ALEX HREN

Alex Hren (b. 2002, Slovenia) is a composer currently pursuing a Master of Music in Instrumental Composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under the mentorship of Prof. Miroslav Srnka. He began his musical journey at the Music School Slovenske Konjice, continued his education at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Maribor, and in 2024 graduated from the Academy of Music, University of Ljubljana, where he studied under Prof. Vito Žuraj and Prof. Uroš Rojko. In 2024, he received the Academic Prešeren Award from the Academy of Music for his compositional opus. He is a scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

Hren is a prize winner of the international ACHT BRÜCKEN Composition Competition 2025. As part of the same festival, his first orchestral work, Switch On (2025), was premiered in May 2025 at the Cologne Philharmonie by the Orchestra of the HfMT Köln. His current opus features prominent commissions for 2026, including the work Arcing Seeds for the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the piece Cotton Candy for the renowned Ensemble Musikfabrik. The latter is commissioned by the Cologne Philharmonie (KölnMusik) within the framework of the ACHT BRÜCKEN Composition Competition 2025, with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

His works are regularly performed on prestigious international stages by leading ensembles and soloists, such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, ASMANGU, the Slovenian Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra, and harpist Marion Ravot. They have been presented at venues including the Cologne Philharmonie, Kunst-Station St. Peter in Cologne, Kazina Hall at SNG Maribor, and the National Gallery in Ljubljana.