Monika Leskovar - cello
Croatian cellist Monika Leskovar (born Kreutztal, Germany, 1981), studied with Dobrila Berković-Magdalenić at the Elly Bašić Music School in Zagreb and later with Valter Dešpalj. In 1996 she became a student of David Geringas at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where - since 2006 – she’s been teaching as an assistant.

In masterclasses she worked with Mstislav Rostropovitch and Bernard Greenhouse.

Monika is the winner of several prizes at international cello competitions, such as the  International Tchaikovsky for Young Musicians (Sendai, 1995), Antonio Janigro (Zagreb, 1996), Rostropovich (Paris, 1997), Eurovision Grand Prix (Vienna, 1998), Roberto Caruana “Stradivari” (Milano, 1999), International ARD (Munchen 2001), 5th Adam (New Zealand, 2003).

Sofia Gubaidulina describes Monika as “truly remarkable, and I simply adore her… Monika is the sort of talent that only appears by the Grace of God”.

As soloist she performed with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphonic Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Essen Philharmonic, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Zagreb Soloists.

She collaborated with numerous acknowledged conductors such as Valerij Gergiev, Thomas Hengelbrock and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Her solo recitals, chamber music projects and noted festivals include Lockenhaus, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Dubrovnik, Casals Festival (Tokyo), Rostropovich Festival (Riga), Zagreb International Music Festival, collaborating with such notable musicians as Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Boris Berezovsky, Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, Tabea Zimmermann, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mario Brunello, Nikolai Zneider, Jeanine Jansen and Kolja Blacher, among others.

Since 2005 she’s been collaborating with the cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima, with whom she recorded the album “We Were Trees”, recently published by Sony/BMG.

In 2008, she recorded the G-major Cello Concerto of Stamitz and the Danzi Variations on a theme from “Don Giovanni” for the label OEMHS Classics.

Monika Leskovar plays on a Vincenzo Postiglione cello from 1884 which was entrusted to her by the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Philharmonic.

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