VALENTINA LUČKOVIĆ, cello & ANJA OVASKAINEN, violin (6th Concert of International Music Cycle Young Virtuosi)

Valentina Lučković, born in the Serbian city of Niš in 2001, began learning the cello with Ljubiša Radisavljević in 2011. In 2017 she was accepted into the School for Musically Gifted Children in Ćuprija under Nevena Busarac. In 2018, as part of a trio, Valentina embarked on a seven-day tour of China, representing the school at three concerts in Shanghai and Nanjing. In May 2022 she performed with the world-renowned violinist Nemanja Radulović as a member of the Foundation Dobar Glas Chamber Orchestra. As one of the three highest-placed candidates, Valentina received a school scholarship from the Académie Française for participation in the Bastille Day Project. In April of this year, as part of celebrations marking Belgrade Day, Valentina performed with violinist Stefan Milenković and the Belgrade Chamber Orchestra at the Kolarac concert hall. She has performed as a soloist with Niš Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the School for Musically Gifted Children and Camerata Balcanica under the direction of maestro Srboljub Dinić. As orchestra member and soloist, she has performed in Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, France, Italy and China, and studied with musicians including Stefan Popov, Denis Shapovalov, Attila Pasztor, Alexey Kiseliov, Dejan Božić and Marko Miletić. She is currently a third-year undergraduate at the Belgrade Faculty of Music, studying under Dragan Đorđević.

Anja Ovaskainen, born in 2004 in Belgrade, began playing the violin at the age of seven under Professor Biljana Stevanović at the Dr Vojislav Vučković Music School. She has been a student at the Faculty of Music under Professor Robert Lakatoš since October 2022. She has been a member of the ArtLink Orchestra for several years, and in 2018 took part in concerts devoted to the music of Vivaldi with the Viva Vivaldi chamber group in Rome. She played in the Styriarte Youth Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Mei-Ann Chen in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She is currently in the second year of secondary-level vocal studies under Maja Djokić at the Dr Vojislav Vučković Music School and the recipient of several first prizes at competitions in Serbia. She has won first prizes at the Premio Mozart Competition in Quinto Vicentino, at national competitions, at Stringfest in Sremska Mitrovica, at the Tartini International Competition in Slovenia, and at the Dušan Protić Memorial Competition, as well as third prizes at a Classical Music Competition in London.

Programme:
N. Myaskovsky: Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81
D. Popper: Hungarian Rhapsody, Op. 68 D. Shostakovich, arr.
L. Atovmyan: Prelude from 5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano
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J. S. Bach: Chaconne from Partita for solo Violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
E: Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 2, Op. 27
C. Debussy: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor L. 140