Biography

Andrea Nikolic [Nikolitsch]

Andrea Nikolić [Nikolitsch] is an internationally active violinist, violist, conductor, artistic director, and pedagogue whose work is defined by artistic courage, intellectual curiosity, and an unwavering belief in music as a transformative social force. Equally at home as a soloist, ensemble leader, and cultural initiator, she belongs to a generation of artists who do not merely interpret repertoire, but actively shape artistic ecosystems.

Praised for her Renaissance-like versatility, depth, and uncompromising integrity, Andrea is known for forging connections across musical languages, historical periods, disciplines, and cultures. Her work moves fluently between early music and contemporary creation, classical concert halls and unconventional spaces, performance and education, artistic excellence and social responsibility. At the core of her artistic vision lies a clear mission: to bring music closer to people, to open access, and to create meaningful artistic encounters across borders and communities.

Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and raised in Varaždin, Croatia, Andrea has lived and worked in Vienna since 2010, a city she considers both her artistic home and a living laboratory of musical history and innovation.

Violinist & Violist

Andrea performs on both violin and viola, graduating with the highest distinction in both instruments. Her repertoire spans early and historically informed performance, classical and romantic works, contemporary music, improvisation, and interdisciplinary formats. A dedicated advocate of new music, she has inspired a substantial body of works written and dedicated to her, many of which are published in her own revisions.

Her artistic path is marked by long-term collaborations with composers, conductors, instrumentalists, singers, and artists across genres, resulting in projects that resist categorisation and privilege artistic honesty over convention. Since 2017, she has collaborated closely with Iranian-Viennese architect Hessamedin Fana, developing interdisciplinary works that form a core element of her artistic language.

Andrea performs on a 1879 Samuel Nemessány violin and a 1970 Yuri R. Malinovsky viola

Artistic Director, Cultural Leader & Musical Activist

Determined to effect lasting change through her work, Andrea founded VaClaF – Vareš Classic Festival and WISE – Wien International Soloists Ensemble in 2013, developing both into internationally recognised artistic movements rooted in strong ideals, social engagement, and artistic excellence. In 2020, she founded CRO-ArT Festival Vienna, conceived as an artistic act of resistance and renewal during the pandemic, which has since grown into a significant contemporary music platform.

VaClaF has been a festival of national importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2015 and was internationally recognised as part of the Year of Culture Austria–Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016. Across more than a decade, Andrea has created over 200 original programmes and concepts, combining world-class artists with innovative formats and broad accessibility. Through initiatives such as the VaClaF Masterclasses and Rising Stars Programme, she actively supports emerging generations of musicians and cultural leaders.

With WISE, Andrea curates an ambitious concert season and the CRO-ArT contemporary music festival in Vienna, presenting projects in both prestigious institutions and alternative spaces, while touring internationally. The ensemble collaborates closely with contemporary composers and with the Exil.Arte Centre Vienna, reviving works by composers exiled during the Second World War and recording them for international broadcast and release.

In 2025, Andrea is preparing a series of CDs as a soloist, conductor, and chamber musician. VaClaF enters its 14th edition, CRO-ArT its 7th, and both initiatives continue to expand internationally, including into the Mediterranean region through an ongoing and successful collaboration with the Kingdom of Morocco.

Leader/Conductor & Curious Explorer

Guided by curiosity and an interdisciplinary mindset, Andrea has appeared as leader and concertmaster with dozens of international orchestras and ensembles and regularly works as a conductor and soloist. She is particularly known for creating concept-driven programmes that connect repertoire, context, and narrative.

Her artistic milestones include the rediscovery and performance of Johann Baptist Vanhal’s Classical Concerto in C major; the interdisciplinary recital Wondrous Landscape, connecting contemporary music and literature; the improvisational work Ul-la, written for her by composer David Mastikosa; and her debut as leader, conductor, and soloist in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein.

Andrea has worked closely with leading conductors and mentors, further developing her conducting and compositional skills. In 2022, she premiered and recorded two viola concertos written for her and received the Rector’s Award of the University of Zagreb for outstanding artistic achievement. She has served as assistant conductor with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and has led and recorded numerous international projects in recent seasons.

Her current and upcoming seasons include international WISE projects, guest conducting positions, and appearances as soloist and conductor with orchestras across Europe and beyond.

Teacher & Educator

Andrea began her pedagogical career in 2009 and has since developed a parallel vocation as an educator and mentor. She teaches violin, viola, chamber music, conducting-related ensemble work, and cultural management, working with students from early training to professional level.

She collaborates with music institutions and universities across Europe and internationally, serves on competition juries, and leads masterclasses worldwide. Alongside in-person teaching, she actively develops digital education formats and consultative mentoring for emerging musicians, artists, and festival leaders, with a strong focus on empowerment, sustainability, and artistic identity.

Life, Research & Artistic Development

Andrea’s musical education includes studies in Zagreb, Graz, and Vienna, complemented by extensive international masterclasses in solo performance, chamber music, early music, contemporary music, conducting, and cultural management. Long-term engagement with early music specialists from the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music in London, as well as close collaborations with contemporary composers who have written extensively for her, have profoundly shaped her artistic vision.

Her artistic research increasingly focuses on interdisciplinary work, contemporary creation, and the visibility of underrepresented voices in music, particularly women composers and artists.

Epilogue

Andrea’s performances have been recorded and broadcast internationally on television and radio. She is also active as an author, publishing essays and programme texts in Croatian, English, and German. Her creative interests extend to composition, artistic production, film, and digital technologies, and she actively explores new formats at the intersection of art, society, and innovation.

Fluent in several languages and active across continents, Andrea Nikolić continues to shape an artistic path defined by curiosity, responsibility, and the belief that music can — and must — speak meaningfully to the world we live in.