CONCERT: Pavle KRSTIĆ, piano and Irena JOSIFOSKA, cello

Pavle Krstić is a student at the prestigious University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, since 2013, in the class of renowned music pedagogue Prof. Pavel Gililov. Pavle began playing the piano at the age of 6 and completed his primary and secondary music studies in the class of Milena Apić.

Pavle Krstić performed as a soloist at prominent events and prestigious halls in Serbia, as well as Croatia, Montenegro, Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lichtenstein, San Marino, Estonia, The Netherlands… He represented Serbia and the “Balkan Festival” in Tivat, Montenegro (2010), and took part in the festival: “Vienna Young Pianists” in Vienna (2012), “Neuhaus Festival” in Moscow (2013), “Astana Piano Passion” in Khazahstan (2014), “Spazio Klassik” in Bolzano, Italy (2016). He also took part in numerous summer and winter academies in Serbia, as well as at “Mendelssohn” in Leipzig, (2014, 2016), “Enharmonia” in Estepona, Spain (2014), “Junior Piano Academy Eppan” in Italy (2015) and “Cagliari International Music Academy” in Sardinia, Italy (2015), “Wilhelm Kempff Academy” at his villa in Positano, Italy (2016), “Mozarteum International Summer Academy” in Salzburg, Austria (2016).

Pavle is the recipient of the scholarship at the International Music Academy in the Principality of Lichtenstein, regularly partakes at intensive weeks and events of the Academy, and as a prominent student performed at the “Next Generation” Festival in Switzerland (2016).

The recipients of this prestigious Award – the ArtLink-Société Générale Most Promising Young Music Artist in Serbia Award – have previously been Serbia’s most eminent young artists the like of Irena Josifoska, Nemanja Stanković, Stanko Madić, Sanja Bizjak, David Horvat, and others.

Irena Josifoska was born in 1996 to a family of musicians. She started playing the cello at the age of 5 in the music school “Isidor Bajić”, in Novi Sad, in the class of her mother, Judit Niederholzer-Josifoska. She is a student of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia, in the class of prof. Marko Miletic and at the moment she is also a student of the “Hochschule für Musik” in Detmold, Germany, in the class of prof. Xenia Jankovic.

Irena was the youngest semi-finalist of the “Queen Elisabeth competition” in 2017.

Irena won around 50 highest awards in national and international competitions, such as: “Dotzauer cello competition”, Germany, “Herann”, Czech Republic, international cello competition in Liezen, Austria, “Petar Konjović”, “Belgrade stage of young talents”, “Auryn competition of chamber music”, Republican competition of music and ballet schools in Serbia, etc. In 2015, as the youngest contestant, she was the finalist of “Jeunesses musicales” big international competition in Belgrade and won “The audience prize”, a bow made by Vladimir Radosavljević and several special prizes.

Irena is a recipient of several recognitions, such as the “Provincial award”, the award “Golden Bell”, “St. Sava Award” as the highest recognition being given by the Serbian Ministry of Education, the award “Stanojlo Rajičić” for the most successful concert of the season 2009/2010 held in the Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade, ArtLink award “The most promising young music artist in 2013”, the main prize of the club “SUPERSTE”-Erste bank, “The prize for the best young music artist in 2015” given by the “Society of music artists of Serbia”…

Out of around 600 public performances (in the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, etc.), around 80 of which have been recitals and solo performances accompanied by eminent orchestras, like the: “Wurttembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen”, “Orchestra nazionale sinfonica”, “Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie”, “Beaufort Symphony Orchestra”, “Vojvodina Symphony orchestra”, „Camerata Academica“, “Symphony orchestra of RTS”, “Vojvodina Chamber Orchestra”, Orchestra “Dusan Skovran”, “European CEI youth orchestra”, “Novi Sad Chamber Orchestra”, “Subotica Philharmonic Orchestra”, “Banja Luka Philharmonic Orchestra”, „Norfolk County Youth Orchestra“(West road concert hall, Cambridge, UK), “Zrenjanin Chamber Orchestra” etc.

Irena was a participant of several festivals and projects, like the: “Rutesheim Cello Akademie”, “Thüringer Bachwochen”, “ISA” – International summer academy, “Moritzburg Festival Academy” (1st prize of the audience), “Burgos Music Festival” (1st prize at the Festival’s competition segment), “Hohenstaufen chamber music festival”, “BEMUS”, “Cello Fest Belgrade”, “Ljubljana Festival”, “Music Forum” in Trenta, Slovenia held by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, “The first Balkan music festival in Tivat”, “Triorca”, “A-fest”, “Chopin fest”, “WPTA” etc.

In April of 2014 “A-records” (Sweden) issued Irena’s first CD and in September of 2014 “ArtLink” and “Societe Generale bank” issued Irena’s second CD.

Irena attended master classes with prof. David Geringas, Jens Peter Maintz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Claudio Bohorquez, Wenn Sin Yang, Marc Coppey, Mineo Hayashi, Marcio Carneiro, Christian Poltera, Istvan Varga, Stefan Popov, Alexander Kniazev, David Starkwether, Mark Kosower, Daniel Müller Schott, Laszlo Mezö, Leonid Gorohov, Vendi Warner, Robert Nagy, Jan Vogler, Aleksei Kiseliov, Ivry Gitlis, Shmuel Magen…

She also played with eminent artists and conductors, the likes of Ivry Gitlis, Hemuth Rilling, David Adorjan, Heinrich Schiff, Frank Braley, Jonas Vitaud, Peter Orth, Andrea Lieberknecht, Dag Jensen, Marie-Luise Neunecker, Johannes Meissl…

Composers Tibor Hartig, Dejan Despić, Svetozar Saša Kovačević and Aleksandar Vujić dedicated their compositions to Irena.