Known for his rich and vibrant tone, violinist and violist Ervin Luka Sešek brings
passion, energy and a great sense of communication to his audiences. Originally
from Belgrade, Serbia, and raised in Slovenia, Sešek has won 19 prizes and
awards in international competitions and performances throughout Europe.
Sešek has soloed with several orchestras in Europe including the Slovenian
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Saint George String Orchestra in Serbia. Among
other notable performances as a soloist, he performed Aleksandar Sedlar’s
"Serbian Fantasy" to much critical acclaim in Kolarac Hall, the most significant
performance venue in Serbia. In 2019 Sešek had his solo debut in the US,
performing alongside Julia Tai and the Philharmonia Northwest in Seattle,
Washington. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Opus 7 Vocal ensemble.
In 2022, Sešek returned to Seattle to perform with Seattle Metropolitan Chamber
Orchestra under the baton of Geoffrey Larson.
A sought after chamber musician, Sešek has collaborated with former members
of Tokyo and Ehnes string quartets (Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith and Robert
deMaine). He has also played in concert alongside world renowned artists such as
Gary Hoffman, Paul Coletti, Jessie Montgomery, Grace Park, Paul Wiancko, Yury
Revich, Konstantin and Eugene Lifschitz, Edin Karamazov and others. He has
appeared at the Colburn Chamber Music Society and South Bay Chamber Music
Society (Los Angeles), Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, Russian Chamber
Music Foundation of Seattle and Vashon Center for the Arts (State of
Washington), St. Andrews’s Bach Society (Tucson, Arizona) and Summit Music
Festival (New York). Additionally, he has both taught and performed at the
Burgos International Music Festival (Spain) and Sewanee Summer Music Festival
(Tennessee, USA).
In his orchestral career, Sešek has appeared as Concertmaster with Jewish
Chamber Orchestra (Belgrade, Serbia), Bellevue City Opera and Ballet (Bellevue,
WA), Seattle Modern Orchestra, Luminosity Orchestra (Tacoma, WA), Sewanee
Festival Orchestra. He also lead the orchestra in the “Sedlar and Friends” project.
He has appeared as an Assistant Concertmaster with the Pasadena Symphony
Orchestra in Los Angeles. Additionally, he has performed with orchestras
including the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Northwest Ballet,
Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Mercury Chamber Orchestra,
Houston Ballet Orchestra, Aperio. He has worked with
conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Stéphane Denève, Thomas Dausgaard,
Cristian Macelaru, Ludovic Morlot, Vladimir Jurowski, Raphael Jiménez, to
name a few.
He has collaborated with many living composers, and several have dedicated
works to him. In 2010 Dragana Jovanović wrote “Luka Balkantino” as an homage
to him, in 2016 Victor Frost wrote “Six Cameos”, of which the first one,
“Capriccio”, is dedicated to him.
In 2022, Anastazija Juvan dedicated her Mazurka Capricciosa to him.
Sešek is unlikely to pursue a glamorous Hollywood career, however his playing
can be heard in a documentary “The Cellist: The Legacy of Gregor Piatigorsky” as
well as in the Serbian film “Zona Zamfirova 2”. Outside of the strictly classical
realms, he has shared a stage with international superstars such as 2cellos, rock
band Eagles, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience. He has appeared in
numerous recordings for movies, video games, cartoons. One of many fun
examples is the Netflix movie “True Memoirs of an International Assassin”.
Sešek is a co-founder and instructor at the Seshek Violin and Viola Academy with
his wife, Amber Archibald-Sešek. Originally formed in Seattle Washington, the studio
has recently relocated to Sugar Land, just outside Houston Texas. The Sešeks are
committed to providing expert instruction where technical precision
meets expressive artistry.
In May 2014, tragedy struck Ervin Luka’s home nation of Serbia. Floods
devastated much of the country. As a call to action, Sešek organized a volunteer
effort, asking fellow musicians to join him and play together in the streets of
Belgrade. Within hours, dozens of musicians from all over the country joined the
project allowing him to create an ad hoc orchestra to play in the Republic Square,
Belgrade. In one week, they raised over 10,000 euros and helped several families
by providing clean water, food, clothing and the restoration of their homes.
Continuing his humanitarian efforts, in March of 2015, Sešek played a benefit
recital with pianist, Lili Zeng, for the MMS Foundation of Montreal.
Ervin Luka Sešek began his violin studies with his mother, Anastazija Juvan, and
then continued for many years with his father, Armin Sešek. Before moving to
America, he studied at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana (Slovenia),
School for Musically Gifted Children Ćuprija (Serbia) and Faculty of Music in
Belgrade (Serbia). He holds a Professional Studies Certificate from the
prestigious Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles where he studied with Martin
Beaver. Constantly honing his craft, he has performed for several internationally
prominent pedagogues including Aaron Rosand, Stefan Milenkovic, Arnold
Steinhardt, Igor Ozim, Pavel Vernikov, Ken Aiso, Eugene Sarbu, Scott St. John,
and others.
Sešek currently plays on bows made by Vladimir Radosavljević and on a Jason Starkie Violin.
When away from performing or teaching, he spends most of the time training and playing with
his standard poodle, Felix Poodlessohn.