Professor Andrea Gajic
Since her London debut performing Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy at St. James’ Palace for Yehudi Menuhin’s 60th Birthday Celebration at the age of 12, Scottish violinist Andrea Gajic has enjoyed an international career as a soloist and chamber musician of the highest order. Alongside an active performing career, Andrea is also a passionate and dedicated pedagogue. A professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, many of her students have excelled in national and international competitions.
“A triumph of musical expression which held one spellbound from the opening cadenza to the last wisp of sound” — The Scotsman
Since her London debut performing Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy at St. James’ Palace for Yehudi Menuhin’s 60th Birthday Celebration at the age of 12, Scottish violinist Andrea Gajic has enjoyed an international career as a soloist and chamber musician of the highest order.
As a soloist she has performed with many orchestras across the globe and most recent performances include concertos by Sibelius, Barber, Brahms, Prokofiev and Glazunov. She has also recorded for BBC Radio, Bavarian Radio, Lithuanian Radio, and Radio Baltimore as well as appearances on BBC, STV, ITV and Russian and Serbian television.
Chamber music highlights include leading the Fibonacci Sequence at Conway Hall in London, recitals at the Munich Residenz and the Arctic Arts Festival and a recording of Beethoven’s Theme and Variations op. 107 with pianist Michael Leslie, Thomas Rugge and Michael Shopper for Bavarian Radio, then released by Büchergilde Gutenberg. Andrea also plays as part of Ab Libitum a unique and exciting violin and accordion duo with her husband Djordje performing regularly across the UK, Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Australia and at the Victoria International Arts Festival in Malta.
Alongside an active performing career, Andrea is also a passionate and dedicated pedagogue. A professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, many of her students have excelled in national and international competitions: Queen Sophie Charlotte International Violin Competition, Lithuania International Music Competition, Hunter Foundation BAFTA, and gone on to work with some of the major orchestras and ensembles: RSNO, BBC orchestras, SCO, Scottish Ballet and the Scottish Ensemble. Andrea previously taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School, in Surrey, St Mary’s Music School, in Edinburgh and the Douglas Academy in Glasgow.
In demand internationally as a visiting professor, Andrea has given classes and workshops at the Sydney Conservatorium, University of Performing Arts-Graz, Rostov Conservatoire of Music, University of Delaware, Peabody Conservatory, European String Teacher’s Association, Sistema Scotland and music schools across Serbia, Russia and Scotland. Working regularly alongside Nicola Benedetti, Andrea is a tutor for the Benedetti Foundation and in 2017 together with Natasha Boyarskaya gave a series of filmed workshops for the Benedetti Strings Festival in Saffron Hall which was featured in The Strad and Music Teacher magazines.
Andrea began her musical studies at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh before being awarded scholarships from the Martin Trust, the Caird Trust and the Scottish International Educational Trust to study with Sylvia Rosenberg at the Peabody Conservatoire in Baltimore. Five years of study with Khalida Akhtiamova followed at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow before she completed her studies at the Royal College of Music with Dr. Felix Andrievsky.
Andrea plays on a 1766 Nicolò Gagliano violin.