Mateja Tomac Calligaris

Vice President Slovenia

Mateja Tomac Calligaris was interested in pedagogy from an early age, although she originally studied medicine. Attending one of the Willems® Music Teachers seminars led her to turn to music pedagogy. In 1994, she obtained the Willems® Pedagogical Diploma in Italy, and a year later, in Ljubljana, she began working with her first pupils. She graduated from the Faculty of Education in Trieste in 2002.

That same year, she founded the Edgar Willems® Music Center (GCEW), which has become an important part of the Slovenian education system recognized by the Ministry of Education. Since its creation, Mateja has directed the GCEW and collaborated with numerous Slovenian and foreign pedagogues and artists.

She is also an active member of the Slovenian Society of Willems® Music Pedagogy and vice-president of the Willems® International Federation.

In July 2018, in Lyon, she was the first Slovenian to receive the Willems® Professional Didactic Diploma. She conducts seminars in the field of music pedagogy in Slovenia and participates in training activities elsewhere in Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland).