Željko Ivovic was born in 1984 and has played cello since he was six years old. He attended the prestigious school for musically gifted children in Ćuprija, Serbia, and after that he studied at the University of Belgrade (University of Musical Art), majoring in cello performance in the class of Professor Relja Dejan Božić under whom he graduated in 2006. Zeljko went on to obtain his Masters of Arts at the “Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz” in Oberschützen, Austria at the invitation of the world renowned Professor Tobias Stosiek. Željko took master classes in chamber music, which were led by Professors Herbert Keffer, Johannes Meissl, and Othmar Müller, members of famous quartet “Artis Quartett” from Vienna, Austria. He also had master classes under Björn Sjörgen from Norway, David Herington (Kronos String Quartet, USA), and members of the string quartet “Amernet” from USA. Since completing his studies, Željko was a member of the BGO orchestra “Dušan Skovran”, Banja Luka philharmonic Orchestra, and the Festival Orchestra, “Kotor Art”, where he was the lead cello from 2014 through 2016. From 2011, he has been a permanent member of the Vojvodina Symphonic Orchestra, from Novi Sad, Serbia. Zeljko has frequently been invited to perform with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with Montenegrin Symphonic Orchestra, as “tutti member”. During the season 2018/19, Zeljko led the cello section of the Verdi Orchestra from Graz, Austria.
Since 2022, Željko has been the lead cellist for the Serafim Orchestra and at same year performed as “tutti substitute” with Banat Philharmonic Orchestra from Timisoara, Romania. Željko has performed all over Serbia and Montenegro, as well as has been invited to perform in Belgium, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Austria, France, Italy, and Greece.Since 2011, he is a member of the string quartet Il Belpaese, and from 2017, Željko has been working with the violin soloist – Igor Vasiljević. Since 2024, he is also a member of the chamber ensemble Boka from Montenegro. Željko has also been teaching in the music school where he graduated from in Ćuprija, Serbia – for over 16 years. As a pedagogist, he has won over 30 awards with his students at Domestic and International competitions, competing in Cello, Chamber and Orchestral Performance.
Programme:
J. S. Bach: Solo cello Suites No 1, 3 and 4
Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007
Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Suite No. 4 in E♭ major, BWV 1010