Nina Šenk continued her postgraduate studies in composition at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden under the mentorship of Lothar Voigtländer after completing her studies in composition and music theory at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana in the class of Pavel Mihelčič. In 2008, she completed her master’s studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich in the class of Matthias Pintscher. In 2017, she received the Prešeren Fund Award. Since 2019, she has been an assistant professor in the field of composition, and in the same year, she became the youngest (associate) member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU). In 2022, she also received the Austrian Johann Joseph Fux Award for her opera work “Canvas” based on the literary proposal of Simona Semenič, impressing the jury with her other works as well. In 2024, Nina Šenk was awarded the Erste Bank Composition Prize 2024, one of the most prestigious awards in contemporary music. According to the jury, the composer is distinguished by “a high level of virtuosity in dealing with form and musical architecture.”
Her compositions have been performed at major festivals at home and abroad (BBC Proms, New York Philharmonic Biennial, Salzburg Festival, Young Euro Classic Berlin, Kassel Music Days, Musica Viva München, Frankfurt Positions, Weimar Spring Days, Heidelberg Spring, Takefu Festival (Japan), Ljubljana Festival, Slowind Festival, Slovenian Music Days, World Music Days, World Saxophone Congress, etc.) and in concerts worldwide with various orchestras and ensembles (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Berlin German Symphony Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Maribor SNG Symphony Orchestra, Intercontemporain Ensemble, Modern Ensemble, Klangforum, Musikfabrik, Scharoun, Mosaik, Riot, Concorde, London Sinfonietta, Slowind Wind Quintet, etc.).