Karmen Pečar was born in 1984 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She started studying violoncello at the age of five. In 2003, she obtained her certificate of secondary education at the Maribor Music and Ballet Secondary School; the same year she received her first degree at the Academy of Music at the University of Zagreb. In 2005, she also received a master's degree in the class of Professor Valter Dešpalj. She pursued further studies under the mentorship of Professor Reinhard Latzko at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
Karmen Pečar came to the attention of the Slovene music community as a thirteen-year-old girl when she made a debut with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Elgar's Cello Concerto. In 2001, Karmen Pečar won the prestigious International Music Execution Competition “Dr. Luis Sigall” in Chile (Viña del Mar). In 2002, at the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, she placed third, and in 2004, at the International Cello Competition “Antonio Janigro” in Zagreb, she placed second.
As a soloist, Karmen Pečar has already performed with numerous orchestras and ensembles. Among Slovene ones are The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, The RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Slovene National Theatre in Maribor. Outside Slovenia, she performed as a soloist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, the I Solisti di Zagreb ensemble, the Spirit of Europe orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, The Varaždin Chamber Orchestra and the Cellomania ensemble.
Karmen has worked with great conductors, such as Marek Janowski, Martin Sieghart, Marko Letonja, En Shao, Vjekoslav Šutej, Israel Yinon, Sian Edwards, Uroš Lajovic, Pavle Dešpalj, Alain Francis and David del Pino Klinge. She has played alongside many renowned artists, such as Boris Pergamenščikov, Misha Maisky, Giovanni Sollima, Gottlieb Wallisch, Mate Bekavac, Melina Mandozzi, Dmitri Ferstman, Božo Paradžik, Monika Leskovar, Latica Honda-Rosenberg, Rudolf Leopold and others.
Karmen Pečar has given concerts in Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, as well as Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia and Central America. As a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles she has performed at numerous festivals, and numerous venues in Slovenia and abroad, for example at the Ljubljana Festival (Slovenia), Cankarjev dom (Slovenia), Narodni dom Maribor (Slovenia), the Dubrovnik Festival (Croatia), Cellobienale Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Varaždin Evenings (Croatia), Zadar Music Evenings in S. Donat (Croatia), Bruneck Music Evenings (Italy), Piran/Pirano Music Evenings (Slovenia), etc.
In 2006, the publishing house ZKP RTV Slovenija released Karmen Pečar’s first CD with her performances of Dvořák and Shostakovich Violoncello, and Orchestra Concertos. In 2011, a CD of composer Nejc Kuhar was released (Guitar for chamber ensembles), in which Karmen also participated. In the same year, also a CD of composer Črt Voglar Sojar with his original music was published. Karmen has performed several of his works on that CD, including the Violoncello and Orchestra Concerto together with The RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In Maj 2013, a CD of the famous slovenian composer Lojze Lebič was released, in which Karmen performed his new violoncello concerto. In the same year Karmen recorded a CD together with Marko Hatlak (accordeon) with music written by Piazzolla, Faure, Bach, Sojar-Voglar and Monti. In April 2014 she recorded with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra the Matičič cello concerto. A new CD with the well known austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch was published in spring 2015 with Poulenc, Beethoven and Lipovšek.
In November 2011, Karmen Pečar performed Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra by A. Khachaturian with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra within the framework of the Orange Series Concerts of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra of Ljubljana. In March 2012, she performed the premiere of Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra by Lojze Lebič with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra within the Slovenian Music Days festival. In April 2014 she recorded the cello concerto written by Janez Matičič with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In May 2014 she performed the Elgar concerto with the same orchestra in Ljubljana in the frame of their Abonnement. In November 2014 she performed once more the Lebic concerto with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. In Februar 2015 she performed Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera Maribor under Johannes Wildner. In 2016 she performed the Janez Matičič cello concerto with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana, led the Cellofest ensemble at the opening concert of the new cello festival Cellofest Ljubljana 2016 and performed with the trio Eva Nina Kozmus - flute / Karmen Pečar - cello / Mojca Zlobko-Vajgl - harp (Ohrid festival, Brussels, Maribor).
Karmen Pečar was for several years appointed an assistant professor of Professor Valter Dešpalj at the Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb. At the moment, she works as a violoncello professor at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Ljubljana. For several years she gives master classes at the festival Bled/Slovenia and the Musical Summer at Podsreda Castle/Slovenia.
Karmen Pečar came to the attention of the Slovene music community as a thirteen-year-old girl when she made a debut with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Elgar's Cello Concerto. In 2001, Karmen Pečar won the prestigious International Music Execution Competition “Dr. Luis Sigall” in Chile (Viña del Mar). In 2002, at the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, she placed third, and in 2004, at the International Cello Competition “Antonio Janigro” in Zagreb, she placed second.
As a soloist, Karmen Pečar has already performed with numerous orchestras and ensembles. Among Slovene ones are The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, The RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Slovene National Theatre in Maribor. Outside Slovenia, she performed as a soloist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, the I Solisti di Zagreb ensemble, the Spirit of Europe orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, The Varaždin Chamber Orchestra and the Cellomania ensemble.
Karmen has worked with great conductors, such as Marek Janowski, Martin Sieghart, Marko Letonja, En Shao, Vjekoslav Šutej, Israel Yinon, Sian Edwards, Uroš Lajovic, Pavle Dešpalj, Alain Francis and David del Pino Klinge. She has played alongside many renowned artists, such as Boris Pergamenščikov, Misha Maisky, Giovanni Sollima, Gottlieb Wallisch, Mate Bekavac, Melina Mandozzi, Dmitri Ferstman, Božo Paradžik, Monika Leskovar, Latica Honda-Rosenberg, Rudolf Leopold and others.
Karmen Pečar has given concerts in Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, France, as well as Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia and Central America. As a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles she has performed at numerous festivals, and numerous venues in Slovenia and abroad, for example at the Ljubljana Festival (Slovenia), Cankarjev dom (Slovenia), Narodni dom Maribor (Slovenia), the Dubrovnik Festival (Croatia), Cellobienale Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Varaždin Evenings (Croatia), Zadar Music Evenings in S. Donat (Croatia), Bruneck Music Evenings (Italy), Piran/Pirano Music Evenings (Slovenia), etc.
In 2006, the publishing house ZKP RTV Slovenija released Karmen Pečar’s first CD with her performances of Dvořák and Shostakovich Violoncello, and Orchestra Concertos. In 2011, a CD of composer Nejc Kuhar was released (Guitar for chamber ensembles), in which Karmen also participated. In the same year, also a CD of composer Črt Voglar Sojar with his original music was published. Karmen has performed several of his works on that CD, including the Violoncello and Orchestra Concerto together with The RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In Maj 2013, a CD of the famous slovenian composer Lojze Lebič was released, in which Karmen performed his new violoncello concerto. In the same year Karmen recorded a CD together with Marko Hatlak (accordeon) with music written by Piazzolla, Faure, Bach, Sojar-Voglar and Monti. In April 2014 she recorded with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra the Matičič cello concerto. A new CD with the well known austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch was published in spring 2015 with Poulenc, Beethoven and Lipovšek.
In November 2011, Karmen Pečar performed Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra by A. Khachaturian with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra within the framework of the Orange Series Concerts of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra of Ljubljana. In March 2012, she performed the premiere of Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra by Lojze Lebič with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra within the Slovenian Music Days festival. In April 2014 she recorded the cello concerto written by Janez Matičič with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In May 2014 she performed the Elgar concerto with the same orchestra in Ljubljana in the frame of their Abonnement. In November 2014 she performed once more the Lebic concerto with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. In Februar 2015 she performed Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera Maribor under Johannes Wildner. In 2016 she performed the Janez Matičič cello concerto with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in Ljubljana, led the Cellofest ensemble at the opening concert of the new cello festival Cellofest Ljubljana 2016 and performed with the trio Eva Nina Kozmus - flute / Karmen Pečar - cello / Mojca Zlobko-Vajgl - harp (Ohrid festival, Brussels, Maribor).
Karmen Pečar was for several years appointed an assistant professor of Professor Valter Dešpalj at the Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb. At the moment, she works as a violoncello professor at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Ljubljana. For several years she gives master classes at the festival Bled/Slovenia and the Musical Summer at Podsreda Castle/Slovenia.