Ivan Vukčević, viola (Australia – Switzerland)

Ivan Vukčević is a solo viola of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland), a position he has held since 2002. He is also a founder and violist of the internationally renowned Quartetto Energie Nove, with which he has recorded critically acclaimed Janáček and Prokofiev quartets for Dynamic. Since 2012, he is a Professor of Viola at the International Menuhin Music Academy, Gstaad, Switzerland.

As a soloist, he has performed the most important works from the viola repertoire and his performances have been broadcast throughout the world. Ivan has appeared as a soloist with ensembles in Australia and Europe, such as the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (Norway), Camerata Menuhin, Camerata Lysy Gstaad (Switzerland), Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, Chernivtsi Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine) and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland). With the latter, he has recorded Harold in Italy by H. Berlioz, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante (with the violinist Klaidi Sahatci) and B. Bartók’s Viola Concerto under the baton of Alain Lombard.

Ivan’s orchestral engagements included tenure as a Co-Principal violist of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (Norway) from 2001 to 2002, and the Solo Viola position with the Sinfonieorchester Basel in 2008. While a student, he was also regularly a guest violist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Ivan Vukčević is a former student of the Victorian College of the Arts, a First Class Honours graduate of the University of Western Australia and a graduate of the International Menuhin Music Academy, Gstaad. While at university, Vukčević was the winner of the 1998 Vose Concerto Prize, having performed Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. He also won first prizes in several chamber music competitions, including the 1996 Margaret Bello Prize and the 1995 West Australian Chamber Music Competition. During this time, Ivan Vukčević was the Principal Violist of the Australian Youth Orchestra and Camerata Australia, touring throughout the world with these groups from 1996 to 1998. In 1997 he was awarded several scholarships including the Youth Music Australia Opportunity Grant and the University of Western Australia Travelling Scholarship, enabling him to take a study trip to Europe during that year, which subsequently lead to his acceptance into the International Menuhin Music Academy.

After his undergraduate studies, Ivan Vukčević completed a performance course at the International Menuhin Music Academy in 2001, having studied with Prof. Alberto Lysy and Prof. Johannes Eskaer. During his studies at this school he was also the principal violist of the Camerata Lysy Gstaad, appearing regularly as a soloist and in chamber formations in some of the most important venues and festivals in Europe. In 2001, he was the winner of the Köckert Viola Competition (Zurich, Switzerland).

Ivan Vukčević plays on a rare 1789 Joseph Gagliano viola and a 1991 F. Bissolotti instrument.