Jugokoncert

Born in Belgrade, Nataša Veljković lives and works in Vienna, where she holds an associate professorship for piano at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.
Ever since she was four, her life has centered on the piano. After her studies with Arbo Valdma in Belgrade, at the age of 14 she entered the class of Paul Badura Skoda at the Vienna University of Music, where she graduated with honors in 1987. Further studies involved work with Rudolf Firkusny at the Juilliard School in New York (1988-1989), and with Harry Datyner at the Geneva Conservatory (1990-1992), where she obtained her second master’s degree. She also had valuable artistic consultations with Nikita Magaloff.
Before she was ten, Nataša Veljković won first prizes at international youth competitions in Italy – Capua (1977) and Senigallia (1978).Among the great number of further awards for her extraordinary achievements the PRIX CLARA HASKIL (first and only prize) stands out (Vevey in 1985), as well as the first prize at the WORLD MUSIC MASTERS in Paris in 1990. Numerous other recognitions followed, such as the Orlando Prize for the best concert at the Dubrovnik Festval, or the UMUS Prize (Belgrade) for the most successful concert of the season...
The Prix Clara Haskil marked the beginning of Nataša Veljković’s intensive concert career all over Europe: successful cooperation with the Belgrade Strings “Dušan Skovran” took her on concert tours throughout Russia and China. She performed at numerous important festivals: Montreux, Berlin, Chopin Festival (Poland), MIDEM classique in Cannes and Juventus in Cambrai, in Toulouse (France), Algarve (Portugal); and in Austria, at the leading festivals, including the Carinthian Summer, Attergau Cultural Summer, International Chopin Festival at Gaming and Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, the Mozart Festival in Istanbul; as well as in the former Yugoslavia: Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Croatia), BEMUS Belgrade and NOMUS Novi Sad (Serbia)…
Nataša Veljković appeared as soloist with orchestras, such as Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Zurich, the Zagreb Soloists, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Capella Istropolitana, the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Katovice, the RAI orchestra, the Slovenian Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic… collaborating with distinguished conductors: such as David Zinman, Lawrence Foster, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Cristian Mandeal, Marcello Viotti, Antoni Wit, David Shalon, Emil Tabakov and Martin Sieghart …
Apart from her solo career one of Natasa Veljkovic’s favorites is chamber music: she is a member of the “Anima” trio (Belgrade), and plays with the pianist Norman Shetler, as well as with her husband, the cellist Tobias Stosiek.
Following several LPs recorded in former Yugoslavia, in 2001 she recorded a CD for the Belgrade label PGP-RTS with piano concertos of Bach, Haydn and Mendelssohn and in 2004 with St. George Strings a live recording for the same label with three piano concertos by Mozart. Over the last few years, Nataša Veljković recorded seven new CDs: two of them (Liszt and Mozart) for the classical-music label Zulus Records Vienna. Other recordings include the Haydn concertos with Camerata Janacek and music of Robert and Clara Schumann, both for Gramola, Vienna.