Vesna Podrug

Vesna Podrug was born in Split, Croatia, where she also received her first piano lessons from Professor Gordanna Lentic. By the time she graduated from school in 1986 she had already won six first prizes in the national competitions.

In 1989, as the winner of the »Ivo Pogorelich« scholarship, she was able to move to Vienna to study with Professor Paul Badura-Skoda at the University of Music and Performing Arts. In 1989 she was also awarded a scholarship from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research. She finished her studies in 1992 with a Master of Arts degree and in autumn 2000 also completed her pedagogical studies with distinction. While still studying, Vesna Podrug performed many solo concerts and also appeared as soloist with orchestras and as member of various chamber music ensembles.

She has worked together with the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and the Croatian National Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with artists like Denyce Graves, Michael Kugel, Wladimir Kossjanenko, Soo Kyung Hong, Goran Listes, Isabell Bringmann, Martina Serafin, Miguelangelo Cavalcanti and many others. She has performed in Vienna´s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, in the Vienna State Opera, Graz Opera, Bösendorfer Hall and the Austrian Broadcasting Company ORF. Various concert tours brought her to Germany, Italy, Croatia, France, Ireland, Great Britain and Turkey. Since many years she combines her concert activities with the correpetition of opera groups, master classes and competitions. Since 1998 she is working as accompanist at the Vienna State Opera and since 2002 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

At the International Master Courses in Bordeaux and in Hvar/Croatia she conducted her own piano classes. In 1999 her first CD, »Music for Viola« (Extraplatte), recorded together with her husband violist Wladimir Kossjanenko, was released.

In spring 2002 her new CD »In Memoriam Shostakovich« (also Extraplatte), recorded together with the Belgian violist Michael Kugel, was released and in December of the same year »The Strad Magazine London« chose and distinguished this CD as »Recital Disc – Strad Selection «.