Kajana Pačko, Violoncello
Trained in Zagreb, Berlin and Salzburg, the Croatian solo and chamber musician performs for renowned concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, including with the Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Cappella Academica Berlin. The cellist has also directed the international festival for classical music ZAGREBplus since 2021.
About the artist
virtuoso chamber musician and soloist
Croatian cellist Kajana Pačko has already performed at the major venues in Europe, such as Konzerthaus and the Philharmonie in Berlin, while completing advanced studies at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg in the classes of some of the world most esteemed cellists such as Clemens Hagen and Frans Helmerson.
She appeared as a soloist with the Croatian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Cappella Academica of Berlin, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and the Zagreb Soloists Ensemble, among others.
Kajana is a first prize winner at the International competitions "Alpe-Adria" in Gorizia, 39th "Darko Lukic" competition and at several national competitions. She was croatian laureate at the Eurovision competition for young classical musicians, going on to represent Croatia at the European Contest in Luzern. Kajana received the Zagreb University Rektor’s prize for the performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo variations.
In 2015 Kajana has been awarded the "Judita" music prize for her performance in Croatia with the guitar player Petrit Çeku.
As a member of the Trio Korngold she won the Boris Pergamenschikow Prize for chamber music in 2013.
As an active and passionate chamber musician Kajana played concerts at festivals such as George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, "Musique en Cote Basque", "Art Masters Saint-Moritz", "Salzburger Kammermusik Festival", "Homburger Kammermusiktage", "Next Generation Bad Ragaz" and "Dubrovnik Summer Festival". She performed together with musicians such as Danusha Waskiewicz, Diana Tishchenko, Martina Filjak, Stefan Milenkovich, members of the Mahler Chamber orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.
Kajana is collaborating with the young and renowned composers and had already commissioned compositions for cello solo by Tomislav Oliver and Frano Đurović for her BACH+ project.
Born in Split Kajana began her musical education as a pupil and a student of Valter Dešpalj in Zagreb and Troels Svane in Berlin.
As a participant at the Kronberg Academy, IMS Prussia Cove and the Pablo Casals Festival she has worked with musicians such as David Geringas, Gary Hoffman and Anner Bylsma. Kajana also received important musical impulses from the chamber music lessons with Menahem Pressler, Tabea Zimmermann, Ulf Wallin and the members of Hagen and Artemis Quartets.
In 2014 her debut CD "Journey through Europe" with the pianist Danijel Detoni containing the works by Poulenc, Grieg and Papandopulo has been released by Croatia Records.
Her second CD for Croatia Records "BACH+" came out in 2017 and her third CD with works by Schumann, Brahms, Dohnányi and Maček, once again with Danijel Detoni, has been released in April 2018 for the Belgian label Le Chant de Linos.
She also loves pedagogical work and has already given few masterclasses and workshops.
Since 2015 Kajana is teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig ("Lehrauftrag").
Since 2021 Kajana is an artistic director of the ZAGREBplus international classical music festival in the production by Croatian music institute in Zagreb.
Apart from that she has been initiating and organizing a few benefit concerts and festivals since 2020 ("E-Concert" and BEETHOVENplus festival for the renovation of the Croatian Music Institute and "Concert for the children of Ukraine").
Kajana is playing a "l'école de Pique" cello, made in Paris around 1800.
