Today we’d like to introduce you to Ervin Luka & Amber Sešek.
Hi Ervin Luka & Amber, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Amber and Luka met at musical festival in Spain in 2013. At the time, Luka was living in Belgrade Serbia, and Amber was living in Seattle WA. In the Summer of 2014 Luka moved to L.A. for two years to complete his studies at the prestigious Colburn Conservatory. After completing the studies in 2016 he joined Amber in Seattle, where she held a position as the viola professor at the Seattle University. Almost immediately they opened the Seshek Violin and Viola Academy (formerly Sesek String Studio), combining their mutual passion for teaching. During COVID years, they moved to Texas to be closer to Amber’s family. The SVV Academy is located in Sugar Land, but they still have a number of students from Seattle, several adult students from across the United States, as well as young professionals nationally and internationally, preparing for Amber and Luka met at a music festival in Spain in 2013. At the time, Luka was living in Belgrade, Serbia, and Amber was based in Seattle, Washington. In the summer of 2014, Luka moved to Los Angeles to complete his studies at the prestigious Colburn Conservatory, where he remained for two years. After graduating in 2016, he joined Amber in Seattle, where she held a position as viola professor at Seattle University. Almost immediately, the two founded the Seshek Violin and Viola Academy (formerly Sesek String Studio), combining their shared passion for teaching.
During the COVID years, they relocated to Texas to be closer to Amber’s family. Today, SVV Academy is based in Sugar Land, though they continue to teach students from Seattle, adult learners from across the United States, and young professionals worldwide who are preparing for auditions and competitions.
Their journey to this point was straightforward in concept: they began with only a handful of students, but through their students’ excellent results and enthusiastic word-of-mouth from parents, the studio quickly grew. The same pattern repeated itself when they moved to Texas, at one point reaching over 60 students between them. They have since scaled back to maintain a more balanced number of students, given their rich and varied international performing careers. Still, teaching remains their central passion.
Their mission has always been to enrich the lives of their students and the broader musical community—and they remain committed to doing so for many years to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is no such thing as a great success without serious hardships, problems, obstacles… along the way. There are always difficulties, of course, but it doesn’t really matter what those are, but rather how does one see them, and subsequently, react to them. If one is an expert in their field, open-minded, good-hearted, and hard working, those apparent problems always open doors for growth, self-improvement, innovation, and deeper understanding of their own field. So yes, plenty of problems along the way, however none of that stopped us, and we always make it through stronger and better!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We have a vast and colorful group of students in our little musical family (all ages, different cultural backgrounds, spread internationally, online and in person…). We also have very active performing careers, playing as soloists, chamber musicians, and with different orchestras. Perhaps what sets us apart is the fact that usually musicians do well with either one or the other (perform or teach). It is fairly uncommon to be very active and successful on both career paths. It is quite challenging finding the time to do it all, and that is likely the reason for it being somewhat unusual and rare. What makes us most proud is not necessarily the top notch quality our students achieve during their studies with us. The thing that happens as a “byproduct”, if you will, is creating deep, meaningful, sincere relationships with our students and their families. This is way beyond work. These become life-long friendships, and there are no words to truly depict how special that is.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Luka- Riding a bicycle with parents along the river in Slovenia, as well as Holiday times when entire family gets together during Christmas break- overly warm house, small European living room, ungodly amounts of delicious food, listening to music or watching a movie… The latter remains a favorite thing, no matter how old I get!
Amber- Garage parties at the Grandmothers! She would open up the garage, music would be playing (merengue and salsa), lots of family members would bring food, the whole family would come together, hang out, and dance late into the night.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.svvacademy.com
- Instagram: @svvacademy_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/svvacademyofficial
- Youtube: @svvacademy_official
- Other: tiktok: @svvacademy_official
Image Credits
Simon Petek Photography (black & white photos from a concert we played last month in Slovenia)
