Ljiljana Vukelja, DMA
Ljiljana Vukelja was born in 1976 in Belgrade and began her piano studies at the age of 4, under the guidance of her mother. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in 1996 and her Master’s degree in 1999 at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, studying with Professor Nevena Popović. From 1998 to 2000, she furthered her education at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany, where she studied with the renowned French pianist Michel Béroff. Her professional relationship with Swiss conductor and pianist Jean-François Antonioli began in 2002, after a solo performance with the Timisoara Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2007, Vukelja embarked on her Doctorate in Performing Arts, which she successfully defended in 2010 at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade. Her dissertation, supervised by Professor Dejan Sinadinović, focused on music in early 20th-century Paris, particularly the works of Ravel, Dutilleux, and Enescu.
Vukelja honed her performance skills through masterclasses with distinguished musicians such as Dmitri Bashkirov, Alexander Stärkman, Michel Dalberto, and Jean-Claude Pennetier. She has been recognized in several international competitions, winning second and special prizes at the International Competition in Nauen, Germany (2006), and third prize at the Adilia Alieva International Competition in Gaillard, France (2004).
Her career has taken her to many countries, including Serbia, Romania, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland, the USA, and Australia, where she has performed as a soloist and in chamber music settings. She has collaborated with renowned orchestras and conductors such as Jean-François Antonioli, Jordan Dafov, Anatolij Novicki, Vincent Monteil, David Porcelijn, and Emil Simon. Vukelja has participated in prestigious festivals, including MOVIMENTOS (Germany), GALWAY MUSIC FESTIVAL (Ireland), ART & MORE (Croatia), BEMUS, the International Review of Composers, and the Festival of Minimalism in Serbia, among others.
She has also collaborated with the acclaimed Irish dance company Fabulous Beast, performing Stravinsky’s Petrushka and The Rite of Spring in piano duet arrangements in Ireland, Germany, and Serbia. In 2020, the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade released her solo CD featuring the piano works of prominent Serbian composer Vladimir Tošić.
A regular performer with Serbian cellist Sandra Belić, Vukelja has appeared at numerous major festivals and concert venues across the Balkans. In December 2020, she performed Beethoven’s last two piano sonatas (Op. 110 and Op. 111) as part of a Beethoven Anniversary Cycle, broadcast on Radio Belgrade 2.In March 2023, she had the honour of performing the opening recital at the North Adelaide Baroque Hall in South Australia, with additional recitals in 2024 alongside Australian pianist Gil Sullivan. During the 2024/25 concert season, she appeared as a soloist at Elder Hall, St. John’s Anglican Church, and the Adelaide City Club, and conducted a distinguished master class at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide (Australia).
Vukelja currently holds the position of Full Professor at the Department of Piano at the Faculty of Music Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade.