Elixir- Concert by Aleksandar Stojcheski on Viola and Nina Kostova on Piano
Friday, December 19th from 7 pm: Aleksandar Stojcheski on Viola and Nina Kostova on Piano
Program:
A. Corelli “La Folia” – sonata for viola and piano in G minor
P. I. Tchaikovsky – The Seasons, suite for solo piano
J. Brahms – sonata for viola and piano No. 2 in E-flat major
Aleksandar Stojcheski – Viola
Aleksandar Stojcheski was born in Skopje in 1980. He began his musical education at the “MBUC – Ilija Nikolovski-Luj” School of Music, studying violin with Professor Toni Terziev, and later continued in the viola class of Professor Ljupcho Sokolov. In 1999 he joined the orchestra of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet as a freelance musician, where he continues to perform to this day. He graduated from the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje in 2003, specializing in viola.
In 2004, at the age of 24, Stojcheski became the youngest principal player in the history of Macedonian orchestras. Three years later, he founded the string quartet Equilibrium, with which he gave numerous concerts both in Macedonia and abroad, releasing two recordings. In 2013, the ensemble was renamed the Zografski Quartet in honor of the distinguished professor and composer Tomislav Zografski, continuing its successful concert activity.
Stojcheski is a regular collaborator with the Macedonian Philharmonic and, over the past two decades, has performed with all major ensembles in the country, including the Macedonian Opera, Macedonian Philharmonic, Music Youth of Macedonia, the Symphony Orchestra of Macedonian Radio and Television, and the FAMES Film Music Project. He has also appeared in many chamber ensembles at home and internationally.
Nina Kostova – Piano
Nina Kostova received her musical education in Skopje, North Macedonia, under the guidance of the distinguished Professor Boris and Professor Lyudmila Romanova of the Moscow Conservatory “Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.” She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has appeared on stages across Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and many other countries.
Between 1991 and 2010, she participated in seminars organized by DMUBUC-Skopje, Jeunesses Musicales Macedonia, the Dobrin Petkov Music School in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the Voislav Vuchkovich Music School in Belgrade, Serbia, led by Professor Boris Romanov. She regularly performed at their closing ceremonies. Kostova completed her undergraduate and master’s studies with distinction and earned her doctorate in 2014.
Her solo performances include collaborations with the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Youth Symphony Orchestra Dobrin Petkov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria), the St. George Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music Arts. She has worked with renowned conductors such as Sasha Nikolovski, Aleksandar Lekovski, Borjan Canov, Leonid Nikolaev, Eduard Grach, Plamen Prvanov, and Janko Kostelić.
Kostova has also performed extensively in chamber ensembles and duets in Sarajevo, Belgium, Italy, France, New York, and at the Ohrid Summer Festival with the Hensel Quartet from Germany. She currently serves as Professor of Piano at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje, where her dedication to students has resulted in numerous awards and successful performances.
Her artistry has been recognized internationally, including honors from Carnegie Hall for her contribution to the American Protégé Festival and from the Spivakov Foundation for her role in the “Moscow Meets Friends” Festival in 2013. Since 2018, she has been a distinguished member of the Tomislav Zografski Foundation.
