Biography

Andrea Nikolic [Nikolitsch]

has established herself as one of the most polyvalent and diversely successful artists and artistic leaders of the generation. She is internationally sought-after violinist, violist, artistic director, pedagogue, leader/conductor and a musical activist, indefatigably active as an arts and education ambassador, strongly driven to always push the boundaries, learn, do and create more.

She is praised for her renaissance-like versatility, honesty, depth, imagination, a strong, non-compromising integrity and dedication in her approach to music and musical interpretations. With unreserved devotion and courage to move the barriers she is passionately exploring a diversity of musical languages, cultures, styles, genres, and ideas. Her passion being the art of music - bringing it closer to the broadest audiences and making it within reach to everyone.

Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, she grew up in Varaždin, Croatia, and has found her artistic and personal home in the “center of classical music” – Vienna, Austria.

She is a founder, producer, general and artistic director of Vareš Classic Festival - International Chamber Music Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a founder, leader & artistic director of the Vienna - based WISE: Wien - International Soloists Ensemble. In 2020 she founded CRO-ArT, a new festival of contemporary art music in Vienna, as a sign of rebellion towards the horrible situation the culture has found itself in due to the pandemic, which proved to be a growing success.

Violinist & Violist

Andrea’s interest and repertoire include works from early and traditional music to contemporary music, improvisation and jazz. She enjoys long lasting inspiring collaborations with artists such as Natasa Veljkovic, Sanel Redzic, Stipe Bilic, Sasa Mirkovic, Borut Zagoranski, Ivana Nikolic; composers Margareta Ferek Petric, Meinhard Ruedenauer, Gabriele Proy, Peter Seabourne; conductors Mladen Tarbuk, Andjelko Igrec, Mark Stringer, Johannes Wildner; violist and producer Petar Kresimir Pusticki... And many more! 

She is passionately promoting new music and there is already a vast number of pieces written and dedicated to her - some of them being published by the Dutch publisher “Donemus”  in her own revision. A series of CDs with these works, as well as works for WISE Ensemble, with Andrea as violin/viola soloist, leader and conductor is going to be published in a course of the following year. 

Since 2017 she is working with an Iranian - Viennese architect Hessamedin Fana, creating interdisciplinary projects presented in all the WISE concepts as well as in the past six VaClaF editions. She plays a 1879 Samuel Nemessany violin, a 1970 Yury R. Malinovsky viola and her strings of choice are Thomastik Infeld.

Artistic Director & Musical Activist

Determined to make a difference with her work, Andrea founded the VaClaF and WISE projects in 2013. Working enthusiastically and with strong ideals, she developed them both into international artistic movements.

Since 2015 VaClaF is a festival of international importance for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2016 internationally acclaimed as part of the Year of Culture Austria-BH. Bringing together world-renowned interdisciplinary artists, Andrea has created more than 200 original concepts and programs, making them accessible for the broadest audience. Giving a platform to new generations to come, she as well created the international VaClaF Masterclasses and Rising Stars programme. She is collaborating succesfully with many international organisations worldwide.

With WISE she curates an artistically engaging concert season and a festival of contemporary music CRO-ArT in diverse, both traditionally prestigious and alternative contemporary locations in Vienna, and the ensemble has been touring very successfully too. They are collaborating with a vast number of contemporary composers, as well as with the Exil.Arte Centre Vienna, bringing the music of the composers exiled during the 2nd World War again on stage and recording them for ORF, CRO-ArT and Vares Classic Festivals.

In 2023 Andrea has founded the CIPRA String Quartet and is preparing several new world premieres, both as soloist and chamber musician. CRO-ArT is preparing to see its 4th edition and VaClaF its 11th. Season 2023/2024 will bring her on tour to China, Japan, Canada, USA and several European countries. As new projects emerge, several fresh ensembles and concert / festival / tours are in the making for 2024/2025.

Leader/Conductor & Curious Explorer

Interested in exploring the wide repertoire and disciplines, Andrea appeared as leader/concertmaster with tenths of international orchestras and ensembles and is creating interesting concepts as a versatile and diverse performer.

Some of her personal highlights include: performance of a relatively forgotten Classical concerto by J. B. Vanhal in C major (2012), interdisciplinary recital “Wondrous Landscape”, connecting contemporary music and literature (2016); a contemporary improvisational piece “Ul-la” dedicated to her by David Mastikosa (2017) and a debut as a leader, conductor and soloist, in the Golden Hall of the Viennese Musikverein in 2018.

2022 was a year of several soloist and conducting highlights: she premiered and recorded two Viola Concertos written for her by Gabriele Proy (Vares Concerto) and Josip Prajz (Tilgres). For the premiere of Margareta Ferek Petrić’s “Wirrwarr Song No.3: Impeach the Kitsch” for Viola and Piano (with Nataša Veljković) she was awarded with the Rector’s Award of the University of Zagreb for an outstanding artistic achievement. She was assistant conductor to maestro Mladen Tarbuk with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and will be conducting several WISE concerts in the upcoming season. She is therefore developing further her conducting and composing skills and discovering a broad range of new repertoire.

Teacher & Educator

As a pedagogue, Andrea started her career already in 2009 at the renowned Pavao Markovac Music School in Zagreb. Since 2015 she is a member of the worldwide international Academy & Jury Board at the ENKOR International Music Competition. She was a lecturer at the Superar Summer Camp Vienna - part of the Western Balkans Summit Civil Society Forum 2015 and a violin and chamber music professor at the joint international program of Pinnacle Study Institute Vienna and University of Oregon (USA) 2016 in Vienna, Austria. As a violin/viola professor, she collaborates with the Vienna Music Centre, Academia Musica Vienna and has led a private studio since 2010.  At the MDW - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna she is working at the Institute for Conducting as concertmaster and soloist of the Pro Arte Orchestra. She teaches at various Masterclasses internationally since 2014. When 2020 changed the course of the world, Andrea started teaching online as well through the platform Play with a Pro. Several masterclasses in Europe, Asia and North America are coming up in the next season, as well as an artistic consultation project for emerging musicians and festival managers.

Life & Development

Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a five-year-old she moved from Vareš to Varaždin, Croatia, where she began her general and music education as a specially gifted child. She started to play the violin in the Varaždin School of Music with Benjamin Šambar, continued at the Zagreb Music Academy with Maja Dešpalj Begović and University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Eszter Haffner and Andrej Bielow. Since 2010 she is living and working in Vienna.

During her studies she won several prizes and scholarships, allowing her to enter the international stages and gather priceless experience in a variety of fields. Subsequently, many doors opened after her very successful concert debut at the London Handel Festival 2012.

She participated in many prestigious international soloist, chamber music, historically informed and contemporary music performance schools and masterclasses, with Dora Schwarzberg, Catherine Macintosh, Laurence Cummings, Jože Haluza, Elisabeth Harnik, Artemis Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, Arditti Quartet and Phillippe Manoury leaving some of the strongest influences. Through years of “Aestas Musica” she worked with some of the most distinguished experts for early music from Royal College and Royal Academy of Music London. Active collaborations with contemporary composers brought her recent research focus to female art and artists, and their wider public presentation, which has significantly influenced her artistic views and concepts.

Epilogue

Andrea’s concert appearances were recorded and broadcasted on various international TV and radio stations and there are many interviews and articles to be found about all of her artistic activities. As of 2021 Andrea is becoming active as an author, writing essays and articles for international journals in Croatian, English and German. Developing her creative output, she is as well interested in composing, art production and film, and is learning to code. Languages being another of her passions, she is fluent in six , as she is determined to learn Farsi.

She is a dedicated speaker and educator, moderating her programmes, concerts and festivals, as well as giving guest lectures and keynote speeches.

In 2018 BRHT produced a documentary called “Music I call Home” about Andrea and her engaging and diverse activity.