Doretta Balkizas
Q:
What sparks creativity for you?
A:
Joy!
Short Bio
Based in Germany since 2015, Australian violinist Doretta Balkizas leads a varied life as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. In recent seasons, she has performed, recorded and toured in various ensembles, including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, appearing in concert throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.
She is currently on contract with the Bremer Philharmoniker as associate principal second violin. Doretta has performed as a concerto soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Nanning Symphony Orchestra (China) and was a finalist in several major Australian competitions. This includes the 2015 Symphony Australia Young Performer Award and the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship for Violinists, where she was a major prize winner and received the inaugural Fritz Kreisler Prize.
As a chamber musician, Doretta has appeared at the International Holland Music Sessions, the MusicaViva Festival and the Yellow Barn Music Festival, where she collaborated with Roger Tapping (Juilliard String Quartet) and Donald Weilerstein. In 2018, Doretta received her Master of Music with distinction from the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler", Berlin, having previously completed an undergraduate degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a student of Alice Waten.
Doretta is very grateful for the many benefactors, scholarships and awards which have supported her studies, including the George & Margaret Henderson Travelling Scholarship, a scholarship from the DAAD, the Ernest V. Llewellyn Memorial Fund scholarship and a grant from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
Performed with Phoenix on:
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