Pianist JULIA GUBAJDULLINA, an artist of refined musicality, profound interpretative depth and remarkable stylistic versatility, was born in Chișinău (Moldova) into a family of distinguished musicians. She began playing the piano at the age of four, and achieved her first major success at twelve, performing with the Moldovan Philharmonic Orchestra. After completing her master’s degree at the Music Academy in Chișinău (in the class of Ludmila Vaverco), she pursued postgraduate studies at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow with Yuri Airapetyan. She won First Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Romania (1993), and distinguished herself as a soloist by winning First Prize at the International Competition in Moldova (1997) and Third Prize at the Città di Sulmona International Competition in Italy (1999). She received UNESCO Special Prize for outstanding artistic achievement. She has performed with leading symphony orchestras under the baton of renowned conductors such as V. Doni, M. Secikin, M. Ahmet-Zaripov, Ch. Rehli and E. Leduc-Barome, appearing as soloist in numerous piano concertos by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Franck, Schumann, Ravel, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Since 2000 she has been a member of the faculty of the Music Academy in Sarajevo, where she became a permanent member of the ensemble SONEMUS, specializing in contemporary music. Since 2005 she has lived in Croatia, where she is Associate Professor and head of the chamber music programme at the Music Academy of the University of Zagreb. Her artistic interests are exceptionally broad, alongside her pedagogical work, Julia has made numerous recordings for Moldovan national radio and television, performs actively as a soloist, and collaborates with a wide range of chamber ensembles. She frequently performs with cellist Monika Leskovar, violinists Tatjana Samouil and Alina Gubajdullina, singers Renata Pokupić and Martina Gojčeta Silić, clarinettists Marija Pavlović and Davor Reba, as well as with the Sinfonietta String Quartet. For nearly two decades she has performed as a piano duo with her husband, Ruben Dalibaltayan, a partnership she considers an important part of her artistic life. Together they founded the Makarska Summer Piano School in 2005, which has since developed into one of the most important educational centres for young pianists in the region. She regularly gives masterclasses in Croatia and abroad and frequently serves on juries at music competitions. She has performed in numerous concert series and festivals, including Molto Cantabile, Pianofortissimo, Music Artists of Zagreb, Diapason, Vivat Academia, Opera Selecta and others.