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© Since 2016  Kristina Socanski

Kristina Socanski is a Serbian-Norwegian pianist. She is a diverse musician who explores both classical and modern repertoire and regularly performs as a soloist, chamber musician and a collaborative pianist, in Norway and abroad. The most valuable musical impulses, she obtained through studies with professors Håkon Austbø, Einar Smebye, Niklas Sivelöv and Friedrich Gürtler. This is reflected through her individual, expressive musicianship, praised for both its poetic qualities and attentiveness in collaborative work

Upon moving to Norway aged eleven, she entered the development program for young, gifted musicians at the University of Stavanger and the Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo, Norway, and later she studied at HFM Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany. Kristina holds a Bachelor degree in piano performance from The Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and a Master degree from The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. In 2019 she graduated from the “soloist class”, the advanced postgraduate program at RDAM in Copenhagen, specializing in chamber music and accompaniment. Her debut concert was broadcast on the Danish Radio “P2 Klassisk”.

As a prize winner of several international competitions, she has made appearances at several major venues, including the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, and Kammersaal at the Berlin Konzerthaus in Germany. Her performances have also taken her to LeFrak Concert Hall in New York, Stavanger Concert Hall in Stavanger, Oslo Opera House, Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen, Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen and Kolarac Concert Hall in Belgrade. Her work has been featured on several Serbian radio and television stations (Radio Beograd 202, RTS, RTV, TV Banat). She has received funding and scholarships from Sparebank 1, Idella Foundation, Oticon Foundation, Den Böhmske Fond, Torp-Pedersen Fondet, Feldthusens Fond and other institutions. As a professional musician, Kristina has received grants from the Norwegian Arts Council, FFUK and other foundations in Norway.

 Her artistic activity in recent years has been largely focused on exploration of contemporary music and collaborations with composers. During the studies at The Norwegian Academy of Music, Kristina worked together with the renowned contemporary pianist Ellen Ugelvik. This inspired her to start exploring contemporary music and marked the beginning of a new path. The collaboration with contemporary music specialist prof. Peter Degenhardt at the HfMT Köln has also been of great importance to her trajectory. In 2018, Kristina was invited to Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College in New York, as a visiting scholar.  She collaborated with prof. Edward Smaldone, and performed some of his music written for piano, among other pieces written by American composers. This was a part of her artistic research project at RDAM, exploring contemporary music for piano written in the USA, which was presented in a well-received debut album released in 2019, with works by Missy Mazzoli, Edward Smaldone, George Crumb, Leo Ornstein and Philip Glass. In 2022 she returned to New York, together with her piano-percussion ensemble “Seit Quartet”, for a concert arranged by The American League of Composers, in which she premiered works by Edward Smaldone and Mads Emil Dreyer.  In the summer of 2022, she reliazed a critically acclaimed CD with works by Philip Glass for piano (Oclassica). 

Other collaborative activities have included dance-concerts performances with ballet apprentices of The Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen and specialization in accompaniment and opera coaching with Jane Klaviter at the “Bel Canto Institute” in Florence, followed by performances in Italy and USA in 2017.  As a passionate chamber musician, Kristina performs regularly as a member of several ensembles, and is the founder and artistic leader of “Vrsac International Chamber Music Festival” in Serbia.

Kristina has performed in Scandinavia, numerous European countries and in the USA. As a part of her soloist degree, she was a teaching assistant for the piano class of prof. Niklas Sivelöv at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. She is also an experienced piano teacher, with more than 10 years of teaching behind her. Since 2021, she has been working as a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo, and she is currently working on a research project exploring contemporary music and spirituality

Kristina Socanski ble født i Beograd, Serbia i 1990 og har bodd i Norge siden 11-års alderen. Hun er en prisbelønnet pianist, med bachelorgrad fra Norges Musikkhøgskole og master og solistdiplom fra Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium i København. 
Hun har studert hos Håkon Austbø Einar H. Smebye og Niklas Sivelöv. Hun har også drevet med kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid ved Aaron Copeland school of Music ved Queens College i New York. Hun har vunnet priser i konkurranser som «The North» (2019), ”Rising Stars Grand Prix Berlin” (2019), «Golden Classical Music Awards» (2018), «Bel Canto Institute Performance Award» (2018)  «Klavierpodium München» (2008),» Gradus Ad Parnassum» (2007), og «Norges Musikkmesterskap» (2003, 2005) og mottatt en rekke stipend fra blant annet Idella Fondation, Oticon Fondet, Torp-Pedersen Fondet, Sparebank1 og andre. Som prisvinner i de ovennevnte konkurransene har hun blitt invitert til å opptre under prisvinnerkonserter i Kammermusiksaal Philharmonie Berlin, Wienersaal i Mozarteum og Weil Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall. Hun har turnet i Europa og USA og er kunstnerisk leder fra Vrsac International Chamber Music Festival i Serbia. 

Under studietiden ved NMH fikk Kristina også undervisning av ledende samtidspianist Ellen Ugelvik, noe som inspirerte henne  til å begynne å utforske ny musikk. Samarbeidet med prof. emeritus i samtidsmusikk Peter Degenhardt ved Musikkhøgskolen i Köln, har også vært av stor betydning.

Hun kom ut med sin debut CD ”A New World” (Sheva Collection) i 2019, med amerikansk samtidsmusikk skrevet for piano, etter flere måneders opphold i New York og samarbeid med aktuelle komponister. I juli 2022 ga hun ut den kritikerroste plata Philip Glass: Piano Solo (Oclassica).

Kristina har gitt tallrike konserter som solist og kammermusiker i både inn – og utland og spilt inn for serbisk nasjonalradio. Hun er lidenskapelig opptatt av kammermusikk og medlem av flere ensembler,  samt en verdsatt akkompagnatør. Med to klaver/slagverk kvartetten «Seit Quartet» har hun spilt dansk premiere av Steve Reich’s «Quartet» for to klaver og to vibrafoner og vunnet «American League of Composers» konkurranse om å opprtre under deres konsertsesong og å uroppføre et nyskrevet verk for ensemblet. 

Kristina er også en erfaren akkompagnatør som samarbeider jevnlig med sangere, og en etterspurt pianolærer. Kristina er for tiden stipendiat ved UiO hvor hun forsker på samtidsmusikk og åndelighet. 

Kristina Sočanski je rođena u Beogradu 1990. godine. Preselila se u Norvešku sa svojim roditeljima sa 11 godina. Studirala je na muzičkom institutu ”Barratt Due” u Oslu, na Muzičkoj akademiji ”Franz Liszt” u Vajmaru, Nemačkoj, ”Norveškoj Muzičkoj Akademiji” u Oslu i na ”Kraljevskoj Danskoj Muzičkoj Akademiji” u Kopenhagenu. 2018. godine, pozvana je od strane ”Aaron Copland” škole da istražuje savremenu muziku za klavir američkih kompozitora, na Kvins Koledžu u Njujorku. Dobitnica je mnogobrojnih državnih i privatnih stipendija Kraljevine Norveške i Danske i osvajala je nagrade na takmičenjima u Norveškoj, Srbiji, Nemačkoj, Italiji, Americi i Austriji. Kristina je magistrirala na ”Kraljevskoj Danskoj Muzičkoj Akademiji” u Kopenhagenu 2016. godine, a 2018 godine završila je ”klasu za soliste”, najviši nivo umetničkih studija u Skandinaviji. Izdala je dva hvaljena albuma, "A New Worold" (2019) i "Philip Glass: Piano Solo"(2022). Redovno nastupa u zemlji i inostranstvu i istakla se nastupima u dvoranama kao što su:  Kammermusiksaal Philharmonie Berlin, Wienersaal - Mozarteum (Salzburg), Weil Recital Hall-Carnegie Hall (Njujork), Oslo Opera House,  Zadužbina Ilije M. Kolarca (Beograd), Stavanger Konserthus i Le Frak Concert Hall (Njujork). Poreklom iz Vršca, osnivač je i umetnički direktor "Međunarodnog festivala kamerne muzike” u Vršcu koji postoji od 2017 godine. Trenutno radi na Univerzitetu u Oslu, na doktorsom projektu koji istražuje savremenu muziku i duhovnost.