Maja Kastratovic

Maja Kastratovik was bom 1969 in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. She finished her primary music school the Music and Ballet Center llija Nikolovski Luj - Skopje studying piano with professor Slagjana Jovanovik . From Skopje she continued her studies in Moscow where she finished the special music high school (CMMS) studying piano with Prof.S.I.Gadjiev. 1993 she graduated at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory  in Moscow, within the class of Prof,L.V.Roshina. At last, 2002 she finished postgraduate piano studies in Skopje in as a student of prof.Boris Romanov. As a concert pianist she had appeared on concerts with the Macedonian Symphony Orchestra playing Grieg, Ravel, Lekovski & Nikolovski), and St. George chamber orchestra (Mendelssohn). She also gave concerts as a soloist and with numerous chamber ensembles. Her solo and chamber performances took her to: Russia (Moscow & St. Petersburg), Ukraine (Kiev), England (London), ltaly (Rome, Genova, Gorizia)), USA (New York, Chicago), Chech Republic (Krumlow) Slovenia (Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje), Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad), Macedonia (Skopje, Bitola, Ohrid), Austria (Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt,Villach, Feldkirchen), etc. In recent years, she also has performed with the international chamber ensembles Trio Phonos and Amici musici (Slovenia-Austria). As an répétiteur, she participates in violin seminars under the direction of prof. Blagoja Dimchevski, as well as at the cello seminars with prof. Kiril Rodin (Ohrid), prof. Dimitri Sitkovetski (Ljubljana). Mrs.Kastratovik has performed on many international music festivals including: Festival de Musica L'Escala-Empuries, XXII Festival de Musica- Villa de Canena and Linares, Spain; Gubbio Festival, Autunno Musicale- Cosenza, Avellino, ltaly; International music festival in Beringen, Belgium, Burghof Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria; Festival of Contemporary Chamber Music in Tirana, Albania; Chamber music Festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro; Skopje Summer Festival, Ohrid Summer Festival. lnterfest Bitola, Macedonia, etc. She regularly performs on the program of Wolfov abnoman, Slovenjgraško poletje… Also participated in musical and stage projects such as "Obletnica" on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the composer Hugo Wolf, and in 2012 in "Nova ljubejan" which was performed at the European Capital of Culture event - Maribor 2012, as well as ˝Ljubljana Festival'. The music critiques say for her that she has extraodinary music ear, very clear stile, beautiful sound and divine scene presense and always very inventive and philosophic for strucfure of one piece. For  her qualitative work as a musician and a pedagogue as well, she recieved numerous awards. In the year 2020 she recieved the Berneker award  for a special contribution to culture in the Republic of Slovenia. She was also jury member at several music competitions in Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania. In the period between 1996-2001 she worked as a piano professor at the Music and Ballet Centre llija Nikolovski Luj in Skopje, and since September 2001 she lives in Slovenia working in Slovenj Gradec, as well as in Slovenjske Konjice, as a piano teacher, Her students recieved many prestigious awards at varios intemational competitions in Chech Republic, Serbia, Italy, Slovenia, Macedonia… She is very socially active. As a member of the program board of the Hogo Wolf Society, she is (co)organizing various musical events/concerts. Last year she participated in the organization of the meeting of piano teachers of Slovenia EPTA, which took place in Slovenj Gradec.