Mladen Čolić (Serbia)

2nd Isidor Bajić Piano Memorial Laureate

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Mladen Čolić was born in Novi Sad in 1982. His education in music began with Professor Ivana Branovacki, at the Isidor Bajic Music School in Novi Sad where he graduated as the best student of his generation.

In the course of his music studies, Mladen has won a total of 22 prizes on national and international competitions, among which are: II Prize at the International Frederic Chopin Competition (Novi Sad), I Prize at the International Petar Konjovic Competition (Belgrade), I Prize at the III International Sergei Rachmaninov Competition for Young Pianists (Russia), II Prize at the International Royal Tunbridge Wells Competitive Arts Festival (UK), III place at the XXX International Usti nad Labem Piano Competition (the Czech Republic).

Since his first days of music education, Mladen has performed as a soloist and with orchestras. For several years he was a student of the Preparatory Programme for Young Talents at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts, with such recognised professors as Arbo Valdma, Rita Kinka, Jegor Cugajev, Svetlana Bogino, and Vladimir Ogarkov.

At the beginning of the year 2000, Mladen won II Prize and the Special Vladimir Spivakov Prize at the International Vladimir Krainev Competition (Ukraine), which enabled him to perform as a soloist in his country and abroad (France, Germany), as well as to attend masterclasses with the famous Professor Vladimir Krainev. In the same year, he enrolled the Novi Sad Academy of Arts, where he studied piano with Professor Svetlana Bogino, a former student of the esteemed pianist and teacher Lev Oborin. As a student, Mladen was invited to the Piano Academy in Hamamatsu (Japan), where he attended masterclasses with Hiroko Nakamura, John O’Connor, Sergio Perticarolli, Jacques Rouvier and Oksana Jablonskaja.

He graduated from the Novi Sad Academy of Arts, under Professor Svetlana Bogino, and was the first student of the Academy to receive the Cum Laude distinction. Since the age of eight, Mladen has attended numerous masterclasses in his country and abroad (Italy, France, Germany, Russia and Austria) with recognised professors: Konstantin Bogino, Jacques Rouvier, Dmitri Bashkirov, Vladimir Krainev, Bruno Riguto, and Mikhail Voskresenski.

In March 2004, he won I Prize, the Audience Award, and the Laureate Title of the II Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial (Novi Sad). He enrolled the National Music and Dance Conservatory in Paris with Professor Jacques Rouvier in the same year. Currently, he is a student of the second year there, financed by the French Government. At the same time, Mladen is taking the first year of his post-graduate studies at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts with Professor Svetlana Bogino.