Minka Popovic
is a Serbian pianist based in Salzburg with a distinguished academic background, numerous international awards, and an impressive European performance history.
Minka embarked on her musical odyssey at sixteen when she entered the Music Academy in Belgrade, guided by the renowned Prof. Nevena Popovic. Her studies continue at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, where she achieved academic distinction by earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with top honors as a student of Prof. Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch. Additionally, she studied with Prof. Eldar Nebolsin at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Her musical excellence has been recognized globally through numerous awards at international piano competitions. Notable awards include a first prize at the Chopin Competition in Rome (2005), a second prize at the Athens International Piano Competition in Greece (2006), and a second prize at the Villa de Capdepera International Competition in Spain (2006). She has received honors such as the special 1st prize at the Banjaluka Bienalle (2008), the 3rd prize at the “XXI Ramon Lull Rotary Club Piano Competition” (2014), and the “exceptional cultural contributions” prize from the royal family Karadjordjevic. The Association of Classical Musicians of Serbia (UMUS) also recognized her as the “Best Young Artist” in 2013.
She performed across Europe for audiences in Germany, Austria, Romania, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, and Serbia. Some of her most noteworthy performances took place at the esteemed Berliner Philharmonie, where she made her debut at the Kammermusik Saal as part of the “Philharmonische Salon” of the Berliner Philharmoniker cycle, repeating her success two years later. Alongside her solo engagements, she dedicated herself to chamber music, collaborating with various ensembles and performing alongside soloists from the Mozarteum Orchester, Salzburg Philharmonie, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, and others.
Minka’s discography showcases her versatility and artistic depth. She recorded a CD with her Susak Trio (flute, saxophone, piano), which triumphed at the Braunschweig International Competition. Furthermore, she released a double CD with the Slovenian flutist Marko Zupan, dedicated to chamber music for flute and piano from the German romantic era, gaining recognition on the international stage.
In her solo career, she has performed with orchestras such as the Philharmonie Salzburg, Bad Reichenhaler Philharmonie, and the Muzikon Orchestra, performing masterpieces by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin through their piano concertos. Furthermore, she holds the esteemed title of “Resident Pianist” for the renowned “Salzburg Fortress Concertos” (Festungskonzerte), where she regularly interprets Mozart’s piano concertos and chamber music.
Minka also stands as the founder of the “Susak Music Festival,” an alternative chamber music festival located on the enchanting Croatian island of Susak. Over the past seventeen years, this festival has become a magnet for renowned artists from diverse corners of the globe.
Between 2018 and 2021, she worked as the assistant to Prof. Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch at the University Mozarteum”. In 2021, she assumed the director role at the private music school “Pianissimo” in Salzburg where she, as the co-founder of an art organization with the same name, tries to bring innovative cultural projects to the Salzburg music scene.