Marija Špengler Marković, DMA
Marija Spengler-Marković is a violinist whose artistic career spans solo performances, chamber music, orchestral leadership, and pedagogy. She is a recipient of prestigious awards at the Michelangelo Abbado International Competition in Italy and the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade. Recognized early on as one of the most promising violinists of her generation, Marija was presented with a G. Tarasconi violin by the City of Belgrade in acknowledgment of her contribution to the city’s musical life.
As a soloist, she has performed with leading ensembles, presenting repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music. These include the Belgrade Philharmonic, Radio Symphony Orchestra Belgrade, St. George Strings, Dušan Skovran Chamber Orchestra, Mittel Europa Orchestra (Italy), Franz Liszt Symphony Orchestra (Budapest), and the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra. She premiered Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in Serbia with the Radio Symphony Orchestra (D. Porcelijn) and introduced Zoran Erić’s Six Scenes and Comments to European audiences – from its Serbian premiere, through London’s Barbican Hall, to a tour of Sweden with the Belgrade Philharmonic.
She has studied and performed with members of the Veilinger, Melos, Takács, and Alban Berg quartets, and collaborated with contemporary music ensembles such as MusikFabrik (Cologne) and Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt). She also performed at the BBC Proms in London, presenting works for violin and piano by John Adams in a concert broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, with the composer introducing the program.
Recent highlights include the opening of the BUNT Festival in Belgrade, where she performed Bach’s Sonatas for solo violin, as well as performances as soloist and artistic director with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, presenting two violin concertos by Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen, Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3, and Isidora Žebeljan’s Selište. She also performed Srđan Hofman’s Concertante Episodes with the RTS Symphony Orchestra at the ceremonial opening of the International Review of Composers 2024 at Kolarac Hall.
Since 2004, she has been a faculty member at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, earning her doctorate in 2015, and she currently serves as a Full Professor of Violin. She regularly gives masterclasses, and serves on the jury of international violin competitions.
Marija Spengler-Markovic completed her undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, graduating with the best in generation award. As a scholarship student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, she pursued postgraduate and specialist studies in the class of Prof. David Takeno, graduating with highest honors and earning the Concert Soloist Diploma.