TAMARA KRŽELJ
CELLIST
B i o g r a p h y
Tamara Krželj was born in Split, Croatia, into a family of artists.
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At the age of 7, she saw a girl playing cello on TV. The extraordinary beauty of cello sound captured her. That was what she wanted to do... to play the cello!
Already as a very young girl, she decided to become a professional cellist.
Growing up in a town with a great opera tradition, she spent a lot of time listening to Verdi, Puccini and other Italian composers.
The lyrical and dramatic quality of opera had a great influence on her musical interpretation.
She obtained her diploma "Teaching and Performing Cellist" at the Music Academy of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the class of professor Miloš Mlejnik.
Also,she has taken masterclasses in cello from Valter Dešpalj.
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Tamara received several awards in her country and played in many orchestras
such as the National Opera Orchestra in Split, Croatia, and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana, Slovenia.
After finishing her studies she moved to The Netherlands, where she continued learning at the Rotterdam Conservatorium with the cello teachers Herre-Jan Stegenga and Marien van Staalen.
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In the following years she played with Joop van den Ende Musical Productions, Brabant’s Chamber Orchestra “Musica Ducis” and Brabant’s Symphony Orchestra.
Beside her work as a classical cellist she was a member of the group “O Septeto Plus” with which she recorded the album “Rodinha” in 1998. The album was recognized as one of the best Dutch music productions in the category World Music by the press.
Playing with the piano trio “Atacca” she gave numerous concerts in France and in 2000 they won a gold medal at the Performing Arts Competition in Los Angeles, California USA.
Working in the Nederlands Promenade Orkest she had the opportunity to perform in many music halls all over the country, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The orchestra played a very versatile program including oratorio, church music, symphony and opera. They also made TV and radio recordings.
Currently she performs solo or in cooperation with other musicians.
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Tamara Krželj is teaching both young and grown up cello students and shares her musical knowledge with great passion and enthusiasm.
She has founded a cello ensemble with her students from Bergen Music School in Oegstgeest, which she leads with great dedication and passion. The ensemble regularly performs in the region.