ArtLink Festival: CONCERT – ArtLink Balkan Quintet

Srna Majar was born on 26 August 1996 in Syria. She completed her primary music education at the “Vlado Milošević” Music School in Banja Luka, in the class of Prof. Dušan Šestić – violin, and the secondary music school in the class of Prof. Mirjana Bubić – viola. Srna is the recipient of several awards and honours at Republic level competitions of junior and middle schools, both for viola and chamber music, among them: the First prize at the Republic level competition of middle music schools – viola and chamber music, as well as the first and second prize at the International competition in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia – viola, orchestra and chamber music.

With the “Vlado Milošević” Middle Music School Orchestra, Srna went to Italy in 2013, where she performed at concerts as viola solo and with a chamber ensemble.

She participated as a violist with several European orchestras, among them Wonderful Youth Orchestra and EUphony. She is currently beginning her third year at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the class of Prof. Nemanja Marjanović.

Lucija Mušac was born in 2000 in Split, Croatia. She began studying the cello at the age of eight at the “Lovro pl. Matačić” junior Music School in Omiš, and in 2014 she enrolled at the Josip Hatze Music School in Split, high school program. Since the second grade of junior school, she is a student of Prof. Hillary Karuza.

During the course of her education, Lucija won a number of awards and prizes as a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles. As a soloist she won a range of awards: 14th “Distant Chords” Young Artists International Competition, Split, 2009 – 2nd Prize; 48th Croatian Competition of Students of Music and Dance, Varaždin, 2010 – 2nd Prize; 16th “Distant Chords” Young Artists International Competition, Split, 2011 – 1st Prize; 50th Croatian Competition of Students of Music and Dance, Varaždin, 2012 – 1st Prize; 18th “Distant Chords” Young Artists International Competition, Split, 2013 – 1st Prize; 20th “Distant Chords” Young Artists International Competition, Split, 2015 – 1st Prize; 54th Croatian Competition of Students of Music and Dance, Zagreb, 2016 – 1st Prize.

Lucija took part in seminars at home and abroad. In August 2016, as one of the youngest participants, she partook in the exchange of students and pupils within the intensive course of chamber music – Colluvio.

Born in Tirana, Albania, Volfi has been playing the violin since the age of six. His musical abilities have been nurtured from a young age with continuous recitals and performances that have resulted in his love for the stage and entertaining the audience.

Volfi was classically trained at the Liceu Artisitk “Jordan Misja” in Tirana, and was a member of the “Camerata of Tirana”. He received a number of prizes at competitions, including the first prize Fest talent 2007. While continuing his musical studies with professor Roland Xhoxhi, he also earned the audition for Geneva Conservatory with Tedi Papavrami, a famous Albanian violin player teaching in this school. These experiences have contributed to Volfi’s sound artistic roots and his strong and diverse musical background.

Volfi now resides in Geneva continuing his Master’s degree and performs professionally in Switzerland for orchestra, concerts and special events. His wide repertoire of music, bubbling personality, and love for entertaining others make him an attractive rising performer.

Some of Volfi’s appearances include the “Camerata of Tirana”, the Geneva HEM Orchestra (conducted by Gabor Takács-Nagy), and the L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Danilo Bujišić was born in Podgorica, Montenegro, in 1998 in a family of musicians. At the age of six, he enrolled at the “Vasa Pavić” School for Music Talents in Podgorica, in the class of Prof. Nada Glomazić. He continued his secondary music school studies in the class of Prof. Vili Ferdinandi, and upon completion passed the entrance exam for the Cetinje Music Academy, where he will continue his music schooling from October 2016.

From early categories, he was winning notable prizes at national and international competitions. In the category of solo violin and chamber music at the state level, he was awarded, some fifteen times, the first prize, the Golden Lyre, with two special prizes in 2014 and 2015.

In 2014 Danilo won the Second prize at the “Petar Gaci” International Competition, while at the Barleti Competition, Italy, he won the First prize in chamber music.

At the First International Strings Competition in Valjevo, Serbia, in May 2016, he won the First Prize for the performance of Paganini’s Concerto in D major.

Besides the work with professors Glomazić and Ferdinandi, Danilo Bujišić attended masterclasses by prominent violin pedagogues Igor Petruševski, Mikhail Bereznicky, Vujadin Krivokapić, Jarosław Nadrzycki and others.

Uki Ovaskainen is active as a soloist and chamber musician with concerts in all Scandinavia, Finland, Germany, Austria, Israel, Spain, Russia, Serbia and Croatia. From 2001 he works as an accompanist for strings at the Belgrade Faculty of Music.

Uki Ovaskainen was born in Espoo, Finland in 1975. He plays the piano since he was five, and the first time performed with an orchestra at the age of eleven. From 1989 to 1996 he studied with Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and from 1996 to 1999 with Professor Jose Ribera at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where he graduated with the highest degrees. He has participated in masterclasses with Pnina Salzman, Charles Rosen, Andras Schiff, Yahli Wagman, Emanuel Krasowsky and Matti Raekallio. From 2003 to 2005 he was on postgraduate studies with prof. Ribera in the soloist class in Copenhagen, which he finished with a recital in October 2005.

From October 2006 he was on postgraduate studies with prof. Matti Raekallio in the soloist class of Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover.