A black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit with a styled mustache and goatee, standing outdoors in front of large rocks.

Blaž Strmole (*1988) is a composer, arranger, and singer, as well as the founder and artistic director of the Ingenium Ensemble. His choral works have been performed by distinguished choirs and vocal ensembles across Europe and beyond.

As an arranger, Blaž Strmole explores a wide range of styles, from traditional folk songs to popular music. As a composer, his work is deeply rooted in the traditions of chant, counterpoint, and polyphony, enriched by the freshness and color of contemporary harmony. This unique blend of historical depth and modern expression gives his choral writing both clarity and emotional resonance.

Featured Music

VOICING:
SSAATTBB - a cappella
LYRICS:
Slovenian Folk Song
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2025
DURATION:
4:00

Lyrics:
Angelček varuh moj,
varuj me ti nocoj,
varuj me ti nocoj,
angelček moj.
Bog pa je stvarnik moj,
ustvaril me je na svet.
Bog pa mi daj še to
noč preživet.
Ti boš ob meni stal,
ti me boš varoval
jaz pa bom sanjala
tiho kraj te.
(Sveti angel varuh moj,
bodi vedno ti z menoj,
stoj mi noč in dan ob strani,
vsega hudega me brani,
prav prisrčno prosim te,
varuj me in vodi me.
Amen.)
Angelček varuh moj,
varuj me ti nocoj,
varuj me ti nocoj,
angelček moj.
English translation:
My little guardian angel,
watch over me tonight,
watch over me tonight,
my little angel.
For God is my creator,
He brought me into this world,
and God, please grant me too,
to live through this night.
You will stand beside me,
you will keep me safe,
while I will dream
quietly next to you.
(Holy Guardian Angel mine,
be with me at all times.
Stand beside me night and day,
keep all evil far away.
From my heart I pray to thee,
guide me, guard me, stay with me.
Amen.)
My little guardian angel,
watch over me tonight,
watch over me tonight,
my little angel.
Angelček varuh moj is a Slovenian folk song traditionally sung as a farewell song after social gatherings, most often performed in simple folk harmonies, with singers standing together in a circle. I arranged it for the special collaboration between Ingenium and VOCES8, experiencing one of the most emotional moments in my career.
In Slovenian folk singing tradition, one voice begins, a second joins in parallel thirds or sixths, and a third adds support with a simple bass line. This layering is reflected in both the opening and closing sections of this arrangement.
The second verse is sung by a male quartet, paying tribute to Slovenia’s rich tradition of male close-harmony singing. The third verse is entrusted to a soprano solo, continuing with alto in a duet, while the well-known bedtime prayer Sveti angel varuh moj (Angel of God) is gently recited in harmony by the lower voices. The final verse returns to the opening motif, expanded on a larger scale to bring the piece to its musical climax, before a simple reprise of the introduction provides a peaceful, contemplative conclusion.

VOICING:
SSAATTBB - a cappella
LYRICS:
Traditional Roman Catholic Prayer
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2025
DURATION:
4:15

Lyrics:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this night be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.

Angel of God is a traditional prayer for the intercession of the guardian angel, often taught to young children as the first prayer learned. It serves as a reminder of God's love, and by enjoining the guardian angel to support the child in a loving way, the prayer echoes God's abiding love. Scholars suggest this prayer’s origin lies in 12th-century England, specifically in a poem by Reginald of Canterbury.
This composition consists of several movements, each differing in the number of voices as well as in musical style. Each movement may also be performed independently, and the composer has provided optional voice parts to allow for greater flexibility in performance.
After a unison introductory chant, a composer’s own invention, the piece continues with four-part polyphony for low equal voices over a cantus firmus. The cantus firmus then appears in the upper voice of a five-part setting, stylistically paying tribute to Thomas Tallis. Next comes a duet in thirds, creating a meditative atmosphere, which grows into a trio with chromatic movement. This is paired with a responsory in the lower voices, gradually building tension toward a tutti fortissimo section, where the chant is richly and sharply harmonized, with a soaring soprano line contrasted by an exposed responsorial duet in the lowest voices. The piece concludes with an Amen, developed polyphonically from the motif of the final two bars.

Get the sheet music

VOICING:
SATB div. - a cappella
LYRICS:
John 6:51
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2009
DURATION:
2:20

Lyrics:
Ego sum panis vivus, qui de cælo descendi.
Si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, vivet in æternum.

English translation:
I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.

Ego sum panis vivus marked my first significant breakthrough as a composer and remains a cornerstone in my early creative development. The work was premiered on 13 November 2009 by the Chamber Choir of the St. Stanislaus Institution under the direction of Damijan Močnik, in the same concert that also introduced the vocal group later known as the Ingenium Ensemble.
My earliest works were strongly shaped by the Renaissance tradition, particularly the influence of Jacobus Handl – Gallus. Under the guidance of Prof. Damijan Močnik, one of Slovenia’s leading choral composers and conductors, I received my first formal lessons in composition. Ego sum panis vivus emerged as an experimental project, blending the clarity of Renaissance polyphony with the richness of modern harmony. This distinctive synthesis resonated widely, earning admiration and performances by choirs both in Slovenia and abroad.

VOICING:
SSATTB - a cappella

LYRICS:
German traditional Christmas carol
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2018
DURATION:
3:00
Lyrics:
In dulci jubilo,
Nun singet und seid froh!
Unsers Herzens Wonne
Leit in praesepio,
Und leuchtet als die Sonne
Matris in gremio,
Alpha es et O, Alpha es et O!
O Jesu parvule
Nach dir ist mir so weh!
Tröst mir mein Gemüte
O puer optime
Durch alle deine Güte
O princeps gloriae.
Trahe me post te, Trahe me post te!

Ubi sunt gaudia
Nirgend mehr denn da!
Da die Engel singen
Nova cantica,
Und die Schellen klingen
In regis curia.
Eia, wären wir da, Eia, wären wir da!

English translation:
[In quiet joy]
Now sing with hearts aglow!
Our delight and pleasure
lies [in a manger]
Like sunshine is our treasure
[in the mother's lap]
[Thou art Alpha and Omega]

[O tiny Jesus]
For thee I long alway;
Comfort my heart's blindness,
[O best of boys]
With all Thy loving kindness,
[O Prince of glory]
[draw me unto thee]

[where are joys]
In any place but there?
There are angels singing
[new songs]
And there the bells are ringing
[in the king's court]
O that we were there!

VOICING:
SSATTB - a cappella

LYRICS:
French Christmas carol
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2018
DURATION:
2:20
Lyrics:
Quelle est cette odeur agréable,
Bergers, qui ravit tous nos sens
S’exhale-t-il rien de semblable
Au milieu des fleurs du printemps
Quelle est cette odeur agréable
Bergers, qui ravit tous nos sens?
Mais quelle éclatante lumière
Dans la nuit vient frapper nos yeux
L’astre de jour, dans sa carrière,
Fut-il jamais si radieux!
Mais quelle éclatante lumière
Dans la nuit vient frapper nos yeux.
A Bethléem, dans une crèche
Il vient de vous naitre un Sauveur
Allons, que rien ne vous empêche
D’adorer votre rédempteur
A Bethléem, dans une crèche,
Il vient de vous naître un Sauveur.
Dieu tout puissant, gloire éternelle
Vous soit rendue jusqu’aux cieux.
Que la paix soit universelle
Que la grâce a bonde en tous lieux.
Dieu tout puissant, gloire éternelle
Vous soit rendue jusqu’aux cieux.
English translation:
What is this perfume so appealing,
shepherds, that fills the winter air?
Lovelier fragrance ne'er came stealing
from fields of springtime blossoms fair!

What is that light so brilliant breaking
here in the night across our eyes?
Never so bright the day-star waking
started to climb the morning skies.

Bethlehem, there in manger lying,
find your Redeemer, haste away!
Run ye with eager footsteps hieing,
worship the Saviour born today.

God almighty, eternal glory
be rendered to you in the heavens.
That peace be universal,
that grace abound everywhere.

VOICING:
SSATTB - a cappella

LYRICS:
French medieval tune
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2012
DURATION:
2:20
Lyrics:
L'homme armé doibt on doubter.
On a fait partout crier
Que chascun se viegne armer
D'un haubregon de fer.
L'homme armé doibt on doubter.
English translation:
The armed man should be feared.
Everywhere it has been proclaimed
That each man shall arm himself
With a coat of iron mail.
The armed man should be feared.
L’homme armé is a setting of the famous French medieval tune that frequently appeared as a cantus firmus in the parody masses of Renaissance polyphony. My arrangement is written in the spirit of that era, evoking the character of medieval instruments and capturing the exalted, martial quality of the melody. It pays tribute to a centuries-old tradition while offering a fresh, contemporary perspective on one of the most enduring themes of European musical history.

VOICING:
SATB - a cappella

LYRICS:
Slovenian Folk Song
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2014
DURATION:
2:20
Lyrics:
Oljsko goro tiha noč pokriva,
potok Cedron žalostno šumlja,
bleda luna za oblak se skriva,
zvezdica nobena ne miglja.
O, zakaj žaluje Oljska gora?
O, zakaj vsa zemlja drgeta?
O, ne vprašaj, le solze pretakaj
z Jezusom, ki pot krvav poti.
O, ne, Jezus, mi ne zapustimo
te nikoli, oj, nikoli več.
Srčno vdani k tebi, glej, hitimo,
k tebi, Jezus, v blaženo nebo.
Translation:

The Mount of Olives is veiled by silent night,
the brook of Cedron mournfully murmurs,
a pale moon hides behind the cloud,
not a single little star is stirred.
Oh, why does the Olive Mountain grieve?
Oh, why does all the earth now tremble?
Oh, do not ask — let tears be flowing
with Jesus, who walks the path of blood.
Oh no, Jesus, we will not abandon
You ever, no, never again.
Faithfully devoted, see, we hasten
to You, O Jesus, to blessed heaven.

VOICING:
SATTBB - a cappella

LYRICS:
Slovenian folk song from Prekmurje
YEAR OF COMPOSITION:
2020
DURATION:
3:40

Lyrics:
Zrejlo je žito, je žuta slama,
žalostna dekla, kaj nejmaš lüjboga.
Ej sejdi tam sejdi lastavica ti,
nasloni se, lüjba, na mo plejča ti.

Zrejlo je žito, je žuta slama,
zrejlo je zeldže, je žuto lišće,
Zrejla je pšenica, žuta je slama,
Zrejla je pšenica, žuta je slama.

English translation:
The grain has ripened, the straw is yellow,
Sad maiden, why don't you have a sweetheart?
Hey, sit down, sit down, little swallow,
Lean on my shoulders, my love.
The grain has ripened, the straw is yellow;
The cabbage has ripened, the leaves are yellow.
The wheat has ripened, the straw is yellow,
The wheat has ripened, the straw is yellow.

Zrejlo je žito (“The Grain is Ripe”) is a Slovenian folk song with a deeply melancholic character. Its text tells of a young girl lamenting her loneliness and sorrow that she has not yet found her beloved. This arrangement highlights the song’s lyrical simplicity while drawing out its rich harmonic potential, allowing the timeless melody to shine in a new choral setting.

Full catalogue coming soon!
A detailed overview of my choral works and arrangements is currently being curated and will be available soon.
Until then, I welcome all inquiries via the contact page.