Internationally acclaimed pianist Zora Mihailovich has been named Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Music in the College of the University of Rochester.
As artist-in-residence, Mihailovich will present a recital each semester; appear as a soloist with various ensembles; hold workshops and master classes for pianists; coach chamber music, including piano; and will be a guest lecturer in academic courses.
"Zora Mihailovich's appointment as artist-in-residence gives the opportunity for the many talented students in the College on the River Campus to benefit from having a world-class performer among our ranks," said Kim Kowalke, chair of the music department.
Mihailovich has performed in recital and as an orchestral soloist in numerous venues, including London's Royal Festival Hall, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, and New York's Carnegie Hall, and with such orchestras as the Washington Symphony, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
She has collaborated with singers Placido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, and Anna Moffo, and has performed in festivals in Europe and North America, including the Salzburg Festival in Austria and the American Landmark Festival in New York.
Mihailovich has made several recordings for North American and European recording companies on the Centaur, PGP-RCT, Virtuoso, and Virtuoso Classics labels.
Mihailovich has earned praise in reviews of her performances and recordings. The Times of London wrote of her "lyrical sweetness, intimately eloquent phrasing, climaxes of startling intensity and many flashes of virtuosity," while the Het Laatste Nieuws of Amsterdam praised her "brilliant superb pianistic technique . . . poetic sensitivity," and the Los Angeles Daily News described her as "a charismatic performer."
Born in Belgrade, Mihailovich started her musical studies at age 5 and debuted with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra when she was 16. A year later, she became the youngest person ever to graduate from the Academy of Music in Belgrade. She completed her studies at the Academia di Musica Santa Cencilia in Rome with Carlo Zecchi, one of the world's foremost pianists.
Before moving to the United States in 1989, Mihailovich was professor of piano at the University of Belgrade for 15 years. She has served as a visiting professor at the University of Arizona's School of Music and at the Uppsala School of Music in Sweden, and was a guest artist at the University of Southern California School of Music and the California Institute of the Arts.