Dedication and an exceptional love for music, an inexhaustible desire to explore and create, and a serenity of spirit and mind, are just some of the characteristics that distinguish the musician Pija Hočevar.

Her rich cultural path began in her childhood, with active involvement in the family ensemble, folklore society and singing in various ensembles. Lower music education included learning various instruments (recorder, piano, piano accordion, singing), and in the end the flute prevailed (Ernest Jazbec, Vanja Ivanković).

She graduated from the Novo mesto High school of Economics, enrolled at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana (Matej Zupan) and graduated with distinction in 2012. In the meantime, she further improved her skills at the Hoogeschool Utrecht (Aldo Baerten) through the Erasmus program. She attends seminars under the mentorship of excellent flutists – Beynon, Bernold, Schemiser, Graf, Auer, Baudiment, Schütz, Oliva, .. and seminars in the field of various musical methods.

During her studies, she received numerous awards for solo or chamber performances in Slovenia and abroad, and as a soloist, she collaborated with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and the RTV Symphony Orchestra, where she also participates as a substitute. She has been a member of the European Wind Orchestra EUYWO and the Joint Student Orchestra BMT (Brussels-Maastricht-Tilburg), the Orchestral Academies de Orkest in Belgium and OAO Ossiach in Austria, the Chamber Orchestra Academia Ars Musicae, as well as the wind quintet Noobsayswhat and the International trio Mirus.

In 2015, she received her master’s degree from the Academy of Music in Maastricht, the Netherlands (Philippe Benoit, Rik Bastiens) and received the ZUYD University Award for her research. In 2016/17 she completed the initial study of Willems Music Pedagogy at the Federation International Willems, and in 2019/20 she studied Waldorf Pedagogy at the Institute for the Development of Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens.

She has been exceptionally successful in passing on her knowledge to the younger generations in Slovenia and Switzerland, where her students have achieved top places in numerous competitions, and they continue to maintain and spread their love for music in various ensembles.

Pija continues her career in the United States of America.