Intro

Viktor Čižić, born in 1996 in Zagreb, Croatia is a pianist with a dynamic approach to music – from solo and chamber performances to composing and the art of improvisation. He has performed both in Europe and the United States, at venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Vatroslav Lisinski Hall in Zagreb and the Amphitheater in Pula.

Solo with orchestra

As a soloist, Viktor has collaborated with numerous renowned orchestras in Croatia, covering a broad repertoire. Among the more traditional works, he has performed Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Zagreb Opera Orchestra, Béla Bartók’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Rijeka Symphony Orchestra, and Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings with the Zagreb Soloists String Orchestra.

Contemporary

Apart from standard repertoire, he also premieres new music for piano and orchestra, particularly by Croatian composers. He premiered Nexus, concerto for piano and ensemble by Juraj Marko Žerovnik with the Cantus Ensemble, Nachtmusik, for piano and string orchestra by Krešimir Klarić with the OMG Orchestra, as well as his own arrangement of Zlatko Potočnik’s Bećarska Mozartkugla, for piano and tamburitza orchestra, with the Croatian Radio and Television Tamburitza Orchestra. He collaborated with conductors such as Valenin Egel, Tomislav Fačini, Berislav Šipuš, Simon Robinson, Vjekoslav Babić, Siniša Leopold, and others.

Composing

Active in composition himself, Viktor’s original works and arrangements have been performed by various ensembles and artists, including the Astana Opera Orchestra in Kazakhstan, the Croatian Radiotelevision Tamburitza Orchestra, baritone Jurica Jurasić Kapun, pianist Vladimir Babin, clarinetist Sebastijan Sarapa, harpsichordist Franjo Bilić, Turangalila Quartet and Viktor himself. Apart from serious music, he also wrote music for films, theater, and for radio. His master thesis was about improvisation in the context of contemporary pianism, which he often employs in his own programs, sometimes as standalone improvised sections of recitals. Apart from his own, he premiered numerous other solo and chamber pieces by Croatian composers.

Chamber

Active as a chamber musician, he performed with ensembles such as the Cantus Ensemble (with which he performed twice as a soloist, including at the Music Biennale Zagreb contemporary music festival), Serious Ensemble Zagreb (SEZ), Antiphonus Ensemble, Turangalila Quartet, Score Collective, and others. On multiple occasions he performed with the Croatian Radio and Television Choir, including Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, for two pianos and percussion.

Theatre

As an accompanist, as well as pianist on stage, Viktor performed in various opera, ballet and drama productions of many theaters (Croatian National Theaters in Zagreb, Rijeka, Varaždin, and Osijek, Kerempuh Theater, Erato Theater, Puppet Factory Theater, and other independent productions). Sometimes, he also plays jazz music. As a pianist of the Zagreb Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra, he recorded an album called Harmony of Dissonance, with eponymous vocal ensemble. He also performed with the Zlatko Potočnik Quintet, Mimika Orchestra, and Democrissy Trio, while two of his pieces got premiered at the JazzHR festival in Zagreb, Croatia.

Education

After graduating from the 15th Gymnasium and Vatroslav Lisinski Music School in Zagreb in the class of Branka Fačini-Vrhovski in 2014, Viktor enrolled at the Zagreb Music Academy, studying with Dalibor Cikojević initially, and later with Filip Fak. As part of a student exchange program, he spent a year at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying piano with Frank van de Laar and contemporary piano performance with Ralph van Raat. Upon returning to Zagreb, he completed his studies in 2021, presenting a Croatian premiere of Tristan Murail’s 2018 piece Cailloux dans l’eau and a world premiere of his own composition, Uncertainty Miniatures for piano, as part of his master recital.

Jobs / Awards

Upon graduation, Viktor secured a position as an accompanist and collaborative pianist at the Zagreb Academy of Music’s Department for Wind Instruments. Currently he works as a pianist at the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. He received several awards, including the Yearly Prize of the Society of University Teachers Zagreb, and the Darko Lukić Diploma.