Ivana Topalović

Ivana Topalović was born on August 2, 1979 in Užice, where she completed the first five violin classes at the then only Lower Music School “Petar Konjović” (now “Vojislav Lale Stefanović”), participated three times in the MBŠS Festival and held her first solo concert.
In 1993, she took the violin entrance exam at the ŠZMTRS-Ćuprija (class of Professor Vladimir Marković), where in the same year she switched to the VIOLA instrument, under the mentorship of Professor Petar Ivanović, and in the class of Professor Panta Velicković. Her further life path and love for the viola as a string instrument were particularly influenced by her work in the field of chamber music with Professor Uroš Pešić (which continued during her studies), and as a member of the school’s string quartet she won first prizes at competitions in Stresa (Italy) and the International Competition “Petar Konjović” (Belgrade).
From 1994 to 1998, he continued his education at the “Dr. Vojislav Vučković” Music School in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Panta Velicković, where he won first prizes at the Republic and Federal competitions, second at the “Petar Konjović International Competition” and gained extensive orchestral experience in the “Borislav Pašćan” Youth Philharmonic.
During his studies at the Faculty of Music – Belgrade, where he graduated in 2004, he worked as a part-time associate of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the “Stanislav Binički” UAVS, the Terazije Theater Orchestra and as a permanent member of the “Royal Strings of St. George” chamber orchestra, collaborating with great names from the world of music such as: Zubin Mehta, Uroš Lajović, Sreten Krstić and others, performing in the country and abroad.
She gained her first teaching experience in 2009 (Music School “Dr. Miloje Milojević” – Kragujevac, then in 2010 – Music School “Mokranjac” – Belgrade), and from 2012 to the present she has been employed at the Music School “Josip Slavenski” in Belgrade.
So far, she has produced eight graduates, six of whom (and one in musicology) have enrolled in the Music Academies in Belgrade, Linz, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Kosovska Mitrovica.
Her students have won numerous awards at competitions such as: The First Balkan Violist Competition in Thessaloniki, the Serbian Violin and Violist Competition – Belgrade, “Golden Stairs” – Valjevo, “Sirmium Fest” – Sremska Mitrovica, “International Meetings of Violinists and Violists” – Novi Sad/Sremski Karlovci, “Vladimir Đorđević” – Belgrade, the international competition – Ub and “Young Virtuoso” – Belgrade.