly of works for solo
instruments. His Fantasia for Clarinet and Ballade for Piano have become part of the
standard repertoire and have also been published and recorded. They have received
excellent reviews and accolades both from Croatia and internationally. Mihael Paar
regularly holds masterclasses, being also engaged in creating propositions and
serving as a member of jury at international competitions.
Mihael Paar is the artistic director of Lug Festival and Camerata Cantilly, the only ensemble of its kind in Croatia.
