About Petar Pejčić
Cello
Jan Vogler
As Prizewinner and youngest Finalist of the 2nd International Queen Elisabeth Competition, Petar Pejčić proves to be one of the most promising artists of his generation. “A wonderful musician with a compelling sense of storytelling” (Le Soir).
Petar has won several prizes at eminent international competitions, including the Paulo Cello Competition (Finland), Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium) and the Pablo Casals Competition (Spain). He is a recipient of the “Frans Helmerson Prize” at the Kronberg Academy Festival 2022, the “Most Promising Young Musician Prize” from ArtLink Société Générale, and other awards from the Anna Kull Competition, Felix Mendelssohn Competition, Alexander Glazunov Competition, Liezen Competition, Heran Competition, and the Serbian State Competition.
Born into a musical family, he received his first cello lessons at the age of four. After his musical beginnings in Belgrade, he moved to Germany to continue his education at the University of Music and Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig with Prof. Peter Bruns. He is currently enrolled in the Professional Studies program at the prestigious Kronberg Academy, in the class of Prof. Frans Helmerson.
As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Graz Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, BKO Ljubica Marić, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Styriarte Festival Orchestra, under the baton of prominent conductors including Stephane Denève, Rumon Gamba, Michael Hofstetter, Vahan Mardirossian, Corinna Niemeyer, Rade Pejčić, Andreas Stoehr, Bojan Sudjić and many others.
He further refined his artistry through master classes with distinguished cellists like Nicolas Altstaedt, David Geringas, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis, Mischa Maisky, Ivan Monighetti, and Jan Vogler. Valuable musical insights from Iván Fischer, Cristian Măcelaru and András Schiff have further shaped his expressive journey. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with esteemed artists such as James Baillieu, Friedemann Eichhorn, Pauline Sachse, Antti Siirala, Florian Uhlig, and Mira Wang.
Out of great passion to broaden his musical horizons came the special collaboration with the choreographer Jacopo Godani and the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company. The resulting works – “BACH OFF!” as well as “Premonitions of a Larger Plan”, show a new perspective on the relationship between musicians and dancers.
Since the academic year of 2023/4, Petar is the first ever recipient of the J & A Beare Bursary. He is a scholarship holder of the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein, the Freunde Junger Musiker Foundation, and the Dr. Hübner Foundation. Since 2021, he has been receiving the Günter Henle-Scholarship of the Peter Klöckner-Foundation (in the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben).
As the winner of the 2021 Martin Stadtfeld Prize, Petar recorded his first CD entitled “Intima poetica”, which was published by the Freunde Junger Musiker Mainz-Wiesbaden e.V. Foundation.
He plays an instrument by Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ (1694, Cremona), generously on loan through the Beare’s International Violin Society, as well as a Stephan von Baehr cello (2012, Paris), on loan from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.