Natalija Lazarev I am a first year student of violin at the Richard Wagner Conservatory in Vienna.
I am originally from Serbia, from Sabac, a small town with a rich cultural tradition. From childhood, I became interested in competitions in ecology, English, Serbian, athletics, drawing and violin. At the age of six I enrolled in the Music School “Mihailo Vukdragovic” in Sabac. In the beginning it was a hobby and an interesting way to acquire working habits and master the system of organization. After that, I participated in the Ubuina String Festival in Sabac. I performed as a member of the high school orchestra at humanitarian events at the Sabac Theater and at the City Hall in Novi Sad.
I have performed with a chamber ensemble at the Museum of Sabac Jews, the Sabac Library and the Sabac Cultural Center. In the first three months of my life in Vienna, I became a member of several professional orchestras playing in the well-known halls of Vienna. At the Brams Hall of the Musikverein Concert House, I performed as a member of a professional orchestra under the baton of Prof. Evgenia Chevkenova. I played in support of the children's orchestra of a music school at the Wiener Kinderball in the Great Hall of the Palace of Lower Austria.
As a member of the professional New Vienna Symphony Orchestra, I performed at a Christmas concert at the MuTh (Vienna Boys' Hall). I participated in a baroque music project at the Minoriten Church in Vienna. I played in a chamber ensemble that was accompanied by a ceremony honoring the popular Austrian actor Fritz Muliar at the Museum of Theater. I was invited to play with the Staadsbad Philharmonie Kissingen in the Bavarian part of Germany. It is the only orchestra in the world to have over 700 concerts a year and is therefore on the Guinness Book of Records. I look forward to that future collaboration.
I love art and I love expanding my knowledge through playing and by attending concerts of famous artists like Maxim Venger, Janine Jansen, Yevgeny Kissin. My favorite composer is Christian Sinding, and I enjoy playing Baroque music and romanticism on the violin ivioli. In addition to violin and viola, I learning to play acoustic guitar as well as bass guitar. Apart from the language of music, I am fluent in English, German and my mother tongue, Serbian. I love art and culture. I am grateful to have the opportunity to study in this city and will gladly pass on my knowledge.
Sara Kotur was born on January 26, 2000 in Belgrade. She started playing a trombone at the age of 9 in Musical School „Stanković“ in the class of Professor Vera Ristić. During her education so far, she has achieved the following results in both national and international competitions as well as masterclasses: - 2009 - Festival "Sirmijum Art" Sremska Mitrovica, unranked competition; - 2011 - International competition "Davorin Jenko" Belgrade, Laureat (the only winner to be awarded) and I/1 award; - 2011 - National competition, I/1 award;
- 2012 - International competition "Davorin Jenko" Belgrade, III/1 award; - 2012 – “Festival of musical talents” Sremski Karlovci, 3rd place among all brass and woodwind instruments (among prime musical schools in Serbia). Played at the closing concert; - 2013 - Memorial "Dušan Protić" Belgrade, I/1 award; - 2013 - International competition "Davorin Jenko" Belgrade, Laureat and I/1 award; - 2013 - National competition, I/1 award and Laureat award signed by the Minister of Education, Žarko Obradović; - 2013 - Masterclass professor Dušan Kranjac (professor at the Music Academy in Ljubljana) in Štanjel, Slovenia; - 2014 - International competition "Davorin Jenko" Belgrade, II/1 award; - 2014 - Memorial "Dušan Protić" Belgrade, I/1 award; - 2014 - International competition "Petar Konjović" Belgrade, 1st place; - 2014 - “Festival of musical talents” Sremski Karlovci, 1st place among all brass instruments in Serbia, diploma signed by the Minister of Education Srdjan Verbić; - 2015 - National competition, I/1 award and Laureat (100); - 2015 - “Festival of musical talents” Sremski Karlovci, 2nd place in the category of wind instruments (both brass and woodwind instruments). Diploma signed by the Minister of Education; - 2015 - International competition "Davorin Jenko" Belgrade - II/1 award; - 2015 - International Woodwind and Brass Competition Varaždin, Serbia, 1st award; - 2015 - "Dusan Protic" Memorial competition, Belgrade, I/1 award; - 2015 - Masterclass with Professor Mario Šincek (Professor at the University of Zagreb, Academy of Music) in Brac, Croatia; - 2015 - Masterclass with Professor Branimir Slokar, in Belgrade; - 2016 - International Woodwind and Brass Competition, Varaždin, Serbia, 1st award; - 2017 - International competition "Davorin Jenko", Belgrade, 1st award; - 2017 - National Competition, 1st award; - 2017 - Masterclass with Professor Henning Wiegräbe (Professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart), Heubach, Germany; - 2018 - International competition "Davorin Jenko", Belgrade, Laureat and I/1 award; - 2018 - Chamber Music National Competition, Belgrade, 2nd award; - 2018 - The premiere performance of '' Fantasy for trombone '', by James Curnow, at ''Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment''; Sara has also performed at numerous concerts in Serbia and the region. Since 2019, Sara continued her education at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Department of Music, majoring in Music Performer - trombonist Sara speaks English and German.