Violin
Viktor Petek was born in 1970 in Maribor (Slovenia) and got his first music lessons at the Music School and later at the Music High School in Maribor. After graduating in 1988, he moved to the University of Music in Graz to Prof. Christos Polyzoides, where he completed his studies with a concert diploma with honors in February 1994. In the same year he also finished his Magister artium degree and was awarded the honorary prize of the Federal Ministry for Science and Research for his master’s thesis. During his studies he also attended several masterclasses for violin and chamber music with many renowned teachers, including Igor Ozim and Valery Klimov.
During his studies he won several prizes at national and international competitions including three times the first prize in Yugoslavian youth competitions and in 1988 the first prize in the interregional youth competition Alpe Adria in Gradisca d, Isonzo.
Already during his studies he began to play extensively in different orchestras. For three years he was Concertmaster of the Maribor Conservsatory String Orchestra, later of the Graz University Orchestra and from 1990 to 1993 member and at the end of this period 2nd Concertmaster of the Graz Symphonic Orchestra. Since 1993 he is a member of the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra in the group of the 1st Violins, in the years 2003 to 2007 he was also entrusted with the tasks of the second and coordinating first concertmaster. In the years of its existence between 2000 and 2005, he was also concertmaster of the »Amadeus« chamber orchestra in Maribor, Slovenia. He is a member of the Original Strauss Capelle Wien, the Graz Chamber Orchestra and the Graz Chamber Philharmonic.
At the same time, Viktor Petek also worked as a violin teacher. From 1994 to 2004 he was a lecturer at the Music University of Graz and taught at the Conservatory in Maribor from 1999 to 2003. Since 2009 he is a lecturer, concertmaster and soloist at the International Music Festival in Gmunden. From 2012 to 2016, he worked at the Upol Symphony Youth Orchestra in Bovec, Slovenia, as a lecturer and concertmaster.
He is also active as a soloist and chamber musician in various ensembles in Austria and abroad (including as a soloist at the Vienna Festwochen Festival, with the Grazer Symphonic Orchestra, the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra Maribor and several times as part of the Opera House Graz).
From 1995 to 2003 he was also a member of the Alea Quartet, with which he released two CD recordings.